New research and data released by a leading automotive remanufacturer, has uncovered the top ten strangest DIY repair attempts on cars; including a man who attempted to use bubblegum to fix his car radiator and a woman who replaced her car door locks with heavy duty padlocks.
Maxxis International has appointed Jas Ghata-Aura to the new position of online content developer. Maxxis says the appointment forms part of its heightening focus on digital communications. The tyre manufacturer, driven by the belief that online and social media platforms are fast becoming the most effective ways of communicating directly with consumers, has emphasised new media channels in growing its brand already and boasts a strong existing following on its social media channels as a result. It is hoped Ghata-Aura’s appointment will help to strengthen and build Maxxis’ presence, which in turn will give more existing and potential customers the opportunity to interact with the brand and its assets on a daily basis.
Nexen Tire has announced it will supply original equipment tyres to Mitsubishi’s Outlander Sport. A press release on the tyre maker’s Korean website states that supply of the N’Priz RH7 high performance tyre begins this month. In addition to domestic market sales, the US-produced Outlander Sport will be sold in Europe.
Kumho has numerous class wins in Germany’s Nürburgring-based VLN series under its belt, but during the opening round of the 2013 season on 13 April, the tyre maker achieved its first ever top ten finish, courtesy of the twins Dennis and Marc Busch, driving an Audi R8 LMS Ultra. The brothers occupied a lowly 40th place on the starting grid, thanks to a loose splitter during qualifying, but then managed to climb 32 places to finish 8th overall.
Maxxis International has promoted Amy Colbourne to the role of marketing manager. Colbourne started with Maxxis International in 2010, when Maxxis made the decision to invest heavily in marketing communications in order to boost its brand profile. She is now responsible for all aspects of marketing in the UK, including activity to support Maxxis distributors and as such the new role will see her take direct control of the marketing budget.
Admiral research has revealed two thirds of motorists eat when behind the wheel despite most drivers thinking it's dangerous and should be illegal. Almost one in six (15 per cent) motorists have also crashed or had a near miss as a result of in-car eating.
The survey of 2,000 motorists by Admiral has shown that while two thirds of drivers have eaten when driving, for one in twelve it's commonplace with them doing so between five and ten times a week.
Falken Motorsports shares that it will field its Porsche 997 GT3 R in this year’s VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring and Nürburgring 24 Hours events. It says a raft of performance upgrades for its Porsche have been carried out and, coupled with an unchanged driver line up of Sebastian Asch, Peter Dumbreck, Wolf Henzler and Martin Ragginger, Falken Motorsports says it holds the “clear aim of a top ten finish in the 24 Hour event.”
UK motorcycle sales were down 14 per cent in January, compared with the same month last year. According to the National Motorcycle Dealers Association, poor sales can be attributed to the “arctic weather” that affected much of the country during the middle of month.
Further details from ACEA’s 2012 European car registrations data reveals that the Volkswagen Golf continues to be Europe’s best-selling car, despite a sharp drop of 11.1 per cent in 2012 sales compared to 2011. Even with a 12.7 per cent drop the Ford Fiesta overtakes the Volkswagen Polo for second place in 2012, while the Volkswagen Polo comes in third, with sales down 19.8 per cent.
Maxxis used its Autosport stand to raise funds for the fight against cancer. The combination of motorsport stars, the company’s own ‘Maxxis Babes’, and a host of racing cars and bikes proved something of a draw for NEC show-goers, with Maxxis turning its pulling power to the Macmillan Cancer Support’s advantage by selling calendars to boost the charity’s coffers.
Nexen Tyre Europe GmbH has appointed Joo Ho Song as its new president. Song has reportedly already started carrying out “a comprehensive package of measures, focusing on Nexen’s ambitious goals in Europe and implementing relevant strategies quickly.” The measures include increasing personnel at the European headquarters in Eschborn.
Pirelli will increase its British Superbike presence from 2013 when the manufacturer becomes the sole tyre supplier and title sponsor for National Superstock 1000 and 600 classes. The Triumph Triple Challenge series will also use Pirelli control tyres. The brand has been the single tyre supplier in the Superbike and Supersport categories since 2008. Pirelli will offer the Diablo Supercorsa tyres for all three championships.
Sustainable materials company, Lehigh Technologies has appointed a former Bridgestone and a Reko International executive to drive the adoption of its micronized rubber powder (MSP) material across target markets. The addition of two tyre and plastics industry executives, Greg Henwood and Michael Kruzynski respectively, to the company’s business development team is aimed at expanding the company’s reach in the tyre, plastics and polyurethane markets. Henwood is a new sales director for Plastics and Polyurethanes, and Kruzynski has been appointed to the position of major account manager for Tire and Industrial Rubber.
The Maxxis-sponsored and -supplied Team Japspeed won an emphatic victory in the 2012 Maxxis British Drift Championship, clinching both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles. The six-round series, which attracted drivers from all the home nations as well as Ireland, Holland, Germany, Portugal, Belgium and Norway, reached a thrilling climax at Knockhill in Dunfermline, as Paul “Smokey” Smith was crowned British Drift Champion 2012. With all four Maxxis-sponsored Team Japspeed drivers finishing in the top ten – Shane O’Sullivan was third while Stephen “Baggsy” Biagioni and Shane Lynch ended their campaigns in fifth and seventh place respectively – it came as no surprise that Team Japspeed were convincing winners of the constructors title.
US-based green materials manufacturer Lehigh Technologies has been in business for just under a decade and claims five of the top ten tyre and retread manufacturers as its customers. The company specialises in the production of micronised rubber powders (MRP), produced mainly from recycled tyres. Its main tyre product for the tyre industry is PolyDyne, a specifically-developed material that is said to offer a significant cost advantage over SBR and natural rubber; using figures published in the Rubber Statistical Bulletin, Lehigh shows that, as of September 2011, PolyDyne was less than half as expensive as SBR and around a quarter the cost of natural rubber. Furthermore, Lehigh Technolgies says that every kilogramme of its MRP used saves around nine litres of oil and some 20kWh of energy in comparison to traditional tyres, while it releases less than half the CO2 of synthetic rubber.
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