Silverstone [United Rubber (PVT) Ltd.]
The Nippon Challenge, described as “the nation’s premier racing series for Japanese cars”, will roll out this year with Federal’s new motorsports extreme tyre, FZ-201 semi-slick, as one of the spec tyres. The Taiwanese tyre brand will also be the title sponsor for all of the 14 races over seven weekends between April and October.
Michelin’s FLAG promotion has found its second winner; Event Mobile Tyres in Manchester is the second tyre dealer in the UK and Ireland to win a Fastest Lap Award, made up of £2,500 in vouchers, five PS3 games consoles for fitters and five places on the Michelin-sponsored Porsche Driving Experience at Silverstone. The promotion is being held over four months, from March to June, and each month gives dealers the opportunity to earn the flags of Le Mans Series hosting countries. These awards are based on the achievement of a volume and mix target.
Last year’s European Drift Championship winner Mark Luney and former D1 Great Britain winner Phil Morrison are among more than 60 drift drivers out to claim the victor’s spoils in the 2010 Maxxis British Drift Championship. While reigning champion Steve Biagioni was forced to sit out the opening round at Silverstone after his new Cosworth-powered 500bhp Subaru Impreza WRX developed gearbox trouble, his Team Japspeed teammates Danny Eyles and Paul Smith – both in S15s running on Maxxis MA-Z1 Drift tyres – helped get the series off to a superb start by finishing third and fourth respectively.
Bridgestone Motorsport has confirmed the compound allocations of Potenza tyres for the next six rounds of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. The manufacturer has been able to implement its policy of keeping compounds two steps apart at the latter three Grand Prix (Canadian, European – super soft and medium – and British – soft and hard). The softer compound tyre used at any Grand Prix will be distinguished by the green bands on the edge of the tyre side walls, doubling up as a show of support for the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign.
Avon Tyres has announced details of its latest promotion, in which one customer will drive away a classic TVR sportscar. In addition, the brand is offering dealers an incentive to promote the prize draw – for the Avon retail outlet that secures the highest number of customer qualifying entries, Avon is also offering the opportunity to enjoy a TVR Tamora for an entire weekend – 13-16 August, 2010. Avon is giving away four branded watches to each of the three runner-up retail outlets, while the ten runners-up in the consumer draw will each receive a TomTom XL IQ satellite navigation system.
Nolan Tyres in Ballon, County Carlow is the first tyre dealer in the UK and Ireland to win a Fastest Lap Award as part of the Michelin FLAG promotion. The Fastest Lap prize is made up of £2,500 in high-street vouchers (euros in Ireland), five PlayStation3 games consoles for fitters and five places on the Michelin-sponsored Porsche Driving Experience at Silverstone.
At Silverstone for the season launch for both series, Cooper Tires’ UK representative Sarah McRoberts stated that the company—sponsored Formula Three and the Avon Tyres British GT championships represent a “great opportunity” for both brands’ extension in the UK. While Cooper was praised for providing great consistency – each brand was involved in their respective championships last year – McRoberts also noted the changes required to the compounds “across all our tyres” following EU legislation requiring clean oils in all road and track products. She said the company would be “aiming again for consistency of performance”.
Maxxis has extended its title sponsorship of the ACU British Motocross Championship for a further three years. The company believes continued commitment to the series, which this year comprises eight rounds including at a new track at Silverstone, will provide the “best national series in the world” with added security, stability and a strong financial and promotional footing.
Dunlop has been announced as the sole tyre supplier to the new Ducati 848 race series. The leading tyre manufacturer agreed a deal with New Era Motorcycle Club and Ducati UK to ensure all bikes racing in the new championship are shod with Dunlop rubber. The Dunlop control tyre will be the Dunlop D211 GP Racer, which features NTEC and MultiTread Compounds, will harness the 134hp and 70.8lb-ft of torque generated by the Ducati 848s. As part of the deal, Dunlop is offering the winning rider from each round a pair of Dunlop tyres for their race bike. The Ducati 848 Challenge starts at Silverstone on 24 April.
When Tyres & Accessories last visited Van den Ban Autobanden in April 2008, the company’s new warehouse facility was arising from a 24.000 square metre greenfield site on outskirts of the Dutch town of Hellevoetsluis. Even then the scale of the project, intended to consolidate the wholesaler’s two storage facilities into a single location, was evident. A key component of the project remained under wraps at this time, however, and therefore a second visit to the completed warehouse was necessary. What T&A saw upon its return to Van den Ban in Hellevoetsluis early in 2010 was impressive, to say the least.
Work on the new Arena Grand Prix circuit and improved spectator viewing facilities is well underway at Silverstone. The Northamptonshire circuit’s managing director Richard Phillips has confirmed that work on the new circuit – which will host MotoGP and World Superbike motorcycle racing in 2010 – is on schedule and due for completion in early March. He also confirmed that discussions are on-going with Formula One Management regarding the possibility of staging the 2010 British Grand Prix on the new circuit.
Dunlop signed a contract to supply the Britcar GT and Production Championships for a further four seasons at the Autosport International Show at Birmingham’s NEC today (14 January 2010. The Britcar GT Championship is said to be the biggest championship of its type in the UK. Bringing endurance racing to circuits all over the UK, Britcar has become the country’s fastest and most popular National GT Championship. 2010 will see the return of the Britcar 24 hour race, Britain’s ‘blue-riband’ endurance racing event at Silverstone on 2 – 3 October.
With three new circuits on the calendar, 2010 promises to be an exciting year for Maxxis in its title-sponsorship of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship. Little Silver near Exeter is the first of the new venues and hosts the season opener at the end of February, while Leicestershire’s Mallory Park will stage a special double-header on March 21, when motocross action will be coupled with a road race. In August the series visits Farleigh Castle in Wiltshire, a circuit that has not been used for around ten years as a Maxxis Championship event.
The Japanese Grand Prix this weekend will mark the first occasion on which only Bridgestone’s rubber will be used at Suzuka, the race having been held at Mount Fuji for the past two years. The supplier will bring an allocation of hard and soft tyres, which was previously used in Sepang, Barcelona and Silverstone, representing a return to the concept of leaving a stiffness gap between allocated tyres.
Hankook Team Farnbacher drivers Pierre Kaffer – this year’s class winner at the Le Mans 24 Hours – and Allan Simonsen in the GT2 class will be on the starting line for the 1000 kilometre race of the Le Mans Series, which is to be held at the Nürburgring on August 23. The Team will be driving a Ferrari F430 GT fitted with Hankook Ventus racing tyres.
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