GP3 Debut for Soft Compound PZero Tyre
Pirelli’s new 13-inch PZero soft compound GP3 tyre made its debut at last weekend’s Valencia street circuit for round three of the all-new series. The tyre, designed to deliberately degrade and slide, remained on the shelf during the first two rounds in Barcelona and Istanbul Park, as the medium compound tyre instead saw action at these venues.
Continue ReadingMaxxis/Japspeed British Drift Championship Completes Third Round
As reported before in these pages, Maxxis is the title sponsor – alongside Japspeed – of the British Drift Championship, which completed 2010’s third round recently. The manufacturer says Lydden Hill, which staged Round Three, is one of the most exciting tracks in the British Drift Championship calendar, and remains a firm favourite with the drivers. The challenge was increased with the typical British summer contributing torrential rain followed by bright sunshine and then more wet conditions.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Brings F1 Personalities to 2010 Eco-Rally
Bridgestone’s Eco-Rally 2010 will feature appearances from Ross Brawn, Patrick Head and Nico Hulkenberg with more names to be announced. Now in its fourth year, the Bridgestone Eco-Rally takes place on Wednesday 7 July and will showcase all the latest in low and zero emission vehicle technology in a convoy from Brighton’s seafront to London’s Hyde Park. At the finish line, it will join the UK’s largest sustainable transport exhibition, free to attend, at the Royal Albert Memorial.
Continue ReadingYokohama Pikes Peak Entry to Race on Eco Tyres
Yokohama Tire Corporation has provided further details of the tyre Team Yokohama will use in its conquest of Pikes Peak in an electric vehicle on June 27. The lithium-ion battery powered vehicle will be fitted with Advan ENV-R2 orange oil infused race tyres, a product that Yokohama says cuts petroleum use in the manufacturing process by 20 per cent by utilising sustainable resources such as orange oil and natural rubber.
Continue ReadingLe Mans Results a Victory for Tyre Makers
Tyre makers whose products performed well in the 24 Hours of Le Mans have expressed delight with the results obtained. First amongst this group, naturally, is Michelin, following a one-two-three Audi finish. Following the successive eliminations of its four main Peugeot rivals, the Michelin shod Audi team was able to secure a fourth hat-trick at Le Mans. In addition to monopolising the top three places in the overall standings, Michelin runners took the top prize in each of the four classes for the third straight year.
Continue ReadingTeam Yokohama Returns with EV to Pikes Peak
Team Yokohama, the Yokohama Rubber racing team, will once again enter an electric vehicle in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event. This year the event will take place on Sunday, June 27, and the Yokohama crew is referring to it as the “Team Yokohama EV Challenge”. The company’s entry into the hill climb, or “Challenge”, is viewed by Yokohama Rubber as part of its efforts to meet its environmental responsibilities.
Continue ReadingPirelli Riders Denied Superbike Finishes
While Ian Hutchinson took the plaudits for an unprecedented five wins on the Isle of Man, Pirelli says Conor Cummins was denied victory by a mechanical fault, which wiped out a 23 second lead in the Superbike TT. Riding on Pirelli tyres, Manxman Conor logged a fastest ever lap in the Superbike race with a devastating 131.511mph average speed, attained unusually on his opening out lap. Fellow Pirelli pilot Guy Martin fell foul of a new pit lane speed limit when lying third, while last year’s 131mph practice man Cameron Donald signalled his return from injury with a battling podium.
Continue ReadingPirelli Tyres Fitted to Podium Riders at Isle of Man TT Zero Race
The Isle of Man’s low emissions TT Zero race – for electric motorbikes – saw the majority of riders choose to use Pirelli’s Diablo Superbike ‘slick’ race tyres, with machines shod with the Italian manufacturer’s rubber taking all three podium places. The MotoCzysz machine swept to a dominant win over the testing 37-mile Mountain course at the hands of pilot Mark Miller, travelling at an average speed of 96.82mph. The machine hit 135mph at the Sulby Speed Trap and finished the race in 23 minutes 22 seconds. Pirelli says the Diablo tyre’s low rolling resistance was “essential in this power sapping electric race”.
Continue ReadingHutchison “Makes History” on Dunlop’s D211GP at Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man TT saw a first this weekend as Ian Hutchinson completed the first clean sweep of five out of five wins at the festival in its hundred-plus year history. The Senior TT saw Hutchinson take the lead after a gruelling few hours during a stopped race, claiming victory with Ryan Farquhar in second place, both of whom used Dunlop’s D211GP tyres.
Continue ReadingMichelin to Field Longer Lasting Tyres at Le Mans
Michelin is hoping to walk away with its 13th consecutive win at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. To achieve this, the tyre maker says its engineers, chemists, developers and technicians have prepared a new line-up of even more durable tyres. Working with its partners, Michelin has focused on increasing tyre life without sacrificing performance in other areas. This year the company’s stated goal at the 24 hour race is to quadruple the length of each stint for prototypes and to double them for GT cars.
Continue ReadingHutchinson Completes Fourth Manx TT Win on Dunlop Tyres
Dunlop tyres have supported Ian Hutchinson in completing his fourth victory at the Isle of Man TT, winning the Supersport Race 2. With this win, Hutchinson equals Phillip McCallen’s 1996 record of four wins in a week, with one race still to take place. Michael Dunlop claimed second place and Keith Amor in third, making Dunlop the tyre brand of choice for all three podium places in the race. Dunlop (the rider) also set a new lap record for the Supersport at 127.836mph.
Continue ReadingFederal Supplying UK’s Ma5da MX5 Cup
The new Ma5da MX5 Cup started on 24 April at Snetterton and continues at Rockingham, Brands Hatch and Croft during the season, with a “Winter Championship to take place at Donnington and Brands Hatch in October and November – and Taiwanese manufacturer Federal has announced that it will supply its 595 RS-R sport competition line as the official tyre of the new series throughout the year.
Continue ReadingRiders on Dunlop Take First 3 Isle of Man TT Wins
Having begun on Saturday, the 2010 Isle of Man TT’s first three races have been won on Dunlop tyres, with six of the nine available podium places taken by riders using the manufacturer’s rubber. Saturday saw the first of the two Superbike races, with Iain Hutchinson finishing first and company namesake Michael Dunlop finishing in second on Dunlop’s Ntec slick tyres. This was followed on Monday by the first of the two Supersport races, won by Hutchinson and Dunlop coming in third. The Superstock 1000cc race saw Hutchinson complete a hat-trick of wins with Ryan Farquhar taking a close second, both riding on Dunlop D211GP’s.
Continue ReadingDunlop Introduce New Le Mans Tyre Technology
At this year’s Le Mans 24 hour race Dunlop will be using a new wet tyre designed to “improve grip and driver feedback.” The latest Dunlop tyre will be used in the top class of the event, the LMP1 Le Mans Prototype category, and features Dunlop’s both a new compound technology and a new tread pattern that the company reports has been successfully tested in recent events. According to the company, this new tread pattern (which will be used on all Dunlop Le Mans wet weather tyres) features design technology that has also inspired Dunlop’s latest high performance road tyres. Like the recently launched Dunlop SP QuattroMaxx road tyre, the new Dunlop TF23 wet race tyre features different zones in the tread pattern to maximise the grip and driver feedback in changeable conditions and under different loads.
Continue ReadingFederal Signs as Nippon Challenge Supplier
The Nippon Challenge, described as “the nation’s premier racing series for Japanese cars”, will roll out this year with Federal’s new motorsports extreme tyre, FZ-201 semi-slick, as one of the spec tyres. The Taiwanese tyre brand will also be the title sponsor for all of the 14 races over seven weekends between April and October.
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