Bogie prevails in Pirelli International Rally
Scottish driver David Bogie has extended his lead at the top of the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship drivers’ standings with his second win out of three rounds on the Pirelli International Rally in Carlisle on the weekend of April 29 and 30. Now leading the pack by seven points, the 23-year-old from Dumfries has performed consistently well throughout this season, taking first on Rallye Sunseeker in February and second on the Bulldog International Rally North Wales last month.
Continue ReadingHankook celebrates successful DTM debut
High praise for Hankook came after the company’s first DTM race as exclusive tyre supplier. Following the weekend’s touring car race at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany, viewed by some 58,000 spectators including Hankook Tire executive vice-president and Europe COO Jin-Wook Choi and global CSFO Hyun-Bum Cho, race winner Bruno Spengler declared the Hankook Ventus race tyres to be “very good,” adding that “even though we are running a lot over the kerbs here at Hockenheim, the tyres remained consistent. That is really very good.”
Continue ReadingDunlop joins Isle of Man TT Races commercial portfolio
Dunlop has announced it will be the “Official Tyre Partner” for the 2011 Isle of Man TT races. Allan Bell MHK, minister for economic development commented: “The TT Races commercial programme continues to grow and it is fitting that in the year of the centenary of the Mountain Course, one of the companies that has become synonymous with the event has become a commercial partner.” Eddy Geerdink, Dunlop marketing director, commented: “Dunlop is delighted to become the Official Tyre Partner of the TT Races. The Mountain Course is one of the world’s toughest circuits and our success in the event over the years has provided us with excellent recognition for the performance and technology of our tyres.”
Continue ReadingMetzeler increases two-wheel British motorsport involvement
Following on from its five year deal with the MCE British Superbike Championship, Metzeler has announced that it will increase its involvement in Superstock 1000, 600 and the Triumph Triple Challenge, including a promotional brand unit in the trade areas of each event. Metzeler Racing manager Jason Griffiths commented; “This is a big year for Metzeler as the Superstock classes have never been bigger and we are also proud to supply the tyres for the Triumph Triple Challenge. Just like the bike manufacturers, Metzeler sees real importance in proving the quality of its road based products especially as lap times have continued to tumble. The class is very difficult to predict this year with so many potential winners, it’s going to be a real battle out there I’m sure! We are also supporting the fans more this year with a promotional unit and competitions at every round with top prizes.”
Continue ReadingMaxxis British Drift Championship to begin at Donington
This Easter weekend (22-23 April) sees the 2011 Maxxis British Drift Championship get underway at Donington Park, with new regulations in place designed to make racing more competitive. Teams competing this year on Maxxis’ MA-Z1 Drift tyre will include Paul Cheshire’s 650bhp G35 Skyline and the tyre brand’s own sponsored SATS Cosworth Supra, driven by Mark Luney.
Continue ReadingMaxxis reviews British Motocross Championship third leg
Tyre brand Maxxis is the current title sponsor of the ACU British Motocross Championship – in addition to sponsoring several teams individually – and has pronounced itself delighted to see more close racing when the third round of the Championship took place at the sandy Cadders Hill circuit in in Lyng, Norfolk on 17 April. Maxxis also said its sponsored teams put in “a strong showing to deliver some solid top ten finishes”.
Continue ReadingYokohama to support Toshi Arai and Fumio Nutahara in IRC Europe
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. will provide its Advan A006T (for tarmac) and ADVAN A053 (for gravel) rally tyres in support of Toshi Arai and Fumio Nutahara in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), which has been underway in Europe since January. Yokohama Rubber is endeavouring to improve recognition of its Advan rally tyres in Europe by supporting proven drivers in highly popular rallies.
Continue ReadingPirelli-shod drivers secure podium lock-out in Granite City rally
MSA Scottish Rally Championship contenders driving on Pirelli tyres secured the top three positions at the Granite City Rally in Aberdeen on Saturday, 16 April. Dave Weston, the 2006 champion, claimed victory in his Ford Focus WRC by a slender margin of one second over current title-holder David Bogie, who continues to lead the championship standings, following wins on the opening two rounds of the season in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Rising star David Wilson, in another Mitsubishi, completed the podium to underline the control and durability of its Scorpion tyres on the punishing gravel stages of Aberdeenshire.
Continue ReadingCooper begins 30th season of British F3 tyre supply
This weekend Cooper Tire enters its 30th season as exclusive tyre supplier to the Cooper Tires British Formula Three International Series, as the formula begins its 60th anniversary season this weekend. The series’ more international flavour of recent years will be represented by its first round taking place at Monza, Italy: one of four held outside the UK. Britain will see six events.
Continue ReadingShane O’Sullivan drives Maxxis-shod Japspeed S15 in Ireland
Maxxis reports that Ireland’s Shane O’Sullivan has joined the Team Japspeed drifting team the brand sponsors. He will compete full time in the ProDrift Series in the RB25-powered S15 using the MA-Z1 Drift tyre. Shane Finn, who will be running the team in conjunction with the Japspeed Ireland division, said: “Paul McCallum and the Japspeed UK team have built a truly fantastic machine which we’ve seen compete successfully in Ireland in the past.
Continue ReadingHankook begins DTM tyre supply
Hankook got underway as exclusive tyre supplier to the DTM championship at the series’ 2011 season launch in Wiesbaden, Germany on April 10. The tyre maker says the start of its season as partner to the popular international touring car championship “marks the beginning of a new era in the company's dedication to international motor sport.” Prior to its DTM involvement, Hankook was primarily engaged in endurance racing.
Continue ReadingOpen tender for WSBK tyre supply announced
The promoter of the World Superbike Championship has launched a tender process for the championship’s tyre suppler in the 2013 to 2015 seasons, a role that is currently undertaken by Pirelli. Infront Motor Sports first announced the tender for the FIM Superbike and Supersport World Championships, the Superstock FIM Cup 1000 and the UEM Superstock 600 European Championship at the end of March.
Continue ReadingCooper marks F3 diamond anniversary with diamond, crystal tyre
Cooper Tire has created a set of jewel-encrusted tyres to mark the diamond anniversary of Formula 3 racing in Britain, a series for which it is the current title sponsor. The tyres were made by London jeweller Freddie Keeble at FK Diamonds using both diamonds for the 60th anniversary and Swarovski crystals. They were unveiled at Silverstone during the launch of the 2011 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series, where they were bolted on to the race car of Carlin driver, Rupert Svendsen–Cook.
Continue ReadingMaxxis-sponsored British Motocross completes second round
The results in round two of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship at Canada Heights on 27 March turned out to be a repeat of the season opener, reports the brand and title-sponsor. Shaun Simpson (LS Honda) and Arnaud Tonus (Bike It Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha) took victory in the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively, while other Maxxis-sponsored teams also posted top ten finishes.
Continue ReadingYokohama outlines 2011 motorsport activities
Motorsport is viewed by Yokohama Rubber as a “key aspect its efforts to develop its global tyre business,” and with this in mind the Japanese tyre maker says it will “strive to increase the degree of recognition of the Yokohama tyre brand through a wide range of motor sports activities in Japan and around the world.” On March 24 the company announced its global motorsport plans for 2011.
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