Steele Wins 2nd Consecutive SNORE Title
Cameron Steele, a long-time Yokohama Tire Corporation-sponsored off-road racer, captured his second consecutive SNORE (Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts) Unlimited Truck Class championship by winning the BMS Rage at the River season finale on December 12-13. Steele and his Desert Assassins team mate Josh Daniel both won their respective classes and finished 1-2 overall among all racers competing in the event.
Continue ReadingSofronas Drives Pirelli Fitted Porsche to Record-Breaking Win
In only its second weekend racing Pirelli P Zero Racing Slicks, US based tuner GMG Racing posted another win – this time capturing qualifying by nearly three seconds over the next-fastest car, before going on to knock out the competition and the Porsche Owner’s Club Racing Weekend race at Willow Springs Raceway with a ten-second margin. GMG’s Porsche 997 WC Cup car set the fastest time ever in a standard Cup car (non-RS or RSR) with a time of 1:19.7. Driver and GMG co-owner James Sofronas is new to Pirelli Motorsport, but after sweeping the BMW CCA (Car Club of America) Club Race CM Class during the BMWCCA West Coast season finale club race, and following that up with a huge weekend at Willow Springs in his Porsche – Pirelli reports that he is a believer.
Continue ReadingPirelli Tests ‘Green’ P Zero Slick at Daytona
Pirelli Tire North America introduced its 2010 specification P Zero Racing Slick at Daytona International Speedway during December tire tests in preparation for January’s Rolex 24 event. The two-day test on December 8 and 9 gave teams and drivers the opportunity to test the new HAOF (highly aromatic oil-free) racing slicks – Grand-Am’s first foray into what Pirelli calls ‘green Performance’.
Continue ReadingMaxxis ACU British Motocross Championship Gets 3 New Venues
With three new circuits on the calendar, 2010 promises to be an exciting year for Maxxis in its title-sponsorship of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship. Little Silver near Exeter is the first of the new venues and hosts the season opener at the end of February, while Leicestershire’s Mallory Park will stage a special double-header on March 21, when motocross action will be coupled with a road race. In August the series visits Farleigh Castle in Wiltshire, a circuit that has not been used for around ten years as a Maxxis Championship event.
Continue ReadingGoldenTyre Takes Over as SuperMoto World Championship Tyre Supplier
From 2010 Italian manufacturer GoldenTyre will replace Dunlop as the sole tyre supplier of the FIM SuperMoto World Championship, which has operated under a single tyre policy since 2006. Championship organiser Youthstream states it looks forward to it new partnership with GoldenTyre, which begins in Italy on May 2, at the first of seven Grands Prix during the 2010 FIM SuperMoto World Championship season.
Continue ReadingContinental New Grand-Am Tyre Supplier, Title Sponsor
Continental Tire North America has become tyre supplier for the US based Grand-Am Road Sports Car Challenge Racing series. In a five-year agreement that begins on January 1, Continental takes on the championship’s exclusive tyre supply and title sponsorship. The series will henceforth be known as the “Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge” and will utilise Conti’s newly released ExtremeContact tyre range.
Continue ReadingFederal Distributes Motorsports Product Catalogue
Federal Tires has released a new specialty motorsports guide that demonstrates its tyre range in terms of its street, track, and off road applications. The latest catalogue not only showcases the Taiwanese manufacturer’s complete product line; the usage each tyre is best put to is also outlined. Tyres covered in the guide include the Corsa FZ-101 for time trial events and high-level competition use, the semi-slick Corsa FZ-202, Federally G-10 for dry and damp gravel surfaces and the 595 RS-R high performance tyre for time attack, club sprint, lap dash, professional drifting and street legal competition.
Continue ReadingCave Completes an “Incredible” Year with Yokohama
Yokohama-supported rally driver Tom Cave has ended his 2009 rally season in 44th place overall, having attained a third in class during the Rally of Great Britain and eighth overall and first in class in the Rally of Scotland. The latter, notes the tyre maker, marked the best result for a Ford in the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge and would have netted him a championship point had the marque been registered for the series.
Continue ReadingBridgestone’s Yasukawa: MotoGP “a Very Important Platform”
The 2009 MotoGP season was the first for Bridgestone as the series’ Official Tyre Supplier. Looking back on the season in a question and answer session, Bridgestone Motorsport director Hiroshi Yasukawa explained the importance of MotoGP to other areas of the company’s business, why Bridgestone misses tyre-based competition in the sport, and the new challenges that come with being exclusive supplier. Rather than supporting seven teams and a total of thirteen riders as was the case at the end of last year, Bridgestone supplied tyres and provided support to every team and rider on the grid. In total there were five race-winners, including the first MotoGP win for Andrea Dovizioso and the first on Bridgestone tyres for Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, and eleven different riders finished on the podium. The World Championship was won by Valentino Rossi and the Fiat Yamaha Team at the Malaysian Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the season.
Continue ReadingAvon to Supply Cooper/F2000 Tyres to Revived US Championship Tyres
Cooper Tire has announced that it will become the exclusive tyre supplier and first sponsor of the newly-revived USF2000 National Championship, which is being re-launched for the 2010 motorsport season as a feeder category to the US-based Indy Racing League. Tyres for the series will be joint-branded COOPER/F2000 and supplied by Avon Tyres Motorsport in the UK. “The USF2000 National Championship presented by Cooper Tires” will launch in the Spring, as a single-seater racing category with races expected to take place on road courses, street tracks and ovals. Cooper will also present the winner of each race’s pole position with $500, which will be called the “Cooper Tires, Don’t Give Up a Thing Award”.
Continue ReadingMaxxis Babes Website Launched
The Maxxis Babes have been cheering on Maxxis-sponsored teams, drivers and riders at the British Superbike Championship and Maxxis British Motocross Championship, drift events and tuning, styling and performance shows this season to the acclaim of motorsport enthusiasts up and down the country. Now they have their own website. “The Maxxis Babes have attracted a lot of attention over the past couple of seasons and are such a popular feature of our promotional activities now that we decided to elevate their profile to help us develop our presence in the styling, performance and tuning market,” says Maxxis International UK’s managing director Derek McMartin.
Continue ReadingYokohama Tyres and Wheels on TV in New Modding TV Show
A brand-new TV Series on MTV channel Viva, Slips, sees Yokohama tyres selected as part of a tuning package where modified car owners race to win each others' car. Yokohama tyres and a range of aftermarket alloy wheels from the UK distributor, Yokohama HPT Ltd feature in many of the episodes, hosted by Fun Lovin' Criminals front-man Huey Morgan. The premise of Slips is simple; two car owners choose a range of modifications to their everyday cars with the aim of beating the other round a specially-designed racetrack. The winner takes both cars home while the loser walks.
Continue ReadingMichelin Seeking to Boost UK Motorcycle Motorsport at Grass Root Level in 2010
Michelin will look to “re-establish” its two-wheel motorsport involvement in the UK in 2010, with the manufacturer introducing The Michelin Power Cup having already achieved notable success in France, Italy and Spain with similar race series. The series offers motorcycle racers a welcome Power Pack valued at £700, plus unprecedented amounts of track time and prizes including cash and products. Commenting on the new series, Olivier Gros, head of Michelin’s UK motorcycle department says: “This is a very exciting opportunity for us to re-establish Michelin at the grass-roots of motorcycle racing in the UK. We want the Power Cup to stand out as offering the best value for money for racers both in terms of track time and prizes, and based on the calibre of sponsors we are confident that this will be the case.
Continue ReadingYokohama Supplying Tyres to Macau GP for 27th Consecutive Year
Yokohama Rubber’s supply of tyres to the Macau Grand Prix on November 19 to 22 marks the 27th consecutive year in which it has done so. As part of the weekend’s activities in Macau, the company will also support the final race of the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship series and other races. A total of about 2,500 tyres will be supplied.
Continue ReadingYokohama Tire Corporation Sponsors Successful Off-Road Couple
One is looking to wrap up another championship while the other is trying to end the season in the top three. That is what awaits Yokohama Tire Corporation-sponsored off-roaders Heidi and Cameron Steele as they head to Ensenada, Mexico, November 19-22, for the gruelling, season-ending race at the 42nd annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Known as off-road's "power couple," the San Clemente, California-based Steeles have a lot riding on their Yokohama tires as they prepare for the legendary battle south of the border.
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