Silverstone [United Rubber (PVT) Ltd.]
Despite receiving no lack of talent, HiQ says those wishing to become the fast fit network’s official ‘Grid Girl’ still have a chance. If you are suitably qualified – to be in with a chance you must be at least 18 years old and, presumably, female – entries are still being taken at the hiqonline.co.uk website until August 30.
Toyo Tires has announced its plans to build a new tyre plant in Perak, Malaysia. The Japanese manufacturer’s board of directors decided to construct a new facility in order to strengthen Toyo’s production-supply capability for passenger car and light truck tyres mainly in the Asia region. Toyo aims to make sales worth 310 billion yen and operating income at 24 billion yen this year from tyres. The company says it has established a “three-point global production supply structure based on Asia, Japan and North America, in order to achieve a world-wide supply of 45 million tyres in 2015, representing an increase of 55 per cent from 2010 levels.
It was announced last week that in spite of excellent viewing figures and widely lauded coverage, Formula One has made a deal that will mean that only half the races will be shown live on the BBC from next season. Every race, testing and qualifying session will be shown live on Sky Sports with ten Grands Prix also appearing on the BBC, in addition to highlights of those events for which Sky will hold exclusive live rights. The new arrangement comes two years before the BBC’s current exclusive broadcaster deal was due to end. Exclusive tyre supplier Pirelli has reacted with circumspection to the news, suggesting that it will give close scrutiny to the viewing figures it receives under the new deal.
Coatings specialist Zircotec supported 10 teams at Formula Student 2011, which was held at Silverstone last weekend. The firm’s ceramic coatings were used by a number of the participants including University of Hertfordshire, Coventry University and Cambridge, the latter adopting Zircotec’s patented carbon composite coating to protect a composite bulkhead. “Zircotec believes that Formula Student is an extremely worthwhile activity, helping participants to understand and implement the technologies of today’s contemporary race cars,” says Zircotec’s managing director Terry Graham.
Formula One visits the Nürburgring this weekend for the German Grand Prix, and Pirelli has selected its soft and medium compounds to take on the technical GP track, which has a strong mix of speeds and corners. The track features a number of heavy braking areas, while the tyres are also put to the test by several impacts with the kerbing that is a feature of the track. Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery says: “The Nurburgring is one of the most technical circuits we face all year, with a lot of lateral energy going through the tyres, and this makes strategy very important.”
Pirelli has donated items to a charity auction and held a donation-based simulator experience on its stand at Silverstone’s British Grand Prix, raising £6,386 for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. The auction was held on Wednesday 6 July at the F1 Party held at London’s Natural History Museum for the hospital’s Heart and Lung Centre, and Pirelli donated, among other things, a wind tunnel tyre signed by Britain’s last two Formula One World Champions: Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull principal Christian Horner, BBC F1 presenter Jake Humphrey and man about town Vernon Kay were among those in attendance.
American Le Mans Series drivers on Dunlop tyres took two victories from pole position at Lime Rock this weekend in the Le Mans Prototype (LMP) class and the GT category in the gruelling 2h45m race. Sanjay Khanna, managing director, Dunlop Brand EMEA, stated: “Dunlop focuses on endurance racing to build longer lasting tyres for road performance.
Varied weather and a drying Silverstone track meant a challenging race for drivers at the British Grand Prix, not least from a tyre point of view. Pirelli’s PZero Blue Intermediate compound was tested at the beginning of the race with every driver starting on the tyre, and Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery commented that the manufacturer was impressed with its competitiveness for “about 12 laps” given that areas of the track were dry and very wet while it was in use. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso claimed his – and his team’s – first win with Pirelli tyres and of the season, overcoming mixed conditions and prolonged pressure from his Red Bull adversaries, who took the second and third steps of the podium.
Pirelli returns to Formula One in the United Kingdom this week for what the company says is a second home Grand Prix this season, after the Italian Grand Prix, since the company employs around 50 at its logistics and distribution facility at Didcot, 45 minutes from Silverstone by car. The 12 engineers assigned to F1’s teams and the 19 tyre fitters whose job it is to put the tyres on the rims are based there too, alongside its 12 carbon black trucks: two service trucks, seven tyre transporters, and three trucks for the hospitality unit.
Pirelli has signed on Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi as its latest test driver. The 26-year-old will perform at least five test sessions in the Italian tyre maker’s Toyota TF109 test car later this year to provide input for the development of the latest-generation Pirelli Formula One tyres. In addition to carrying out the tests, di Grassi will attend some grands prix with Pirelli this year, starting with Silverstone, in order to collect information and pass on his experience during technical debriefs.
Toyo Tire & Rubber’s acquisition of Chinese tyre maker Shandong Silverstone Luhe Rubber & Tyre, which was first announced on April 12, has now been finalised. The Japanese manufacturer reports the acquisition of 75 per cent equity in Shandong Silverstone has now been completed and the Shandong Province Industrial and Commercial Bureau has issued a business permit. Toyo’s paid in capital stands at RMB 330,138,000 (£31.8 milliion).
Pirelli has confirmed that it will take its PZero Silver hard (prime) and PZero Yellow soft (option) to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, while Formula One’s 2011 visit to the Nürburgring this year will be on the PZero White medium and PZero Yellow soft tyres and the tight and twisty Hungaroring circuit in Hungary will see the PZero Yellow soft and PZero Red supersoft tyres. Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “Our nominations are designed to maximise the opportunities for strategy and find the right compromise between performance and durability.
Slight residual dampness on the Assen track made the start of MotoGP’s round seven race vital, as several riders fell foul of conditions, but it was not enough to prevent Ben Spies taking his first MotoGP victory, controlling the race from the front to romp to an eventual 7.7-second lead over second-placed Casey Stoner and his Repsol Honda teammate Andrea Dovizioso. Bridgestone Motorsport manager Hiroshi Yamada congratulated Spies on becoming the tenth rider to claim a premier class MotoGP victory on the manufacturer’s tyres.
The Grand Prix of Europe in Valencia presented an unusually prosaic Formula One meeting, with each of the top seven drivers opting for very similar tyre strategies, saving the debuting PZero White for only their final stint. Despite a challenging track temperature of 47 degrees, both PZero tyre compounds showed strong durability, with a relatively limited degree of degradation. World Championship leader Sebastian Vettel claimed his sixth win of the year’s eight races, followed home by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull teammate Mark Webber. Vettel also set the fastest lap.
Round seven of the MotoGP World Championship is the Dutch TT at Assen, one of the longest-standing races on the calendar and a race with great history in motorcycle racing. The 81st TT Assen weekend starts on 25 June, and marks the 62nd time the race had appeared on the Grand Prix calendar having been included every year since 1949. MotoGP tyre supplier Bridgestone will take its front soft and medium compounds and its asymmetric medium and hard rear tyres to Assen for the Dutch TT.
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