Michelin to Give Away 100 Racing Tyres to Monte Carlo Rally Amateurs
To mark the occasion of the Monte Carlo Rally’s centenary, French tyre giant Michelin has announced that it will reward the efforts of the top 25-placed amateur competitors with a free set of its racing tyres. The 79th Monte Carlo Rally is the first event of the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge and is scheduled to take place between 18 and 22 January 2011. The rally will begin in Valence, France.
Continue ReadingPirelli Development Driver Andreucci Wins Italian Rally Championship
Paolo Andreucci has claimed his fifth Italian Rally Championship, and the fourth title that he has taken with Pirelli, on the Costa Smeralda Rally in Sardinia last weekend. The Italian is one of the Italian manufacturer’s development drivers, and was fulsome in his praise of Pirelli’s role in his victory: “Pirelli has played a huge role in this latest success, because for the past two years we have been extremely competitive everywhere.
Continue ReadingPhil Morrison Wins Maxxis British Drift Championship On Federal
The 2010 Maxxis British Drift Championship reached a thrilling climax at Knockhill, Scotland over the weekend of September 25-26. It proved a stern test of vehicles and drivers, with BDC newcomer Phil Morrison eventually emerging victorious in his 700 bhp S15, shod with Federal 595 RS-R high performance tyres, making it a day to remember for both Phil and his Team Driftworks.
Continue ReadingDunlop-shod BMW Crowned American Le Mans Champion
The BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team has clinched the 2010 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GT Manufacturer and Team Championships, a feat that was helped by Dunlop, which provided the grip for its BMW M3 GT2. The team’s fourth place finish at the final round last week was enough to score the points needed to stay ahead of Ferrari and Porsche in the Manufacturers Championship by a point. Most racing observers considered the GT segment to be the most competitive class in the ALMS during 2010, with teams from BMW, Ferrari, Porsche and Corvette battling it out, and each winning a race this year.
Continue ReadingAvon Tyres British GT titles claimed at Brands Hatch
David Ashburn claimed the 2010 Avon Tyres British GT Championship title at the penultimate round of the series at Brands Hatch in Kent last weekend. The 63-year-old and his Trackspeed Porsche teammate, Glynn Geddie, collected a win and a fifth place in the weekend’s pair of hour-long races and enough points to put the overall title beyond the reach of anyone but Ashburn.
Continue ReadingCharlie Shears Seals Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship
With a victory and a third place finish in Rounds 12 and 13 of the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship at Mosport, Canada, Charlie Shears clinched both the Lites1 class overall championship and the Masters Class Championship with a race weekend to spare. The American tyre manufacturer-backed Championship features racing between two sports racer prototype classes, Lites 1 and Lites 2, presenting a dimension of competition as drivers must be aware of classes with distinctly different speeds, a similar challenge to that faced by the drivers of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.
Continue ReadingBest European Rallycross Drivers Use Avon Rubber
Avon Tyres has reported a very successful 2010 FIA European Rallycross Championship, with every competitor in the top 10 of all three divisions using Melksham-made rubber. In an open-choice formula where the demands on the tyre are great – competitors need a product that performs on both gravel and asphalt over the course of a race – Avon was delighted to be proved the tyre to be selected throughout the field and across all classes.
Continue ReadingDriver Chooses Infinity Tyres for Dutch Drifting
Drifting driver Oliver Harrsch recently competed in a round of the Dutch Open Drift Championship held in Kalkar, Germany (held 11 - 12 September) equipped with Infinity tyres. Harrsch was supplied the tyres by Venlo-based Infinity distributor Euro-Tyre and according to the company, the small and technical course was suited to lower powered cars and the more skilled drivers. On the first day, dry conditions allowed Harrsch to push the Infinity 050 UHP tyres to their limits and to experiment with tyre pressures. He commented: “Lots of grip and very smokey! Infinity are unbelievably good tyres!" In extremely wet conditions on the second day, Oliver took a very commendable fourth position.
Continue ReadingFull Grid on Anglesey as Dunlop Supplies NBC Control Tyre
On 10 September the No Budget Cup (NBC) came to the UK for the first time, staging a one off race at Anglesey. The peninsula saw a strong grid of 48, the maximum amount of racers allowed on the grid at the Welsh circuit. Dunlop tyres partnered with the NBC to become the control tyre for the championship, which has plans for more UK-based events in 2011.
Continue ReadingMaxxis-Sponsored Team Japspeed Hosts US Drift Champion at TRAX
Maxxis-sponsored Formula D champion Chris Forsberg was at TRAX on 5 September, where he took the wheel of Team Japspeed’s 450bhp Nissan S15 to demonstrate his skills in a series of high speed stunts. The American drift star flew in specially to take part in “the Ultimate Performance Car Event”, making his UK debut with demonstrations in the TRAX Action Arena. Forsberg signed autographs on the Maxxis stand and treated eight lucky fans to a passenger ride around Silverstone.
Continue ReadingVergne the First Frenchman to win Cooper Tires British F3 Series
Red Bull Junior driver Jean-Eric Vergne has become the first Frenchman to win the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 Series, after wrapping up the title with three races still to run at Brands Hatch on 25-26 September. Vergne could break the all-time record number of British F3 wins in a season. “To be the first Frenchman to win such a prestigious championship feels incredible,” said Vergne. “It's been an amazing season so far; big big thanks to all the guys from Carlin. We didn't make any mistakes this season; they provided me with a fantastic car, which is why we have been able to win the championship so early.”
Continue ReadingFast Ford Uses Maxxis in Tyre Pressure, Alloy Wheel Tests
September’s issue of Fast Ford magazine carries reports on two performance tests – how different tyre pressure settings affect a car’s handling characteristics and the performance benefits that can be gained from fitting lightweight alloy wheels – both of which were conducted using the Maxxis MA-Z1 tyre. “Fast Ford is the UK’s top Ford tuning magazine and is highly influential in reaching an important performance enthusiast audience, so we are delighted with the magazine’s very positive feedback on the MA-Z1 from these two important tests,” says Maxxis International UK’s managing director Derek McMartin.
Continue ReadingMichelin Shod LMP2 Makes Historic Hungarian Win
Michelin contributed to a motor racing milestone during the race at the Hungaroring near Budapest. For the first time since the start of the Le Mans Series in 2004, a round of the competition has been won by an LMP2 prototype. Strakka Racing's Michelin-shod HPD-ARX 01c caused a stir by claiming outright victory. All the LMP1 prototypes entered by Michelin's partners were hit by technical problems, including the Oreca-run Peugeot which was delayed by transmission trouble while leading. The collective rout of the front-runners enabled Michelin's sole LMP2 runner – the Strakka Racing HPD-ARX 01c of Watts/Leventis/Kane – to clinch outright victory.
Continue ReadingLuney Set for Victory in Pirelli European Drift Championship
You’re only showing your age if images of vagrants or dossers spring to mind upon hearing the word ‘drifter’. These days, as any fule kno, a drifter is far more likely to be a tyre maker and dealer’s favourite customer. Drifting has long since left its home in Japan and set out to conquer the globe, and the top drifters in our part of the world compete in the Pirelli European Drift Championship. And with just one round to go, this year’s championship title is Mark Luney’s to lose. He needs just three points at Snetterton to assure him of overall victory.
Continue ReadingMaxxis to Attend British Superbike Championship, Performance Car Show
Maxxis has announced it will support MSS Colchester Kawasaki in this year’s British Superbike Championship and attend the Ultimate Street Car show at the Santa Pod Raceway – both events are to take place this weekend (6-8 August).
Continue Reading