BERU f1systems Develops Infra Red Tyre Heat Sensor
BERU f1systems has developed a high resolution infra-red tyre sensor designed to help optimise vehicle set up and tyre performance in the wake of restricted F1 testing. According to the company, it is the first time a sensor providing temperature and pressure data unaffected by heat soak has been produced by BERU f1systems. “Tyre temperature sensors are normally fitted to the rim as part of the valve,” says managing director John Bailey. “Heat soak from the rim and brakes distorts results leading to incorrect set up. Our system uses IR sensors to measure the inside temperature of the tyre itself, not just the air temperature.”
Continue ReadingF1 Fun at Chiltern Tyres
Chiltern Tyre and Exhaust Specialists based in Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire played host to Bridgestone’s Formula One car as part of a family fun day. Families were invited down to the free event to get up close to the Formula One car, which took centre stage at the event alongside the Bridgestone Formula One simulator. Visitors had their photos taken with the real Ferrari racing car, tested their driving skills on the simulator and enjoyed the food on offer. The kids at the event were also treated to free face painting all day.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Completes First F1 Slicks Test
The official tyre supplier to Formula One, Bridgestone, spent the last three days (17-19 November) on hand at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona. Twenty-two drivers participated in the three days of testing, producing sample data for the company’s new compound slick tyres, which will be used in the 2009 season, as well as running on the 2008 specification grooved tyres. Dry conditions at the track meant that there was no need for Bridgestone’s wet, extreme wet or development single wet tyre; although the weather was cold, meaning that attaining and maintaining tyre temperature was a challenge for teams, particularly with the hard compound slick. Teams used visibly different packages, with development 2009 aerodynamic packages, interim and 2008 specification cars all in use. There was also some use of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) by certain teams.
Continue ReadingMichelin Could Consider F1 Return
Michelin has publicly ruled itself out of involvement in Formula 1 as long as it remains a control tyre series, but what if that were to change? “Different control tyre series are run and therefore perceived differently. At best the tyre manufacturer is seen as a supplier, at worst they are little more than a sponsor. It is important that there is a balance between tyre makers to motivate a comeback,” Michelin four wheel competition manager, Matthieu Bonardel, told Tyres & Accessories in a recent interview. If and when the conditions are right Michelin would appear to want to “jump at the chance of re-entering the series.” However, there may be a twist in the company’s involvement were there to be a return to Formula One. “F1 is a good place for newcomers to come in and get known with their brand…Michelin could use any one of a number of different brands,” Bonardel said during the interview with Tyres & Accessories.
Continue ReadingFirst Stop F1 Day Raises £1000
First Stop dealership, Addison Tyres, recently raised a fantastic £1000 for Leukaemia CARE. Addison Tyres hosted an event at its depot, in Tipton in the Midlands, where they showcased Bridgestone’s Formula One car and simulator to help raise money for the charity.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Present Green – Literally – F1 Tyres
Following the addition of reflective painted strips on the company’s extreme-wet and super-soft tyres at the Singapore Formula One night race, Bridgestone has announced that its rubber at the Japanese Grand Prix in Fuji will contain green-painted grooves to show its support for the Make Tyres Green campaign. Ferrari and McLaren’s drivers, who were at the launch alongside with their Make Tyres Green tyre-shod cars, were full of praise for the initiative. Felipe Massa said that it was good that drivers “in the public limelight” could promote the movement and that Formula One “should try to lead by example with energy efficient systems.” Lewis Hamilton added that, “the messages of the campaign help to show us that we can all choose to drive in a greener way… The new Make Cars Green tyre that all the teams will be running on in Fuji is a great way to promote the campaign and a real first for Formula One. The sport can also help in other ways, especially with the launch of new energy efficient technologies next season.”
Continue ReadingBridgestone Marks F1 with Reflective Paint
Bridgestone has announced that at Formula One’s upcoming Singapore Grand Prix it will mark its super-soft and extremely wet tyres with reflective paint for the first time. The race will be held at night, and the measure is intended to inform spectators of what tyre each driver is using.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Trial Single Wet F1 Tyre
Bridgestone have revealed that they are in the process of developing a single wet tyre for Formula One cars, to replace the current choice of standard and extreme wets. The tyre is to be based on the single wet rubber used in the GP2 Series, also supplied by the Japanese giant. It possesses a sloping block tread profile, which is designed to wear down when the track begins to dry, allowing an in-use transformation from an extreme-wet tyre to showing the characteristics of a standard wet.
Continue ReadingBeru f1systems Produces New Touring Car TPMS
Beru f1systems has developed what it calls a cost-effective tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) for touring cars. Specifically for closed-wheel, road car-derived saloons and sports cars, the system provides accurate tyre pressure and temperature information for drivers and engineers to optimise tyre pressures and wear, as well as offering puncture detection. A new feature is the ability to switch wheel positions on the car without having to manually re-assign wheels sensors to different corners of the car. The system available from August 2008, is permitted for race and test in WTCC and dependent on regulations, other national series such as the BTCC (only testing, not race). “Engineers can now switch wheels without manually allocating wheel sensors,” continues Shingleton. “Switching tyres to balance out wear is common in touring car applications, our solution gives them more time to work on set-up rather than inputting data.”
Continue ReadingWorld Touring Car Championship Comes to Brands Hatch
The World Touring Car Championship – whose Rounds 13 and 14 will be held at Brands Hatch this weekend – often has a small number of competitors choosing to feature in just one weekend as guest teams. The somewhat tough challenge is to be competitive with the regular entrants, and on Saturday and Sunday this is just what Volvo Olsbergs Green Racing team will attempt to do as it makes its WTCC debut. One of the hurdles for one-off teams to overcome is in adapting their car set-up to the Yokohama ADVAN, the WTCC’s official tyre choice. Last year’s guest entry Colin Turkington, along with Team RAC, rose to the challenge and claimed a third and fourth place.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Considers Greater Choice for F1 Teams
In the wake of the shelving of Formula One’s proposal to prohibit the use of tyre-warming blankets, Bridgestone – the sport’s tyre provider – is considering the possibility of a new approach, offering the teams a wider difference in terms of the compounds available. At each Grand Prix, Bridgestone is required to supply two different compounds, both of which each team is obliged to use for racing. At present, teams and drivers complain that the compounds are too similar, leading to too little differentiation. Bridgestone’s proposed changes would mean that the tyres available, instead of being a mere one place apart – for example: very soft and soft – would vary more – such as with soft and hard.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Modifies F1 Slick Compounds
Following the FIA announcement that tyre warmers will not be banned from next season, Bridgestone has made the decision to alter its slick tyre compounds preceding this month’s round of testing. Motorsport journalists have reported that Hirohide Hamashima – leader of Bridgestone motorsport – stated that the basic construction of the slicks would remain the same, despite the changes to the compounds used.
Continue ReadingNew F1 Feeder Series May Launch Another ‘Tyre War’
The FIA is inviting will tenders for a new feeder series for Formula One. This championship, called Formula Two, will be launched in 2009 and used as an inexpensive platform to develop emerging driver talent for Formula One. It is hoped this can be achieved within a budget of around 200,000 euros a car per season. Formula Two, in its previous incarnation, was eliminated in 1984 and replaced by the unsuccessful Formula 3000 championship. If Formula Two is re-introduced, a question mark would hang over the fate of the current GP2 series, which is solely supplied by Bridgestone; some believe that a new feeder series would be the death of GP2, and the possibility exists of a new tyre war emerging.
Continue ReadingF1 Tyre-Warmer Ban to be Axed
Following criticism from drivers and teams, the World Motor Sport Council is set to cancel its plans to forbid the use of tyre-warming blankets in Formula One. The proposed ban was due to be implemented from the start of the 2009 season, but safety fears abounded in the wake of the announcement. Bridgestone, the manufacturer behind all F1’s tyres had previously suggested that the fears of drivers were motivated by the desire to retain an advantage over opposing teams, and that the company was confident that its new tyre would be safe to use whether cold or hot. The ban was proposed by the sport’s Technical Working Group as a way of slowing down the cars and making more possible the spectacle of passing manoeuvres.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Announces F1 Tyre Compound for Final 2008 Races
Bridgestone has announced the compound allocation in the Potenza tyres to be used in the final five rounds of this year’s Formula One series. For the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, the hard and medium compounds will be used, the first time these tyres have been approved at this track. In Hungary, the soft and super soft compounds will be used, the same allocation as last season. The European Grand Prix at Valencia – the first Grand Prix at this new street course, will utilise the soft and super soft compounds. In Spa and in Monza the hard and medium compounds will be used, a change from last season when the medium and soft compounds were brought to both of these tracks. “The data we have gained from the first seven races of the season have enabled us to make our allocation choices for the following five events,” commented Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone Motorsport director of motorsport tyre development. “Of these races, Valencia and Hockenheim are notable. We did not race at Hockenheim last year, so this will be the first time we have raced there with the current family of tyres. Valencia, of course, is a new street track and we do not have any previous data, and there is none from other race series. It will be interesting for everyone concerned to learn the track characteristics here. For Spa and Monza we have moved the allocation a position harder and will bring the hard and medium compounds, instead of the medium and soft used in 2007. We have made this change after analysing the data from last year, as these tracks were harsher than we had predicted. We will make an announcement about the tyre allocations for the final four races in the season later in the year.”
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