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Singapore GP to Provide Public Road Challenge for Bridgestone

Bridgestone Motorsport will take its medium and super soft Potenza tyres to the fifteenth round of the Formula One season, the spectacular night race that is the Singapore Grand Prix on 24-26 September. The race takes place around the streets of the Marina Bay area of the city of Singapore and has provided exciting races in each of its previous two attempts. With the Drivers Championship delicately balanced between five potential champions and the less predictable track conditions offered by public roads, tyre strategy could once again provide a crucial tipping point in the direction of the podium places.

21st September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Full Grid on Anglesey as Dunlop Supplies NBC Control Tyre

On 10 September the No Budget Cup (NBC) came to the UK for the first time, staging a one off race at Anglesey. The peninsula saw a strong grid of 48, the maximum amount of racers allowed on the grid at the Welsh circuit. Dunlop tyres partnered with the NBC to become the control tyre for the championship, which has plans for more UK-based events in 2011.

21st September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Celebrates F1 Partnership in Monza

With 14 years of tyre supply soon to end, Bridgestone Europe celebrated its Formula One partnership at its final race within the region. On September 10, during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, more than 170 guests from Formula 1 racing teams, the press and Bridgestone companies attended the Paddock Club event, the centre piece of which was a question and answer session with leading F1 personalities including Bridgestone past and present champions Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Racing team principals Martin Whitmarsh of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Ross Brawn of Mercedes GP Petronas and Stefano Domenicali of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro joined the drivers on stage while a host of fellow team principals and senior team management also added their weight to the occasion.

20th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Grosjean Confirmed to Fill Heidfeld’s F1 Shoes at Pirelli

When testing of Pirelli’s Formula One tyres continues in Monza next week, former Renault F1 driver Romain Grosjean will take Nick Heidfeld’s place behind the wheel of the Toyota TF109 being used for pre-season tyre development. Heidfeld has been released from his contract with Pirelli following the announcement that he will drive for Sauber Motorsport for the remainder of the 2010 season.

17th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Ex-GP2 Driver Grosjean in the Pirelli F1 Testing Hotseat

Autosport has reported that Pirelli’s driver for its Formula One tyre tests next week at Monza will be Romain Grosjean, a former GP2 driver. The motorsport news source says it understands Pirelli’s agreement with the Swiss covers only next week’s testing, meaning the position is – in theory at least – still up for grabs. Pedro De la Rosa, whose F1 Sauber seat Nick Heidfeld has taken over, was previously linked with the position.

16th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Maxxis-Sponsored Team Japspeed Hosts US Drift Champion at TRAX

Maxxis-sponsored Formula D champion Chris Forsberg was at TRAX on 5 September, where he took the wheel of Team Japspeed’s 450bhp Nissan S15 to demonstrate his skills in a series of high speed stunts. The American drift star flew in specially to take part in “the Ultimate Performance Car Event”, making his UK debut with demonstrations in the TRAX Action Arena. Forsberg signed autographs on the Maxxis stand and treated eight lucky fans to a passenger ride around Silverstone.

16th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Soon to Name Heidfeld Replacement

Pirelli may possibly announce a new development driver for its Formula One tyre programme before the end of this week. According to itv.com, the tyre maker has confirmed that incumbent driver Nick Heidfeld’s signing with Sauber Motorsport and imminent return to F1 racing spells an end to his relationship with Pirelli. The Italian manufacturer is said to be releasing Heidfeld from his commitment, and according to the ITV website it hopes to appoint his replacement “in the forthcoming days.”

16th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Chinese-made Dmack Tyres to Join Michelin in WRC

Shandong Yongtai Chemical Group Co., Ltd, part of the Yongtai Chemical Group, has become the first Chinese tyre manufacturer to supply a top flight motorsport series after being named as the WRC’s second supplier after tyre giant Michelin was confirmed yesterday. The tyres will be branded Dmack and are aimed at privateer racing crews. The products themselves are being manufactured at Yongtai’s factory in Dongying, China. The plant reportedly produces 22,000 tyres a day for global distribution.

15th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli to Talk Possibilities with Heidfeld

Sauber Motorsport has confirmed the signing of Pirelli F1 test driver Nick Heidfeld. The 33-year old German driver’s contract with the racing team comes into effect on September 17 and, thanking Peter Sauber for putting faith in him, Heidfeld said he was “looking forward like crazy” to racing in Formula One again from the Singapore Grand Prix onwards.

14th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Alonso Scores Ferrari Home Win at Monza

The technical battle between Fernando Alonso – who kept open his Drivers Championship hopes – and Jenson Button provided the entertainment at Monza as the Spaniard’s set-up prevailed. Monza is renowned for its high speeds, but despite some blistering, tyre manufacturer Bridgestone waved goodbye to European Formula One with typically resilient performance. Alonso used a soft-hard tyre strategy to beat Button who took the lead from the pole-positioned Ferrari at the start of the race. Alonso retook the lead in the pit stops to lead the reigning champion across the finish line by 2.9 seconds. Ferrari’s other driver Felipe Massa finished third, 1.2 seconds behind Button.

13th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Monza to Provide “Emotional” Final European GP for Bridgestone

Bridgestone is to supply its Potenza tyres to Formula One for the final time in Europe this weekend, when the 2010 season enters its final four races with a trip to Monza. The Italian Grand Prix offers the challenge of one of the highest top speeds, with long straights bringing low downforce configurations into play, thus putting greater mechanical stress on the tyres. The tyre supplier is bringing its hard and soft compounds to the track for what its Motorsport director Hiroshi Yasukawa says will be “a very emotional… race for us”.

9th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

A Valuable Experience – Bridgestone’s Hirohide Hamashima on his F1 years

When Bridgestone packs up its gear following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November, a 14-year chapter in the company’s history will come to a close. Accompanying Bridgestone during its entire Formula One journey has been Bridgestone Motorsport’s director of motorsport tyre development, Hirohide Hamashima. From the very first F1 tyres developed in secret during the late 1980s right through to today, Hamashima has been a central figure in Bridgestone Motorsport’s team. Yet the role he has played in the high profile motorsport championship is one that earlier would have been hard to imagine.

8th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Finalises Final Four F1 GP Compound Allocations

With the Formula One Drivers and Constructors Championships still very much in the balance and competition at a premium, a margin such as the tyre compounds available could be a factor in deciding the eventual winner. Bridgestone has announced its last four allocations before it hands sole tyre supply over to Pirelli in 2011, from the Japanese Grand Prix on 10 October to the season-closer at Abu Dhabi on 14 November. A gap of one step between compounds features for each of the Grands Prix. The first-ever Korean Grand Prix will feature the hard and soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres.

7th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Vergne the First Frenchman to win Cooper Tires British F3 Series

Red Bull Junior driver Jean-Eric Vergne has become the first Frenchman to win the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 Series, after wrapping up the title with three races still to run at Brands Hatch on 25-26 September. Vergne could break the all-time record number of British F3 wins in a season. “To be the first Frenchman to win such a prestigious championship feels incredible,” said Vergne. “It's been an amazing season so far; big big thanks to all the guys from Carlin. We didn't make any mistakes this season; they provided me with a fantastic car, which is why we have been able to win the championship so early.”

7th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Softer Option Tyre Consistency Key to Pedrosa Fastest Lap at Misano

Dani Pedrosa continued to chip away at the lead built earlier in the season by Jorge Lorenzo with his second win in two weeks at the Misano Circuit in Japan, though the Grand Prix was overshadowed by the tragic death of Moto2 rider Shoya Tomizawa following an accident. Pedrosa dominated proceedings all weekend and led from the green light, setting a new lap record. Valentino Rossi kept Andrea Dovizioso at bay to finish third. Whilst rain was forecast for Sunday’s race, it failed to materialise and conditions were dry and warm all weekend, allowing all riders to used the softer compound rear tyre and the harder compound front, apart from Alvaro Bautista who used the softer front to good effect, finishing eighth with the sixth fastest lap time.

7th September 2010/by Tyrepress Editors