Kumho awarded Auto GP supply contract
Kumho will be the sole tyre supplier to the international Auto GP series for 550bhp single-seat racing cars. In a change for the 2012 season, all Auto GP teams will be required to use two specifications of tyre per weekend, a parallel to the tyre regulation in Formula One. Kumho says the management of prime and option compounds will strengthen the series’ role as a “premier schooling grounds for Grand Prix drivers”. Auto GP will also include a KERS-style boost system giving drivers an extra 50bhp up to 10 times per race, and a mandatory pit stop for each race.
Sokov takes over as Sibur-Russian Tyres CEO
Sibur-Russian Tyres has announced the promotion of Dimitry Sokov to the role of chief executive officer. The chief operational officer’s appointment to the position takes effect 6 February. Sokov replaces Vadim Gurinov as chief executive officer; Gurinov now serves as chairman of the company’s Board of Directors.
Maxion Wheels is born – Hayes Lemmerz acquisition finalised
On 2 February Brazilian firm Iochpe-Maxion S.A. announced its acquisition of wheel manufacturer Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc has been finalised. The company has now established a new combined global wheel business, Maxion Wheels, which will be headed up by former Hayes Lemmerz chief operating officer Fred Bentley. In his new role of Maxion Wheels’ chief executive officer, Bentley will report directly to Dan Ioschpe, chief executive officer of Iochpe-Maxion. The business will have its headquarters in Northville, Michigan, USA.
Apollo reaches million milestone
This week the millionth truck-bus radial came off the production line at Apollo Tyres’ Chennai manufacturing facility. The TBR unit entered service in April 2010 with an initial production of 250 tyres a day; following a series of gradual ramp-ups a total of 4,000 tyres are now produced there each day. TBR tyres now account for 19 per cent of Apollo’s total commercial vehicle tyre production, a figure that mirrors India’s overall 20 per cent commercial sector radialisation level.
Government pushes ‘better service’, keeps MOT frequency
The government is aiming to lead garages to make improvements in customer service in “a package of transparency and value-for-money measures” unveiled today by transport secretary Justine Greening. According to a statement released by the department, an evaluation of existing MOT test standards and frequency took account of the views and evidence offered by a wide range of organisations.
Industry welcomes government u-turn on MOT frequency
Pro-MOTe, the lobby group set up to campaign to keep annual MOTs, has welcomed news that ministers have dropped plans to reduce testing frequency to 4-2-2.
In a written ministerial statement this morning, Transport secretary Justine Greening announced: “Having listened closely to the very many views put forward and considered the available evidence, I have decided that I am not going to carry out further work in relation to relaxing the first test date or the frequency of testing.”
Bridgestone starts 2012 MotoGP testing
Bridgestone has started testing its 2012 MotoGP tyre testing season in Valencia, Spain and Sepang, Malaysia. The company says it has spent the winter completing a programme of intensive development, and the tyre evaluation performed around the world over the next two months will be used to gauge perception among the riders. While six lap records were set on Bridgestone rubber in 2011, feedback from riders suggested that additional safety features needed to be built into new tyres, and Bridgestone Motorsport general manager, Tohru Ubukata says this is where the focus has been.
Tyres & Accessories January 2012
Tyres & Accessories kick-start to 2012, our January magazine, is now available to subscribers as a virtual paper. Featuring special reports on the motorcycle and agricultural tyre segments, the latest issue of T&A can be read at the touch of a button. Click more to see the first publication of the year.
Point S snubs Michelin in France
The point-S organisation has made the headlines again. Following the dismissal of point S Germany’s managing director Jürgen Benz last December, a move that took many by surprise, point S France now appears to have interesting times ahead as it distances itself from the most important player in the nation’s tyre market: Michelin. French media sources report a “thunderclap in the tyre world,” in which point S in France has failed to reach a consensus with Michelin regarding terms and conditions for the coming year and as a result has excluded tyres sourced directly from the market leader from its range. Michelin reportedly accounted for at least 40 per cent of the point S operation in France’s total turnover, thus market observers view the organisation’s decision as quite a dangerous one. But where exactly lies the danger?
Fleets sceptical on reaching EU climate change targets
Today trucks carry some three-quarters of all freight transported in Europe and road freight is projected to grow a further 60 per cent over the coming three decades. Yet all is not blue skies and smooth sailing within the sector; according to a report published by Goodyear Dunlop, as many as 15 per cent of European hauliers worry they may be out of business within eight years due to increasing environmental regulation unless substantial progress towards improving fleet fuel efficiency occurs. The 44-page document, titled ‘The Road to 2020’, was released in tandem with a fleet symposium the tyre maker staged in Brussels on 25 January.
Cinturato name returns, as Pirelli launches 2012 F1 tyre
Formula One tyre supplier, Pirelli has presented its 2012 range of tyres for the 63rd FIA World Championship at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. Responding to new aerodynamic regulations regarding blown exhausts, the tyres have been developed with a squarer profiles, in addition to previously promised characteristics such as softer, more competitive compounds with consistent degradation. Pirelli says it wants to help make races more entertaining and less predictable; it will try to make team strategies more important, though it still aims to have two to three pit stops. The other change is one of branding – Pirelli has reinstated the Cinturato name from the 1950s. Wet and intermediate tyres will feature Cinturato branding.
Falken sports SUV specific tyre
Falken has introduced the Azenis FK453CC – a tyre specifically designed to improve the stability, feel and noise of vehicles such as the Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport, BMW X6 and Audi Q7, among others in the performance SUV segment.
Pro-Align sets new alignment speed record
Wheel alignment specialist Pro-Align has set a new record by aligning twelve cars in thirty minutes. The record was set using the new range-topping Hunter HawkEye Elite TD system. “Speed and efficiency is of critical importance to workshops that utilise their alignment bays fully, so we set ourselves the challenge of measuring as many cars as possible in thirty minutes to demonstrate the true capabilities of our new Hunter Elite TD system,” explains Paul Beaurain, managing director, Pro-Align. “We were delighted with how many measurements we achieved and the evidence really backs up our claims about the impressive speed and potential of our new system.”
Pirelli signs sustainability agreement during international conference
Pirelli hosted an international conference on safety and the environment at its Milan headquarters on 23 January, during which the company’s chairman, Marco Tronchetti Provera signed a voluntary agreement with the Ministry for the Environment and Land and Sea Protection to reduce the climate impact deriving from activities related to the production and use of its tyres. The conference, attended by minister, Corrado Clini, who also signed the agreement, was entitled “Driving Sustainability: a safe road to the future” and marked Pirelli’s own Sustainability Day.
ContiSportContact3 wins performance magazine tyre test
Continental has been awarded top spot in monthly car magazine, evo’s annual tyre test, published in its February edition. The evo performance tyre test, in its third year, measured such performance indicators as wet and dry handling, aquaplaning and braking using 225/40 R18 sized tyres on a range of high-end cars at MIRA. The magazine described Conti’s tyre as giving “an impressively complete performance”.
3 in 1: Avon launches new sport tyre range
Avon Tyres says 2012 is looking to be an exciting year, not least due to the launch of its new high-performance sports tyre, the 3D Ultra Sport. This tyre makes its debut at this weekend’s Motorcycle Trade EXPO show in Birmingham and will replace the popular VP2 range. Three distinct versions of the 3D Ultra Sport are being introduced, offering owners of sports motorcycles a choice to suit the sort of machine they have and riding they do. The versions are:
Loyalty trumps low cost in Kwik-Fit survey
A survey commissioned by the UK’s largest fast-fitter suggests the country’s motorists are more likely to return to a garage they trust than to shop around for a lower-priced deal. Kwik-Fit’s survey also suggests that only one in five views convenience as the most influential factor in selecting the garage they want to maintain their car. Over three quarters (78 per cent) of those asked will stay with one garage where possible, and one in three (30 per cent) said they wouldn’t switch at any price. The survey was conducted by ICM Research amongst a nationally representative sample of 2001 UK adults.
Michelin debuts new CerexBib size
Leading UK farm machinery show, LAMMA opened today at the Newark and Nottinghamshire Showground, Winthorpe, with Michelin using the show as an opportunity to exhibit its latest addition to the range of sizes for its CerexBib combine harvester tyre. The IF (Improved Flexion) 800/70 R38 CFO (Cycling Field Operation) is a direct reaction to some of the largest machines expected to be delivered to customers this year. The CerexBib is designed to protect fields and deliver higher load capacity for a narrower width, helping large grain farmers, contractors and farm machinery cooperatives, according to Michelin.
Titan signs Caterpillar OEM deal
Titan Tire Corporation has entered into a three-year supply contract with earth moving machinery manufacturer Caterpillar. The tyre supply agreement begins this year and is valued at more than US$100 million.
What Car? Awards highlight Hankook’s product development efforts
On 12 January What Car? hosted its ‘car oscars’ in London. Hankook Tyre UK serves as associate sponsor of the What Car? Awards, and the tyre maker had extra reason to celebrate when the Kia Rio was named this year’s ‘Ultra Low Carbon’ award winner. Hankook is an original equipment supplier for the Rio, with the Kinergy Eco in size 185/65 R15 88H one of the tyre options available.