Motorsport
5 years on, Evergreen-Zelos partnership ‘thriving’
Renault Clio Cup racer Dan Zelos has been supported by Evergreen Tyres for half a decade. The partnership started in karting, and has continued to Zelos’ current drive in the Renault Clio Cup. The tyre brand states that its support for Zelos is motivated both by the marketing opportunity it offers and by helping a young driver achieve his ambitions.
Falken celebrates ‘most successful’ VLN season
Falken Tyres experienced its most successful VLN Endurance Championship season in 2018, securing seven podium finishes including two race victories, as its Porsche 911 GT3 R beat its competitors around the Nordschleife. The Type 991 has been the most successful Falken race car in the VLN to date, claiming two wins and nine podium finishes since its racing debut in April 2016. A reliable competitor, it has completed more than 30,000 racing kilometres overseen by Falken’s engineers.
Hankook’s Ventus Race tyre supports wide variety of circuit racing series
Hankook has supplied several demanding series in 2018, including the DTM, FIA Formula 3 European Championship, 24H Series powered by Hankook, the VLN Endurance Championship, and the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, with the Ventus Race tyre.
Maxxis tyres in extreme motorsport action in 2018
Maxxis-sponsored riders across motorsport experienced success on the tyre manufacturers’ high performance tyres. Leading the way on two wheels for Maxxis was enduro athlete Brad Freeman. The British rider secured his first ever senior world title in the Maxxis FIM EnduroGP World Championship, riding to victory in the E1 class using the soft compound version of the MaxxEnduro and MaxxEnduPro tyres.
Yokohama increases motorsport profile with successful 2018
Yokohama has called 2018 one of the most high profile and busiest in recent years for its motorsport operation. The manufacturer’s products have been action in rallying and on the circuit, where Yokohama launched its support of the major new TCR series in the UK. The company also continued its ongoing support for a number of promising young drivers and grassroots motorsport.
British motorsport history made on Pirelli rubber in 2018
History was made in Pirelli’s third season supplying the British GT Championship when Flick Haigh became the first woman to be a champion in the series.
Dunlop’s ‘most successful’ status continues at Le Mans, Isle of Man
Dunlop’s long record of success at the Le Mans 24 hours and the Isle of Man TT was continued in 2018, though the tyre brand added victories in other four and two-wheel series too.
Bridgestone’s five-star motocross riders enjoy a winning Battle
Five motocross stars running on Bridgestone’s range of Battlecross tyres have secured seven championship titles. Josh Gilbert, Callum Green, Josh Waterman, Rory Jones and Simon Lane all competed on the company’s products in 2018 and all won significant pieces of silverware, before paying tribute to the rubber that kept them on track all year round.
Comline Auto Parts announces backing for Formula Student Team Vermillion
Comline Auto Parts will support Denmark-based Vermilion Racing as the team’s official supplier of brake discs in Formula Student. Comline ADC1503 coated brake discs will feature on the team’s 2019 all-electric single-seat racer.
Giti tyres on Lotus Cup Racers at 2018 Macau Grand Prix
On 18 November Giti Tire took part in the 65th Macau Grand Prix, sponsoring and providing tyres to all drivers in the Lotus Cup racing competition. The event was one of six during the Grand Prix weekend, which brings racers and spectators from all around the world to the exciting street-circuit motorsports events around the city and ocean side of the historic city of Macau.
Kwik Fit named new BTCC title sponsor
When the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) returns for the 2019 season, it will have a new title sponsor. TOCA has announced that automotive servicing and repair company Kwik Fit is succeeding Dunlop in this capacity; Goodyear Dunlop will remain tyre supplier to the BTCC under its current contract, which runs until at least 2022.
Pirelli: 4 more years with Formula 1
Pirelli will remain global tyre partner of the FIA Formula One World Championship until the end of the 2023 season after extending its current contract – which lasts until the end of the 2019 season – for a further four years. Pirelli notes that the agreement to extend the partnership was “completed in a short timeframe” on the back of the “successful partnership over recent years.”
NIO confirms rising British star Chadwick for official Formula E test in Riyadh
Jamie Chadwick, the only female driver to win a British Formula 3 Championship race, will make a high-profile test debut with ABB FIA Formula E Championship team NIO in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday 16 December – the day after the opening e-Prix of Season 5. NIO said that it is determined to help provide key opportunities on the international stage for the best young female racing talent, confirming 20-year-old Chadwick for the six-hour test at the Ad Diriyah Street Circuit. The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) ‘Rising Star’, from Tetbury in Gloucestershire, will pilot the NIO 004 chassis.
Dmack to take ‘full control’ of tyre production in Marangoni Rovereto deal
Global motorsport tyre brand Dmack has announced that it will “open its own tyre manufacturing facility” in Italy, following a deal to use part of Marangoni’s Rovereto plant in northern Italy. The Carlisle-based brand said it would be “capable of producing up to 250,000 tyres per year” at Rovereto, with the “flexibility to tailor short production runs for very specific applications and to meet demands for control tyre championships.” The company adds that it wants to transfer its technical capability into racing by producing world-class products for the circuit racing and track markets. Most famous for supplying tyres to the FIA World Rally Championship since 2011, Dmack tyres were previously produced by Chinese manufacturer, Shandong Yongtai, which recently went into administration, before shifting to Cooper Tires’ UK factory in Melksham, which itself is set to reduce production by a half when it halts production of road-going light vehicle tyres next year.
Team BRIT, Giti Tire end season with class win at Birkett Relay
Team BRIT, racing together with dedicated sponsor Giti Tire, won its class at the season-ending Birkett Relay. Team Brit and the fully liveried GT Radial VW Fun Cup bug finished first in Class C, posting 142 laps. The result meant 14th place overall, just two laps off the eventual winners.