Yokohama adds three series to 2011 UK motorsport agenda
Yokohama HPT has confirmed that it will continue to work in partnership with one-make race series in the UK in 2011 and add a further three series to its portfolio of championships choosing Yokohama as control tyre. The company will supply control tyres to almost 30 race series. Commenting, head of Motorsport at YHPT Mark Evans said; “It looks as if 2011 will be an even busier season for Yokohama than last year and I am delighted that our involvement in motorsport is growing, both on a global and a domestic level. I am very pleased that we are continuing our relationships with some of the UK’s premier series, on the racetrack, rallycross circuits and oval tracks. I’m also excited by the prospect of supporting several new series, such as the VTEC Challenge and the new rallycross categories.”
Yokohama will continue as supplier to circuit-based series such as those run by the 750 Motor Club, as well as the Mighty Minis and the Caterham Academy. It will also continue with the Morgan one make series and the Lotus On Track series, the Lotus Cup Europe and the Elise Trophy. In addition, there will be a new Lotus-based series, the Lotus Cup UK, a domestic version of its pan-European counterpart. Split into five classes, each will use the Yokohama Advan A048 tyre and race meetings will be based on either a 60 minute race with mandatory pit stops or a pair of shorter, sprint races. The VTEC Challenge is a new series in 2011 for performance Hondas. It features centralised parts provision and a four-class structure, as well as a tuner class.
In RallyCross, Yokohama will continue to supply control tyres for the RX Racing RX150 class as well as the Suzuki Swift class in the British Rallycross championship. It will also supply tyres to new classes, one using the latest Mini and one aimed at drawing youngsters into the sport and using Suzukis. Sticking with mixed surfaces, the company recently re-signed with BRiSCA for a further three years,
to provide control tyres for the Formula 2, Lightning Rod and Stock Rod categories of oval racing in the UK.
As has been reported on tyrepress.com this week, the company will supply two new motorsport tyres for the UK: the Yokohama A053, developed in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, to which Yokohama will again be partner in 2011; and the A005, developed to replace the bias tyre used in Sports2000 for the last 25 years.
In international series, the brand will be control tyre to the FIA World Touring Car Championship for the fifth year running, beginning in Brazil on 18 March. Yokohama is the tyre partner of the IRC, the newest rally championship, taking in various classic rallies in Europe and further afield and begins in January with the Rallye Monte Carlo.
Following a strong showing for the two-car team from Aston Martin at the 2010 Nürburgring 24 Hours, Yokohama will again partner the team as it prepares two cars for the event at its in-house facility in the UK. Last year, the Aston Martin Rapide, in near showroom specification finished second in class. The Rapide appeared on the Yokohama stand at January’s Autosport International.
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