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Loeb Claims 49th Career Win on Pirelli’s New Sottozero

He’s one away from the ‘big five-oh’…Rally Norway, the sole all-snow round of the World Rally Championship, was the scene of five-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb’s 49th career win – it also marked the first competition victory for Pirelli’s brand new generation of Sottozero studded winter tyre. Loeb’s Citroën kept the Pirelli-equipped Ford Focus RS WRC of Mikko Hirvonen at bay throughout the event, finishing the three-day rally after what Pirelli has called a ‘close battle’ with the Finnish driver.

In past years, spiked winter tyres for world championship winter rallies used to be of a special narrow size, designed to bite through soft snow to the harder surfaces underneath. This year, as part of the Pirelli supported FIA cost-cutting drive, Pirelli’s tungsten-tipped Sottozero winter tyres – each of which contains 384 studs – have been designed to fit on standard 15-inch gravel wheel rims.

17th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

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

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

Dakar Podium for Toyo-shod Independent Gordon

Robby Gordon achieved the impressive feat of taking his independent Team Dakar USA to the top of the Open category and third place overall in the 2009 Dakar Rally, beating off challenges from several manufacturer teams. In gaining third place, his was also the fastest two wheel drive vehicle on show.

Gordon uses 37×13.5R17 open Country M/T tires on his Monster Energy H3 Hummer. Despite an increased restrictor plate, his H3 Hummer was able to keep up with the factory cars in all but the very fastest sections, something that the grip qualities of the Toyo rubber contributed towards, says the manufacturer. Gordon and Toyo have vowed to return in 2010 to attempt to reach the top step of the podium, which – considering the millions spent by the works teams – would be some achievement.

4th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin & Renault Crossing World Together in 2009 Cape-to-Cape

Michelin has been selected by Renault Trucks as exclusive tyre supplier for the upcoming Cape-to-Cape rally. This is the second occasion on which the two companies have together embarked on such an undertaking – in 2005 Michelin and Renault jointly participated in the Silk Road event. The new adventure, which gets underway on 1 March, 2009, will see six Renault Kerax and six Renault Sherpa trucks drive the length of the planet, north to south, on Michelin XZL tyres. The vehicles (and their tyres) will cross 21 countries, covering a total of 30,000 kilometres in extremely challenging conditions, ranging from the icy cold of northern climates to the oppressive heat of the desert and from harsh, rugged terrain to soft, loose ground.

30th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Protyre to Supply BFGoodrich Rally Tyres in UK

Protyre Motorsport has followed up news of its agreement to supply Michelin track tyres in the UK and Ireland with the announcement of a new deal to supply BFGoodrich rally tyres to competitors in the UK. The range of tyres to be provided by Protyre Motorsport includes dry weather asphalt tyres which deliver both consistency and versatility; gravel tyres for the three categories of loose surface rallies with tyres that offer soft, medium and hard compound; and snow tyres for all the winter fixtures. Protyre Motorsport will also provide service, support and advice for competitors at key rallies in the UK during 2009.

29th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Tires Begin 2009 With Motorsport Triumphs

Kumho Tires’ motorsport season started off on the right footing following a win at the opening round of the 2009 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and its highest ever rank at the Dakar Rally.

Eugene Donelly, driving a Skoda equipped with Kumho rally tyres, competed in the A8 class (Over 2000cc, Group A) finishing in first place in the initial round of the Irish Rally, held in Galway on the weekend of 16-18 January. In addition to Donelly, three other vehicles equipped with Kumho rubber ranked first and second in N4 Class (fifth and sixth overall), and first in A7 Class (seventh overall) among 139 vehicles.

29th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Geared Up For 2009 WRC

The 2009 World Rally Championship kicks off in Ireland and again this year Pirelli, the championship’s exclusive tyre supplier, plays a pivotal role in proceedings. From the season’s opening race, which gets under way on 30th January, Pirelli believes the 2009 WRC will be a series full of technical challenges for both teams and drivers. Mud, snow and ice are just a few of the weather related obstacles the opening rally will hand drivers, making tyre choice a critical factor in the race. The other 11 rounds feature conditions that are no less exciting: from snow in Norway to the dirt roads of Australia and Argentina.

27th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Free Tyres Offered to Lure Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Competitors

Motorsport is admittedly not the cheapest of pastimes, but at least competitors taking part in this year’s Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship will not have so many worries about tyre costs. Pirelli, in conjunction with the Association of National Championship Rally Organisers (ANCRO) has announced that all registered competitors will be eligible to receive four brand new Pirelli tyres, completely free of charge. This decision has been taken, say the organisers, in a bid to tempt competitors to contest the eight-round national series.

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Moto Secures Dakar 1st and 2nd Overall with Scorpion Rally

Pirelli reports that its Dakar Rally debut as a supplier to the official KTM factory teams was nothing short of dominating, with the new Scorpion Rally tyre, fitted to bikes ridden by Marc Coma and Cyril Despres, capturing the 1st and 2nd positions on the podium. This Pirelli off-road rally tyre was developed together with KTM in preparation for this year’s Dakar. Out of a field of 235 riders, seven riders chose to receive support from Pirelli and out of these seven, three riders finished in the top seven positions overall. KTM Repsol rider Marc Coma, from Spain, and Red Bull KTM rider Cyril Despres, from France, were fiercely competitive in this 31st edition of the Dakar, which this year was staged in South America.

20th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

VW Chalk Up First Diesel Victory In Dakar Rally

Giniel de Villiers has emerged triumphant in the Dakar Rally – the first South African to do so – thus ending Mitsubishi’s seven-year domination of the event. In another first, his VW Touareg was the first diesel-powered car to win the Dakar.

19th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Pledges to Support Sporting 2009

Yokohama has told Tyres & Accessories that it intends to continue to support motorsport in 2009 following its positive experiences in 2008. Yokohama Motorsport manager Mark Evans, looking back on the previous year’s action, said, “2008 was an exceptional season for Yokohama in motorsport, particularly in the UK.” The manufacturer’s ADVAN brand provides the control tyre for the FIA World Touring Car Championship, while the company boasts involvement in rallying (both covered in the November editions of Tyres & Accessories).

Continuing, Evans was keen to stress the victories won on Yokohama rubber, perhaps indicating the competitive nature of motorsport as key to its survival: “We achieved some excellent success with our partners, including Nick Crowe on the Isle of Man and Tristan Pye, Paul MacKinnon and Tom Cave in rallying. I think this and the success we had with Aston Martin at the Nürburgring 24 Hours shows that Yokohama has winning products across all forms of motorsport and at every level.”

14th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli Announces Snow Tyre for WRC Ireland

The opening round of this year’s World Rally Championship kicks off in Ireland at the end of January and Pirelli – the competition’s control tyre supplier – is taking no chances when it comes to selecting the best rubber for climatic conditions. The Italian manufacturer has announced that it will be adding three 40ft truckloads of its Monte Carlo Snow tyre to its usual offering, allowing competitors to find additional grip in the ice – a major problem at 2008’s concluding Welsh rally.

Gordon Noble, the course clerk for Rally Ireland, said that while challenging conditions are a necessity for any world class rallying event, the additional safety offered by the tyre shows that competitors’ wellbeing has been taken into consideration: “Many competitors at Wales Rally GB struggled for grip on the icy roads so it is great that we have this option in place for all entrants in Rally Ireland ’09. The conditions, as in 2007, will be testing for all the drivers but at all times safety must be to the fore. With these provisions in place we will get to see the best of what the world’s top drivers have to offer.”

5th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

BERU f1systems Develops Infra Red Tyre Heat Sensor

BERU f1systems has developed a high resolution infra-red tyre sensor designed to help optimise vehicle set up and tyre performance in the wake of restricted F1 testing. According to the company, it is the first time a sensor providing temperature and pressure data unaffected by heat soak has been produced by BERU f1systems.

“Tyre temperature sensors are normally fitted to the rim as part of the valve,” says managing director John Bailey. “Heat soak from the rim and brakes distorts results leading to incorrect set up. Our system uses IR sensors to measure the inside temperature of the tyre itself, not just the air temperature.”

5th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Leading Drivers Compete on Yokohama Tyres at Race of Champions

The 2008 motorsport season for Yokohama HPT, the UK distributor for the Japanese brand, culminated in style this December. Hot on the heels of Yokohama-shod Tom Cave winning his class on Wales Rally GB, the some of the world’s leading motorsport drivers competed in the annual Race of Champions at Wembley stadium, driving, among other vehicles, the Yokohama-equipped RX150s built by Rage Motorsport.

The Race of Champions has become something of an institution as far as the motorsport season goes, traditionally closing the year’s activities by pitting a variety of drivers from all forms of motorsport against each other in a range of vehicles. In addition to crowning the champion of champions, the event also sees a Nations Cup being fought out over the circuit, with drivers from different disciplines but the same country competing side by side.

19th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors