Tyre makers often refer to the ‘race to road’ technology transfer when talking about motorsport engagements, but ‘race to loading bay’ is something that perhaps only Continental can claim bragging rights for. The tyre maker is using carbon black from recycled racing tyres in its production of solid tyres.
As of 1 November 2023, Gerd Bartels takes over responsibility for Continental’s Specialty Tires business area. He succeeds Wolfgang Thomale, who Continental recently appointed head of the Surface Solutions business area within its ContiTech group sector.
Today is a big day for the Bridgestone team tasked with developing tyres containing natural rubber derived from the guayule desert shrub. An all-new Firestone race tyre with a sidewall made with this rubber makes its competition debut at this weekend’s IndyCar Series racing in Nashville, USA.
An opening ceremony took place yesterday for Bridgestone’s new racing tyre manufacturing facility in the USA. The inauguration of the Advanced Tire Production Center (ATPC) in Akron, Ohio provides Bridgestone Americas with the means of enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of its race tyre production. Housing a team of 60, the US$21 million plant will manufacture all Firestone Firehawk race tyres for the NTT IndyCar Series.
This weekend, some of the world’s most technologically innovative race cars will go to battle on the track for the first time when Pure ETCR holds its inaugural race event at Vallelunga, Italy. As a Founding Partner to the world’s first multi-brand all-electric touring car championship, Goodyear was tasked with developing a bespoke tyre for these 670 hp electric racers. The tyre maker talks about its work designing a tyre for the most powerful touring cars in the history of motorsport.
On-track competitiveness may not seem reconcilable with sustainability, but Michelin begs to differ. It presented its case to this end at the 2021 Movin’On Summit.
The BMW M2 CS Racing is the new entry-level model in the BMW M Motorsport product portfolio, and the car has its own race series. BMW M Motorsport is collaborating with motorsport agency tolimit to bring the BMW M2 Cup to European circuits this year. Each of the identical cars competing in the series will race on Goodyear tyres.
The recent replacement of the long-running Avon Storm sport-touring tyre range with the new Spirit ST hasn’t marked the end of the line for the Storm. Avon Tyres reports it has developed a new Storm Endurance motorcycle race tyre, and this has already gained its first competitive victory courtesy of Neate Racing’s win at the Spa Classic 4 Hour race in late June.
Germany’s Continental AG has acquired US-based tyre specialist Hoosier Racing Tire for an undisclosed sum. The deal to purchase the formerly privately-owned company was completed on 3 October. The acquisition of Hoosier Racing Tire follows seven years of collaboration with Continental, during which time the two companies worked together on various development and motorsport projects.
A number of changes have been announced within the Race Tire Development (RTD) arm of the North America-based Firestone Racing programme. Bridgestone Americas describes these as a reorganisation and opines that they will add “manufacturing expertise while reaffirming the brand’s commitment to innovation and the Verizon IndyCar Series.”
Semi-slick tyres are unsuitable for road use, state the team behind a comparative test published by Swiss magazine Auto Illustrierte. An evaluation between standard, ultra-high performance and semi-slick tyres conducted at the Goodyear proving ground in Mireval, France showed the racing tyres take much longer to stop on wet road surfaces than their more conventional counterparts. Specialists from TÜV Süd supported the Auto Illustrierte testing and evaluated the results as a neutral partner.
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