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Champion Drifter Joins Team Toyo

Toyo Tire USA announced today that Drifting World Champion Rhys Millen has become the newest member of Team Toyo. Millen will compete for the Formula Drift championship in a 550-horsepower, 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe equipped with extreme performance Toyo Proxes R1 tyres. In addition to the Formula Drift series, Millen plans to compete with the car in the Pikes Peak Hillclimb as well as Redline Time Attack events.

Since its release in 2007, the Proxes R1R has won two Formula Drift championships, the D1 GP championship and the Street Touring S class championship during the 2008 SCCA Solo National Championships as well as many time attack competitions.

12th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone: ‘Think Before You Drive’

Bridgestone Americas has officially unveiled its new online driver safety program at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. With the launch of the new website, all of Bridgestone Americas’ consumer road safety programs are unified under a single banner — Think Before You Drive — a driver education initiative of the global Bridgestone Group. While the site is designed to educate all passenger vehicle drivers, it has a special focus on younger drivers, incorporating all of Bridgestone’s consumer safety and education programs under one comprehensive umbrella to further reinforce the importance of smart driving, the company said.

The company said that ThinkBeforeYouDrive.org provides tyre safety lessons and driving skills to help reduce preventable tragedies on the road. The site highlights the variety of consumer safety and education programs the company runs or sponsors, such as SafetyScholars.com, Mario Andretti’s Real Information On Safety, Driver’s Edge, Car Care Academies and TireSafety.com. The site offers visitors a variety of interactive services including video games, quizzes, videos, vehicle maintenance tips and more, according to the company. (Tire Review/Akron)

12th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

TyrFil Maker Adds Staff, Facility

Despite the current economic situation, Pathway Polymers, marketers of TyrFil Recycling Systems, claims that it has expanded its sales force and opened a new facility.The new 6,000 sq ft development, processor training and machine demo area is at Pathway Polymer’s production facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The development, processor training, and machine demo area is fully equipped with TrioFil, AutoFil, Graco, Electric TyrFil, and LiteFil tire fill systems for use by Pathway’s development staff and customer processors.

The three new territory managers include Kevin Carr, based in Henderson, Nevada, who covers the western US; Ben Parish, from Chicago, who covers the Midwest; and Pat McKinney in San Antonio, who is responsible for the southwest. (Tire Review/Akron)

12th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Dunlop Nears £50,000 Charity Goal

While economic pressures can result in people rethinking their spending, they have not prevented Goodyear Dunlop’s friends and associates homing in on the company’s target of donating £50,000 in a year and a half to help build a playground for the Childhood and Adolescent Mental Health Service ward at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Since April 2008 fundraisers have been working hard, with a range of activities taking place including a charity ball, dress down days, truck tyre rolls and a bicycle ride from the company’s head office in Birmingham to Paris. In total £48,000 has been donated to the charity, almost reaching the total in ten months.

12th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Launches Safety Scholars 2009

Bridgestone Americas has revealed the details for its third annual Safety Scholars Video Contest. Targeted to young drivers ages 16-21, Safety Scholars asks entrants to create short auto safety-themed videos. This year the topic of automotive environmentalism will be an option for entrants, extending the Bridgestone Group’s “One Team, One Planet” global environmental initiative.

“Car crashes claim the lives of more 16- to 21-year-olds than any other cause, so safety education is a priority for us,” said Christine Karbowiak, vice president of community and corporate relations. “Environmental responsibility is equally important to the company, which led us to include that topic in this year’s contest. Safety Scholars is an innovative and engaging platform that allows us to communicate our commitment to both issues.”

11th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli WRC Sottozero Debuts Rally Norway

Rally Norway, the second round of the 2009 World Rally Championship, begins in Hamar, 60 kilometres north of Oslo. While the mainstay of the action runs on the frozen roads around the rally’s hometown, this year on a surface that spectators can barely stand on. Heavy snowfalls in the lead up to the event have been compacted to make a near-perfect ice base for the stages. And while such conditions are a true test of man and machine, Pirelli argues that it is probably its Sottozero tyres that face the biggest test; the Italian manufacturer’s rubber is the sole link between vehicle and slippery surface.

11th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

BFGoodrich Launches g-Grip

The new g-Grip, designed for fitment on hatchbacks, saloons and MPVs, is the latest addition to the BFGoodrich passenger car range. The new tyre, says the manufacturer, offers excellent safety performance on wet and dry roads due to its specially developed directional tread pattern, along with superb levels of vehicle control and precise handling characteristics.

BFGoodrich explains that, on normal wet roads, the tyre’s ‘vortex’ tread pattern clears water quickly to let the tread rubber grip the road surface. In deeper standing water, the wide grooves running around the circumference of the tyre maximise water dispersal to reduce the risk of aquaplaning.

11th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Maxxis Reports an Increasing 4×4 Marketplace Share

Ongoing advertising within leading consumer off-road magazines, a strong presence at major off-road events and encouraging results in tyre comparison tests are all factors Maxxis says is helping the brand increase its share of the 4×4 marketplace. The Maxxis range, which Maxxis International UK boasts is one of the largest line-ups of off-road, on/off-road and road going 4×4 tyres available in the UK, includes products for numerous specific applications. Amongst this line-up is the largest complete range to fit 16-inch Land Rover Rims, plus a series of extreme tyres and patterns purpose-designed to tackle muddy conditions.

11th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli to Re-Focus on Core Tyre Business

Pirelli Tyre has reported that its sales revenues fell marginally down 1.5 per cent from 4.162 billion euros in 2007 to 4.1 billion in 2008. However, pre-tax profits fell considerable due to the difficult economic environment and raw material costs. EBITDA stood at 443 million euros, down 19 per cent compared with 548.6 million euros in 2007. And EBIT came in at 250 million euros, 30 per cent down on 2007’s 358 million. As a result, the company reports that it “undertook restructuring actions, accelerated in the fourth quarter against further deterioration of the market, in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the industrial organization in Europe and reduce costs of central structures.”

The company registered revenues of 870 million euros, down 5 per cent on a like-for-like basis, in the fourth quarter of 2008. EBIT of 18 million euros before restructuring charges (which in the fourth quarter alone amounted to 68 million euros) compared with 71.9 million euros the year before.

11th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Deutsche Bank Report Lowers Goodyear Estimates

Noting the “larger than expected” production cuts in Goodyear’s 2008 fourth quarter and a “sharp decline” in the manufacturer’s profitable South America and Asia regions, Deutsche Bank analysts have adjusted its estimates for the company’s 4Q 2008 and 1Q 2009 results. In a report released this week (commencing 9 February), Deutsche lowered its estimates to -$1.30 from -$0.86 for 4Q 2008 and to -$1.86 from -$1.50 for 1Q 2009.

Deutsche’s statement said that as well as the production cuts, Q4 had seen raw materials rise further than was previously expected. In addition it continues, “Some of the downside appears to be derived from a sharp decline in Latin America and Asia, two regions that have produced a disproportionate share of GT’s [Goodyear’s] profitability in the past.”

11th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli not Interested in Continental – Tronchetti Provera

According to news published by Reuters, Pirelli & C SpA is not interested in acquiring the tyre business of Continental AG. The news service reports that a comments to this effect were made by Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera on February 11. During a press conference Tronchetti Provera said the Italian company was instead focusing on stand-alone growth.

11th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Nokian Net Income Down 17% in 2008

Sales at Nokian Tyres increased 5.5 per cent in the twelve months to December 31, 2008, totaling 1.08 billion euros for the year. During the final quarter of the 2008 year, however, sales slumped 24.9 per cent to 267.7 million euros. Annual operating profit, at 247.0 million euros, was also up 5.5 per cent, however during the final quarter it more than halved to 46.5 million euros. Net profit for the 12 months amounted to 139.9 million euros, 17.2 per cent less than in 2007. Nokian Tyres reports a net loss of 11.6 million euros for the final quarter.

11th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Birla Workers Demand Arrests

Hundreds of workers of Birla Tyres have agitated before the Balasore collectorate, demanding the immediate arrest of the company’s top three executives. The workers, led by Birla Tyres Workers Union (BTWU) president Rajendra Bal, submitted separate memoranda to the District Collector and the SP with a demand to arrest the company’s senior president Deepak Tandon, general manager (personnel) Anil Upadhyay and another senior executive SR Roy in seven days.

The workers alleged that the three executives had attacked union’s general secretary Deepankar Bardhan and his colleague on Saturday. “When Bardhan refused to endorse the ‘No work no pay’ policy from February 16 to 28, when the company would remain closed during the period, due to the global meltdown, the three executives beat him up and Hari Mohan Das,” claimed Rajendra Bal. An injured Bardhan, who had been admitted to the district headquarters hospital, was later discharged. Police are investigating the incident.

11th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Wins 12-Month Contract

Bridgestone and Truck Point have been awarded a 12-month contract by A W Jenkinson Forest Products to supply replacement tyres and tyre services to the company’s haulage fleet, which comprises more than 250 vehicles and 280 trailers. A W Jenkinson handles over 2.2 million tonnes of wood fibre, paper products and recyclables and is the largest bark processor in the UK. The contract will see Bridgestone UK supplying new tyres and tyre servicing will be carried out by Truck Point service provider Harolds Tyres of Penrith.

11th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Volkswagen Group UK First Car Company to Join TyreSafe

Volkswagen Group UK Ltd has become the first vehicle manufacturer to join TyreSafe. The five brands which make up the Group – Audi, SEAT, Škoda, Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – have become full members and will participate in a series of national campaigns highlighting the importance of tyres in road safety.

“The addition of a vehicle manufacturer to our organisation is an important step forward for TyreSafe,” comments Rob Beddis, chairman, TyreSafe. “As we continually expand and engage with the wider automotive industry, the Volkswagen Group’s extensive experience of dealing with motorists and fleets will be invaluable to future TyreSafe campaigns. We look forward to receiving a fresh perspective and input, helping to reduce the number of accidents caused by defective tyres.”

11th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors