The Kumho-shod cars of Team Peugeot RCZ Nokia finished first and third in SP2T, the category for 1600cc turbocharged cars) in last weekend’s Nürburgring 24 Hours. First past the flag was car 100, shared by Paul Englert, Steven Palette, Guillaume Roman and Julien Rueflin, which covered 2,077.82 miles at an average speed of 86.58mph during the course of the race.
Japanese tyre manufacturer Yokohama shod two Aston Martin Test Centre cars, 'Zig' and 'Smurf', who completed the arduous event second and third in the SP8 class at the Nürburgring 24 Hours race. The cars finished 26th and 33rd overall respectively. Driven by Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez, chief engineer Chris Porritt, Test Centre director Wolfgang Schuhbauer and journalist Richard Meaden, the No. 005 Aston Martin V12 Zagato (Zig) enjoyed a trouble-free run, despite the demanding nature of the event, the circuit and the rain which began to fall as dawn crept into the sky over the Eifel Mountains.
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Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd’s Falken Tyre Europe subsidiary is exhibiting five new tyre products in Essen this year. The company has also given details of its stand. According to the tyre manufacturer, the firm is constructing an exhibit based on the company’s “Move to the next level” theme for June’s Reifen 2012 in Essen, Germany from 5 – 8 June.
A new lap record has been set at the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife circuit – and Nokian Tyres is proud of the role its products played. The Electric RaceAbout (E-RA) vehicle, built by the Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and fitted with Nokian Z G2 tyres, zipped around the Nordschleife in 8:42.72, setting a lap record for road legal electric cars. The E-RA averaged more than 142 km/h during its run and cut more than a minute from the previous record.
On September 22, Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany officially inaugurated its tyre test centre in Meuspath, near the world-famous Nürburgring racetrack. Upon announcing the centre’s opening, Goodyear Dunlop said the tyre test facility is an important institution both for the ongoing further development of its products and for training and education purposes. The 600 square metre site contains a range of equipment, including a complete tyre mounting workshop and hydraulic lifts, and will employ up to 15 test personnel during peak periods. The centre’s close proximity to the Nürburgring circuit’s Nordschleife track also counts as a major asset for Goodyear Dunlop.
Motor Wheel Service has come a step closer to achieving its goal of moving European Truck Race teams onto forged aluminium wheels alone after leading outfit Team Allgäuer changed its set-up at the recent Nürburgring meeting. Having received permission by the FIA Truck Commission, two units ran with forged aluminium on the outside of the rear axle, with steel rims inside, to see if the wheels can withstand the rigours and collisions involved with the sport.
Zircotec’s ceramic coating technology is used to reduce the surface heat of exhausts, and Aston Martin saw the potential in the material for cooling its V12 Zagato endurance racing car at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The coating, derived from Zircotec’s ThermoHold, was selected by the manufacturer for its durable and lightweight method of reducing under-bonnet temperatures at the Nordschleife, improving reliability and preventing heat damage to bodywork, fuel and electrical systems. With its origins in the nuclear industry, Zircotec’s ThermoHold technology is applied to the exhaust system by plasma spraying to prevent heat being radiated by the 6.0 litre V12 engine.
Renault Sport has chosen Bridgestone’s Potenza RE050A as original equipment for its 265hp Mégane R.S. Trophy, which was released onto the market on June 20. This limited edition of 500 cars is fitted with the Potenza in size 235/35R19; this choice of tyre will, Bridgestone comments, allow the Mégane R.S. Trophy “to reveal its sporty spirit, versatility and comfort.”
Back in January, the Falken Motorsport Team announced that it would return to the Nürburgring 24 Hour race on 25-26 June running a GT3 R specification Porsche 911, in a break from its tradition of Japanese sports cars. Peter Dumbreck, will be racing the car in this year’s 24 Hours, also breaking from Japanese manufactured cars, exemplified by his Nissan GTR drive in this year’s GT1 World Championship, though he notes that he has “driven a few Porsches earlier in my career including the Alzen 996 Turbo and 996 and 997 Cup cars in the Carrera Cup six or seven years ago. I’ve also driven an older RSR at the Nurburging in 2005”. Previewing the event for Falken, Dumbreck talked about the differences between driving Porsche models, such as the 997, and Nissan’s GTR, including his impressions of the Falken tyre specifications for the former, on which they have been tested.
Long time participant in the Nürburgring 24 Hour race, the Falken Motorsport Team has decided to run a GT3 R specification Porsche 911 on 25-26 June. The high performance tyre manufacturer says its decision to switch to the Porsche follows a successful history of campaigning Japanese sports cars in the ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race and ties in with increasing activity of the brand in the region. Falken says the race “will be used to develop the next generation of Falken tyres.”
You may have already heard that the Pagani Zonda R recently set the fastest lap time for a production car around Germany’s Nürburgring, but some news sources overlooked the modest hero of the day. As the Zonda R thundered around the Nordschleife circuit in Nürburgring, covering the 20.83 kilometres in 6 minutes 47 seconds – a second quicker than the previous record set last August – the Italian supercar benefitted from its P Zero Slick tyres, fitted in size 265/645-19TL for the front and 325/705-20TL at the rear.
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At this year’s Le Mans 24 hour race Dunlop will be using a new wet tyre designed to “improve grip and driver feedback.” The latest Dunlop tyre will be used in the top class of the event, the LMP1 Le Mans Prototype category, and features Dunlop’s both a new compound technology and a new tread pattern that the company reports has been successfully tested in recent events.
According to the company, this new tread pattern (which will be used on all Dunlop Le Mans wet weather tyres) features design technology that has also inspired Dunlop’s latest high performance road tyres. Like the recently launched Dunlop SP QuattroMaxx road tyre, the new Dunlop TF23 wet race tyre features different zones in the tread pattern to maximise the grip and driver feedback in changeable conditions and under different loads.
Dunlop tyres were the choice of BMW Motorsport in winning the Nurburgring 24 hour race this weekend. The classic race, held on the tortuous circuit that Sir Jackie Stewart once described as the ‘greatest and most challenging’ in the world, was won by the latest BMW M3 GT2, equipped with Dunlop Sport Maxx race tyres. The Dunlop tyres were designed, developed and manufactured in the company’s Motorsport centre at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, England.
On Saturday 27 March 2010 Yokohama Europe GmbH opened the "Yokohama Store" at the Nurburgring in Germany, one of the most well-known racing circuits in Europe. President Osamu Mikami of Yokohama Europe GmbH and many representatives of local media were present at the opening ceremony on the 27th. Yokohama Rubber is the first Japanese tire manufacturer to open a directly managed shop at the circuit.
Dunlop has announced that it will launch the SP Quattromaxx – an ultra high-performance summer tyre with a sleek sidewall design by Pininfarina – at the Geneva Motor Show. The new tyre will be on display at the Goodyear Dunlop stand – number 2057 in Hall 2 at the famous Swiss motoring event. The introduction of the new ultra high-performance SUV product comes backed with some impressive lap time results. Prior to its launch, the new tyre was put through its paces on the Nürburgring Nordschleife where it helped driver Patrick Simon and his 550 HP Porsche Cayenne Turbo achieve one of the fastest lap times ever set by an SUV: 8:33:99.
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