Using the tyres of a 6-tonne racing truck, an Avon-shod Formula Two single seater, race bike and a Caterham as his paintbrushes, artist Ian Cook – famous for using radio controlled cars in much the same style – has created a unique 50 square metre work of art. The painting was commissioned by oil and car care company, Comma, to launch a £2 million motorsport giveaway at the company’s website.
The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva today could yield confirmation – finally – of Formula One’s reported deal with Pirelli to supply tyres to the series from next year. Motorsport website motorsport.com suggests that FOTA, the association for the sport’s teams, have signed a letter of intent and that contracts with Bernie Ecclestone are also in the bag.
SEMA has announced that exhibitors at the Las Vegas event may now enter new products into the “New Products Showcase” by visiting the “New Products” section of the show’s website. With nearly 2,000 companies exhibiting throughout the million square foot Convention Center, the New Products Showcase is designed to give buyers a quick glimpse of what is new and debuting at the Show. All exhibitors may enter one product category at no cost if submitted before 8 October, 2010. The 2010 SEMA Show takes place between Tuesday 2 and Friday 5 November, 2010, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
When negotiating the busy roads of an unfamiliar city, an authoritative and trustworthy voice is needed to help guide you to your chosen destination. Well thank goodness then that TomTom has released the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants for use in its devices. The ocean’s wittiest Porifera and his chums will soothe jangled rush hour nerves with their ongoing commentary, delivering such comments as, “hey, I don’t have a license to drive. So is it illegal when I drive Mr.Krabscrazy?” and “Exit ahead. Hey, we’re cruisin’ in a car! I’ve only cruised in a boat before!”
As part of its investment in marketing communications aimed at boosting brand profile both within the tyre industry and amongst key consumer audiences such as tuning and performance enthusiasts, Maxxis has appointed Amy Colbourne to the position of marketing and sales coordinator. Ms Colbourne, 24, works alongside Maxxis International UK’s managing director Derek McMartin and has taken on the day-to-day responsibility for the smooth running of the company’s advertising and sponsorship programme and its online marketing activities.
Whether your attitude towards caravans could best be described as “enthusiastic” or “Clarksonesque”, one potential problem for the holiday home on wheels has possibly escaped you: the degradation of its tyres during idle Winter months. With one of the brightest start to Summer since records began, UK safety organisation TyreSafe has taken the opportunity to address the problem, suggesting that caravan owners should pay particular attention to the condition of their tyres before heading off on holiday this year. Since caravans often stand unused for much of the off-season, there is a strong potential for tyre related problems to develop – such as cracking caused by the sun’s UV rays – making them unsafe or dangerous to use. To help owners identify such problems, TyreSafe, the UK’s leading tyre safety organisation, has launched a new section on its website at www.tyresafe.org dedicated to caravan tyre safety.
Michelin has announced a new promotion for motorcyclists buying and fitting a pair of Michelin Power Pure or Pilot Road 2 motorcycle tyres. Between 1 June and 31 July, purchasers of these tyres will receive £20 of fuel vouchers from selected dealers throughout June and in all dealers throughout July.
Scorpion Exhausts has rebranded its range to herald its third decade of activity in the car and motorcycle tuning markets. The British firm based in Ripley, Derbyshire has moved to a new typeface and eye-catching ‘sting’ logo to reflect their increasing investment in the latest design and manufacturing methods. The new brand language has been designed by leading agency WDA, who can count iconic brands like Pirelli, Bentley and Total Oils amongst their eclectic list of automotive blue-chip clients.
Bridgestone has introduced a new Bandag website highlighting its retread product portfolio for truck and bus fleets in Europe. According to the tyre maker, the www.bandag.eu site carries a ‘stronger message’ for end users, with more qualitative retread and product information, including the latest document downloads. The structure is built around Bandag’s Smart Choice marketing concept that provides an explanation as to why Bandag retreads are the most reliable, economical, natural and dependable retread choice on the tyre market.
Turkish tyre manufacturer Petlas Lastik is planning to significantly expanding its passenger car tyre production capacity. According to local news reports, the company’s tyre manufacturing finance manager, Vahit Unal told reporters that the company will invest $50 million to more than double the company’s 2005 car tyre capacity.
“While in 2005 [we attained] exports of $16 million, in 2008 this figure reached $93 million. In the last 2.5 years we have invested $55 million. With additional investment of approximately $50 million related to the production of passenger tyres we will raise our capacity 2.5 times,” he is reported as saying. The commissioning of the additional investment is said to have taken place in the first quarter of 2010.
Isn’t the internet wonderful? Not only has it given us the opportunity to find love, do our shopping and watch endless hours of video from the comfort of our own homes, thanks to Michelin and French motoring association Automobile Club de l’Ouest we can now participate in one of the world’s most celebrated motorsport events without donning a racing suit or even demonstrating exceptional driving talent.
Amazon.com customers can now choose from a catalogue of over 10,000 wheels after the online retailer, originally known for taking the lead in web-based book and CD sales, announced the launch of its Wheels Store (www.amazon.com/wheels). The site also offers a range of roughly 12,500 mainly motorbike and car tyres.
According the company, the store showcases a vast selection from top brands like American Racing, Dip, Dale Earnhardt Jr., KMC, Mickey Thompson, Sacchi, Konig and Veloche. As in the Amazon.com Automotive Store, customers looking for wheels will discover the Automotive Part Finder, a powerful search tool that helps customers quickly find the wheels guaranteed to fit their specific year, make and model.
Bridgestone is rewarding dealers in its First Stop network with a unique driving experience. Throughout the second quarter of this year, the top-performing dealers will have the chance to win a Silverstone driving day this October. There are 12 days up for grabs: half going to dealers with multiple locations and half going to single locations. Points will be awarded for the number of Bridgestone, Firestone and Dayton tyres each dealer purchases, and they’ll receive regular updates to see if they’re racing ahead of the pack.
Dan Woodward, First Stop retail marketing analyst said: “We want to motivate First Stop staff with the best rewards possible. This is a fantastic opportunity to take some of the world’s highest performing cars around a legendary circuit.” The First Stop winners will be able to choose from a selection of highly desirable cars; such as the Lotus Exige S, the Ferrari 360 F1 Modena and the Caterham 7. In addition, the range features a number of cars that are new at Silverstone for 2010; including the Audi R8 and TT, plus the Porsche GT2 and GT3.
TireHunter.com, a subsidiary of Network Tire Inc., from Chalfont, Pennsylvania in the US, has launched a free service for tyre wholesalers, retailers and consumers. According to the company, TireHunter.com helps locate those “hard to find” tyres and can do so “whether it’s one tyre or a container.” Apart from the wide-ranging scale, what’s unique about this offering is the fact that the company will arrange to ship the tyres it finds directly to the customers’ location.
To coincide with the start of the 10th annual National Camping and Caravanning Week (29 May – 4 June), TyreSafe has launched a new section on its website dedicated to caravan tyre safety. The pages provide a host of technical tips and information aimed at helping to keep the record number of UK caravan owners safe and legal on the roads.
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