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Pirelli “Delighted” With Opening GP3 Round

Pirelli’s return to open wheel racing after an almost two-decade absence got underway last weekend with the opening rounds of the inaugural GP3 series at Spain’s Circuit de Catalunya. A full grid of 30 GP3 cars lined up for the opening two races, held on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, all fitted with Pirelli’s newly developed PZero 13-inch control tyres. Prior to each weekend’s races a soft, medium or hard compound tyre must be nominated for use by all drives, and on the weekend of May 8 and 9 – as will commonly be the case this year – the medium compound was employed.

13th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

F1 Teams Make Direct Pitch for Bridgestone to Stay

A group of Formula One teams has formally asked Bridgestone Corp. to revisit its decision to leave the series after this season. Faced with as many as six separate bids from other tyremakers to take over as a race supplier, a number of F1 teams opted to make the formal request. Following last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, team principals met with Bridgestone motorsport director Hiroshi Yasukawa, who passed the request on to recently seated Bridgestone Europe CEO Makio Ohashi, who was present at the race.

Yasukawa told Autosport magazine that, “After each race meeting we make a report to Japan, so are going to report to our top board members about what has happened this weekend. Mr. Ohashi has also realized that F1 is very important for Bridgestone. I really appreciate the teams’ approach, and we are happy that they still trust in our company and they wish Bridgestone to stay. Maybe we have to reconsider because of the market and the environment. We also understand that F1 itself is more concerned about the environment now, and there is a new power train coming.

12th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

5 Companies in the Running – F1 Tyre Supply Saga Continues

The plot thickens. The news that five manufacturers are involved in talks with the FIA about who will supply Formula One tyres next season, suggests a decision is not immanent, as had early been suggested. We knew that Bridgestone wanted to walk away from F1 and that the FIA are trying to tempt them back. We also knew that Michelin had thrown its hat into the ring subject to the series taking a more ecological and competitive slant to its supply, which is currently run on a control tyre basis. Then Cooper staked its claim, followed by Pirelli who picked up on Michelin’s request for 18-inch wheels as an opportunity to show its strength in high performance sizes. The latest reports suggest Kumho is now promoting itself as a contender.

10th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Returns to Single-Seater Racing at Spanish GP

Pirelli is to supply tyres for single-seater racing for the first time since 1991 in the new GP3 Series, which will support Formula One’s Spanish Grand Prix on 7-9 May. The Italian manufacturer says it will use the event to submit a tender to supply Formula One from next season. Pirelli will be the sole supplier for GP3, which the manufacturer says has been pitched as “a stepping-stone to GP2, a direct feeder category to Formula One”. The supply agreement is the most clear indication of Pirelli’s intentions for the Formula One tyre supply slot due to be vacated by Bridgestone at the end of the 2010 season.

7th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Brickhill: Tyre Labelling to Facilitate Tyre Value Conversation

Legislation, UK News

his last public engagement before completing his transfer to Brussels. Goodyear Dunlop’s new vice president of the company’s EU Consumer Business Unit talked at length on a wide range of subjects including what he sees as “the cornerstone of our branding strategy”; his thoughts on the newly launched Dunlop High Performance Centre and the rest of the company’s retail involvement; Dunlop and HiQ’s roles in the BTCC and his experiences with the company over his time in the UK hotseat. Here, tyrepress.com presents Brickhill’s thoughts on his new role in the company’s EMEA division and his views on tyre labelling. The whole interview will be printed in the May edition of Tyres & Accessories Magazine.

6th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Announces F1 Compounds up to Silverstone

Bridgestone Motorsport has confirmed the compound allocations of Potenza tyres for the next six rounds of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. The manufacturer has been able to implement its policy of keeping compounds two steps apart at the latter three Grand Prix (Canadian, European – super soft and medium – and British – soft and hard). The softer compound tyre used at any Grand Prix will be distinguished by the green bands on the edge of the tyre side walls, doubling up as a show of support for the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign.

5th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Power Cup moves to Cadwell Park

The second round of the 2010 Michelin Power Cup moves on to Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire this weekend (8-9 May) following the first round at Snetterton last month. The riders will take their places on the grid to compete in the 600 and 1000cc classes and take on the demanding 2.25 mile circuit, which includes the infamous Mountain section where riders can get airborne at high speeds.

4th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Davison Talks to Tyrepress.com About the Dunlop High Performance Centre

Tyrepress.com reported the opening of the Dunlop High Performance Centre earlier in the year. To follow up on the launch and to discuss Goodyear Dunlop's plans for the new retail innovation, we visited the new Centre to speak with Mark Davison, Goodyear Dunlop’s consumer director.

4th May 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Jerez Circuit’s “Diverse Corner Layout” a Challenge for Bridgestone MotoGP Tyre

Following the postponement of the Japanese Grand Prix (thanks to a certain Icelandic volcano), Bridgestone is heading back to the scene of its pre-season testing in Jerez, Spain this weekend for the second round of the 2010 MotoGP Championship. The Jerez circuit is “a good test circuit because of the diversity of the corner layout”, says Tohru Ubukata, manager of Bridgestone’s Motorcycle Tyre Development Department. “This means that we require a tyre with a very balanced character to provide good handling from low speed to high speed and from flat corners through changes in elevation,” Ubukata continues.

27th April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Ed Wilson to Head Two Wheel at Michelin UK

Ed Wilson is set to take over as Michelin UK commercial director moto on 1 June, according to Bike Tyrestore’s latest customer newsletter. Wilson will take the reins from Olivier Gros who has reportedly moved onto “new challenges” and moves from a position with Michelin Fleet Solutions in the company’s truck tyre department.

26th April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Still Interested in Formula One Tyre Supply

While all the buzz earlier in the week surrounded the surprise revelation that Cooper Avon was in the running for the contract to supply Formula One’s tyres, now there is the possibility of a third way. Italian manufacturer Pirelli appears to have thrown its hat into the ring, apparently prompted by Michelin’s suggestion that 18” wheels replace the 13” diameter products currently used in the sport in a move designed to make F1’s tyres more relevant to other sports tyres. Motorsport website Crash.net quotes Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera as saying the increase in size and the potential competition desired by Michelin “is something we have been pushing for for years.” He told ANSA – the Italian news agency – that the company “would consider a return to F1” should the Michelin-proposed regulations pass into F1 law.

22nd April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Blame it on the Tyres…

While Jenson Button’s tyre choice is receiving a measure of credit for the British driver’s victory in the Chinese Grand Prix, the round, black objects are being ostracised as the scapegraces of Michael Schumacher’s first Formula One comeback race. The 41-year old finished the Shanghai race in tenth position, a result the seven-time world champion would have previously considered mediocre or perhaps even agrestic. Nevertheless, Schumi and Mercedes GP team principal Ross Brawn are determined to address tyre and other issues so the renown driver can disport himself in the manner he is accustomed to during May’s Barcelona Grand Prix.

20th April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Avon Clarifies: Bridgestone Would Not Supply Its F1 Tyres

Cooper Avon has moved to correct reports on the BBC website that suggested current Formula One tyre provider Bridgestone would be involved in supplying the tyres for Avon Motorsport. The manufacturer’s representatives told tyrepress.com that this would not be the case; rather that Cooper Avon would use similar logistics providers (for example) to Bridgestone. Should Cooper Avon supply Formula One tyres, it will manufacture them itself.

19th April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Avon Confirms Formula One Supply Talks

Following reports that Avon Motorsport is the latest in the growing list of tyre suppliers discussing the possibility of supplying tyres to Formula One, Cooper Avon’s representatives released a statement confirming that talks are ongoing: “As a major motorsport tyre manufacturer Cooper Tire, through its Avon Tyres Motorsport operation, has been approached to supply Formula 1. The company is in discussion with the relevant parties and cannot comment further at this stage.”

19th April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Avon a Potential F1 Tyre Supplier

The BBC reports that another contender for next year’s Formula One tyre supply has emerged. Cooper Avon has apparently joined Michelin as a possible replacement for Bridgestone, who ends its tyre supply arrangement at the end of the current race season – and Bernie Ecclestone has told BBC Sport he doesn’t mind which company ends up taking over tyre supply “as long as the teams are happy.”

According to the BBC, race teams appear to have a preference for Michelin, as concerns exist over the much smaller Avon's capacity to do the job, even though it is believed the plan is for it to use tyres supplied by Bridgestone.

Should Michelin be selected, the 13-inch wheel rims currently used on F1 vehicles will be replaced by 18-inch wheel rims. This will change the cars’ suspension set-up – at the moment, the taller tyre sidewalls are effectively used as part of the suspension to absorb bumps, but the smaller sidewalls of the lower-profile tyres fitted to the 18-inch wheels would perform this role less effectively, and therefore suspension would have to be changed to accommodate this.

19th April 2010/by Tyrepress Editors