Cooper Avon launches British GT, F3 seasons
Today was the joint launch day for Cooper Avon’s biggest UK motorsport series – the British Formula Three, supplied in its 60th season by Cooper Tires, and the British GT, once again supplied by Avon Tyres, which announced this week that it had signed up to the championship until “at least 2014” – the same period for which Cooper is signed up with F3. Hosted at Silverstone, the event marks a special occasion for Cooper Avon in British F3, as this season marks the 30th anniversary of its first association with the championship, when Avon supplied the tyres to such giants of motor racing as then-future Formula One champions Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Jenson Button. Cooper took over the tyre supply to the series in 2008, though the tyres are still manufactured at Melksham, Wiltshire – the company’s European motorsport base.
Continue ReadingFirestone brand to exit Indycar
The Indycar series is held in equal high esteem by US motor racing aficionados as Formula One is in other parts of the world, and as has been the case for the Bernie Ecclestone run championship, vehicles racing in Indycar have been fitted with tyres produced by Bridgestone companies for a good number of years. But the similarities do not end there; more than a year after the withdrawal from Formula one was announced, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) stated it has “mutually agreed” with Indycar to end the sponsorship and supply contract for its Firestone brand – a partnership it describes as “one of the most successful in all of motorsports” – at the end of the 2011 season.
Continue ReadingFederal the official sponsor of Australian tuning show
Summernats 2011 in Canberra, Australia has become Federal Tyres’ first name-sponsored automotive show, alongside distributor National Tyre Wholesalers. The precision driving event at Canberra Showgrounds is a motorkhana style grass event where courses are set up with varying degrees of difficulty. It tests different aspects of both the car and driver to see who can better accelerate, turn, brake and manoeuvre their way through the course in the quickest way possible.
Continue ReadingMichelin launches Power Cup 2011
Michelin has announced a provisional schedule for the 2011 Michelin Power Cup race series, whose entry list has grown to almost 60 riders following its first UK season last year. The series offers motorcycle racers “unprecedented amounts of track time and prizes, including tyres and sponsors’ products,” says Michelin, with TV coverage courtesy of Motors TV. The season consists of eight rounds with three 12-15 lap sprint races for 600cc and 1000cc classes at each round. The season will run from March to October with provisional stages at Brands Hatch (12-13 March), Mallory Park (16-17 April), Anglesey (28-29 May), Snetterton (18-19 June and 29-30 October), Pembrey (16-17 July), Cadwell Park (20-21 August) and Oulton Park (17 September).
Continue ReadingDunlop renews motocross title assault with factory teams
Dunlop has announced that its Geomax tyre is the choice of factory-backed teams from Honda, Yamaha and KTM in both MX1 and MX2 classes of the 2011 Motocross World Championships. Dunlop’s links with Motocross go back to the beginnings of the sport. The brand has a “race-to-road” (or in this case “off-road”) policy with motorsport, and using it as a “high-pressure development laboratory teaches the designers important lessons,” which can be passed on to customers, incorporated directly into the production tyre range.
Continue ReadingMaxxis renews bike motorsport commitments
Maxxis International’s involvement in motorcycle motorsport continues in 2011 with a renewal of its association with two factory teams. The company will continue as headline sponsor of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship until the end of the 2013 season and has renewed its partnership with Lincolnshire-based Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasaki. The team, says Maxxis International, is going from strength to strength with rising Estonian MX1 star Gert Krestinov signing up for his second season in the UK as part of the Official Kawasaki Motors UK motocross team.
Continue ReadingFederal shows expanded motorsports line
Taiwan’s Federal Tires is calling 2011 its “year of motorsports” as it continues to develop its product portfolio, which includes the FZ-101, FZ-201, FZ-202 on track and the Federally G-10 and G-11 rallying tyres. The FZ-201 is used in four motorsports series – the Nippon Challenge in UK; the Rally Tarmac Championship; Malaysian Super Series Championship; and the Sepang 1000km (S1K) Endurance and Touring Car categories.
Continue ReadingKumho tyres shod winner of GMF Motor Factors Wydean Forest Rally
Four of the top ten finishers at the GMF Motor Factors Wydean Forest Rally on 12 February were shod with Kumho R800 gravel rally tyres, the Korean manufacturer reports. They included the Peugeot Cosworth of Andy Burton and Robin Kellard, which took the top podium spot, and the Mitsubishi Evo IX of David Wright and Michael Wilkinson that was fourth overall and first in class B13.
Continue ReadingAvon confirmed as Chevron GR8 Championship tyre supplier
Avon Tyres will supply race tyres to the Chevron GR8 Championship, the brand has announced. The championship is a one-make series featuring 260bhp cars built by the Cheshire-based sportscar manufacturer. Helen Bashford-Malkie, managing director of Chevron Racing Cars, said: “We chose Avon because they offered the best combination of performance and value, which is what our competitors are looking for from both Chevron and our suppliers.
Continue ReadingJK Tyre launches Asian race series
In a move it refers to as the “biggest announcement in Indian motorsport in recent times,” JK Tyre has officially launched the JK Racing Asia Series, a championship sponsored by the tyre maker and managed by Motorsport Asia, the region’s largest promoter and organiser of motorsport events. The series gets underway in April and the 2011 season will consist of 18 races held over six weekend events in Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia, China, Singapore and India. On three occasions the JK Racing Asia Series will support the Formula One Grand Prix.
Continue ReadingAvon Tyres official supplier for MSV F3 Cup
Avon Tyres Motorsport, the competition tyre division of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe, has been confirmed as the official supplier of racing tyres to the 2011 MSV F3 Cup – a series for former Cooper Tires British Formula 3 Series cars. David Scott, race operations manager for MSVR, said: “In the past few weeks there have been intense discussions with tyre and fuel suppliers for the 2011 MSV F3 Cup. As a result, I am delighted to announce that our suppliers will be Avon Tyres Motorsport and Sunoco Race Fuels. Both of these suppliers are well known to the competitors and will require no changes to the cars.”
Continue ReadingMaxxis sponsors 2011 SATS Cosworth Euro Drifting Team
Maxxis has announced that it will take its MA-Z1 Drift tyre onto the European drifting circuit, with the sponsorship of reigning European Drift champion Mark Luney in the SATS Cosworth team. The SATS Cosworth Supra combines the drifting expertise of the SATS Motorsport team with an engine capable of pushing over 800bhp provided by Cosworth. Mark Luney, who has won the championship two years in a row and was also a contender for the title of Maxxis British Drift Champion in 2010, has signed to drive the car over the course of the year at major championships both in the UK and across Europe.
Continue ReadingMichelin Desert Race tyre helps teams to top Dakar podium on its debut
Michelin has reported the success of the maiden competitive appearance of the Michelin Desert Race tyre on the 2011 Dakar. Last Saturday in Buenos Aires, Argentina Spanish rider Marc Coma and his MRW Rally Factory Team-run KTM and Frenchman Cyril Despres with Team Red Bull KTM finished first and second respectively, both having run on the new Michelin tyre. The tough 9,500km event included 5,000km of against-the-clock action over some of Argentina and Chile's most difficult tracks and trails.
Continue ReadingYokohama 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.”
Continue ReadingYokohama introduces new rally tyre to the UK
Yokohama HPT has announced a new motorsport tyre for the UK. The Yokohama A053 is a brand new gravel rally tyre, developed during the 2010 season as the manufacturer partnered the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. The A053 is designed to compliment the A035, featuring a completely new construction and tread pattern. Designed for all loose surface applications, it will be available in three compounds; super soft, soft and medium to cope with the widest range of gravel stage conditions. The A053 will replace both sizes of the preceding A035E, in 195 and 205 widths.
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