Known for its style, speed and performance marketing values, Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is a multinational company based in Milan, Italy, listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since 1922, with a temporary privatization period by the consortium led by the Chinese state-owned enterprise ChemChina.
Servicing Stop, the online vehicle servicing company that gained national prominence through its founders’ appearance on BBC Two’s ‘Dragons’ Den’ in 2009, has entered the online tyre retail business with its new website, Good4tyres.co.uk. In announcing the new venture’s launch, Servicing Stop states this will be “another customer centric endeavour” from entrepreneurs Oly and Toby Richmond.
Pirelli’s new supersoft tyre made its debut in Monaco and will now return for the Canadian Grand Prix; this time however the PZero Red supersoft tyre and the harder PZero Yellow tyre will face increasing wear on a low-grip Montreal circuit that is also faster with heavier braking than at Monaco. Pirelli says that the long stints of more than 50 laps on the PZero tyres, as seen in Monaco, are unlikely and instead there will be a return to wheel-to-wheel sprint racing. For Friday practice, drivers will be given two additional sets of Pirelli’s new medium compound slicks to evaluate for the future.
According to news from Asia, Pirelli intends to develop its factory in China’s Shandong Province into the largest facility it operates anywhere in the world. Singapore’s The Business Times quotes Pirelli Asia-Pacific CEO Giuseppe Cattaneo as stating “China is going to become the main production plant for all our Asia-Pacific markets. This is absolutely confirmed. It (the Yanzhou factory) is getting bigger and bigger. I believe in a short while, it will be the biggest Pirelli production plant in the world.”
The first 25 sizes of Kumho’s replacement for the KU19 and proven KU31 have been launched on the UK market. The Ecsta Le Sport KU39, to give it its full title, is an asymmetric ultra high performance tyre designed with Europe’s top car marques in mind, and was developed using the twin methods of the latest KADAS prediction tools and on Europe’s most demanding test tracks. The Y-speed rated product’s key selling points are its enhanced performance, braking in wet conditions and controlled ride and refinement, according to the Korean manufacturer. Its high grip tread compound delivers improved traction and braking performance, while its specially designed casing provides impressive high speed stability.
After a year of rueing the misfortune of its main riders, Pirelli says that it will bounce back with a strong line-up for this year’s Isle of Man TT, which it hopes will be more competitive than ever. Two of Pirelli’s biggest hopes, Guy Martin and Conor Cummins crashed out of the final Senior race whilst in leading positions in 2010. Pirelli’s racing manager and Isle of Man resident Jason Griffiths lives and breathes the TT. Thirteen times a podium finisher at the TT, Jason said, “We didn’t have a lot of luck last year with our riders showing great pace but a series of technical and rider DNF’s, meant we didn’t see the top step of the podium. Guy is definitely in great form and we’ve carried out some interesting and positive tyre tests with him over the winter. There are a number of quality riders lined up this year and with Hutchy ruled out through injury it could go a number of ways for the main protagonists. Most of all we hope for good, safe racing and a continuing good spectacle for the fans.”
In addition to the MotoGP World Championship, Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya will also see the fifth round of the 2011 Moto2 Championship, on 3-5 June during which tyre supplier Dunlop will debut its dual compound rear tyre. Dunlop will bring the dual compound W919 as the main specification rear tyre with the three series 3868 as a softer second option. For the front, it will supply the 753 medium and 717 hard compound. Dunlop believes the recent Formula One Spanish Grand Prix could represent a new challenge, with the large amount of rubber compound deposited on track from Pirelli’s PZero F1 tyres representing an additional variable.
It seems pit-stop confusion may have aided Sebastian Vettel in securing victory at the Monaco Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing driver pulled into the pit on lap 16 in response to a change of rubber made by nearest rival Jenson Button. His team intended to keep the PZero Red super soft tyres on his car, however a problem with the team’s communication system led to a switch to the primary Yellow soft tyres. Thanks to this radio mix-up, Vettel was able to avoid a later pit-stop. Race commentators say the German driver’s ability to continue on the soft tyres until the red flag was hung out late in the race proved key to his Monaco victory.
Pirelli is at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend with its new supersoft tyre, the PZero Red, which the company says are designed to be ideally suited to the tight and twisty streets of the principality. The iconic Monaco street circuit is 3,340 metres long, and the PZero Red is designed to offer increased grip over the slippery asphalt, which is open to normal road traffic in the evenings. The evolution of the track is therefore difficult to predict, and with frequent heavy use of brakes, such as in the first corner, Sainte Devote, where cars will lose 160kph in 100 metres. The continuous heavy use of the brakes in Monaco generates extremely high temperatures which are also felt in the tyres, increasing the stress caused by heat on the tyre as a whole.
Formula One exclusive tyre supplier Pirelli has announced that it will launch a new blog on the sport during the weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix. The blog contains a behind the scenes look at Pirelli’s first year in Formula One, with a unique trackside view of all the latest events in the Formula One paddock. The UK version of the site will contain comment from former racing driver and TV personality Tiff Needell, who currently hosts Fifth Gear on Channel 5.
Pirelli’s Angel ST sport touring tyres are now available from all outlets with £25 cashback on every set purchased, the manufacturer has announced. The Angel ST tyres recently set a World 24-hour duration record, covering 3191 miles on one set. Using the Nardo test circuit in Italy, the endurance team logged an average speed of 132.9 mph, which in tyre-life terms equates to 7,500 miles under normal road conditions, Pirelli says. The offer runs throughout June and July.
Pirelli heads immediately from one of the quicker tracks seen on the calendar to the slowest: Monaco. The tight and twisty confines of the principality are ideal territory for Pirelli’s PZero Red supersoft tyre, which makes its debut in Monaco. For the first time, by extension, it is also twinned with the PZero Yellow soft tyre – which becomes the prime nomination after five Grands Prix as the option.
Sebastian Vettel held off a spirited performance from Lewis Hamilton to win the Spanish Grand Prix by 0.6 seconds, both drivers running the new harder compound PZero Silver tyre during the closing stages. The new Silver, which had its first outing in Spain, proved to be a central talking point, once again putting tyres firmly in the conscience of the sport’s followers. Though Lewis Hamilton had been vocal throughout the weekend in his reservations about the tyre, he found enough speed to challenge Vettel all the way to the line, also recording the Grand Prix’s fastest time on the Silver.
North East-based tyre wholesaler and retailer Tyrespot recently screened what the company is describing as “a highly successful TV advertising campaign in the North East of England.” The campaign, featuring two characters, promoted the company’s free tyre safety checks that are available throughout its network of retail stores. The advert was filmed at the beginning of the year and aired during April.
MAM Software has released Autopart Tyres R013, the latest version of its software solution for sales order processing, stock management, accounting and reporting. Employing Microsoft Windows SQL database technology, Autopart Tyres provides an integrated business environment that can help streamline internal operations, improve customer service and maximise profitability. Autopart Tyres is scalable and aimed businesses of any size, including multi-user, multi-branch operations.
Pirelli has previewed the Spanish Grand Prix and the debut of the latest evolution of its harder compound tyre, suggesting that it should provide a longer-lasting alternative to the Yellow-coded softer compound that has been the teams’ favourite this F1 season. The company’s motorsport director Paul Hembery states: “Our new PZero Silver tyre is an evolution of the existing tyre that should provide an extra five laps or so of running compared to the previous version, widening the gap between the new hard tyre and the soft.
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