McGuinness Break world record at TT on Dunlop Tyres
Dunlop’s road race pairing of John McGuinness and Steve Plater scored top honours for Dunlop on the Isle of Man, finishing first and second in the TT Superbike race. The duo were the only two riders to break through the 130mph average lap speed – with McGuinness setting yet another lap record of 130.442mph (17mins 21.29 seconds) on his second of the six lap race, as well as breaking the race distance record with a time of 1:46.07.16. His Dunlop tyres were specifically designed and built in the Birmingham-based Fort Dunlop factory. The Morecambe man also furthered his and legendary TT status, by claiming his 15th TT win, placing him second in the line-up of all time TT victories behind the great Joey Dunlop. Following the decision to postpone racing on Saturday due to poor weather conditions covering the 37.73 mile mountain course, both McGuinness and Plater were itching to take to the seats of their CBR1000RR Fireblades in Monday’s welcomed clear and warm racing conditions.
Continue ReadingHiQ Mechanic Given BTCC Tyre Changing Opportunity
Brian Hurman, a mobile tyre mechanic with HiQ in Longlands Road, Middlesbrough will celebrate his 30th anniversary at a HiQ fast fit centre in style, when he swaps the forecourt for the fast lane of the British Touring Car Championship. Hurman will be working trackside at Croft race circuit this weekend (13 and 14 June), changing tyres for Matt Neal, Jason Plato, and all the stars of the series, which HiQ supports as a title sponsor. The 30th anniversary gift represents a gesture of thanks for all his work at the centre and the North-East area over the period. Hurman said: “It’s a dream come true to be changing the tyres for Vauxhall and all the teams in the touring car championship. I am a huge fan of the BTCC so it was such a lovely shock when I was told I had been given this opportunity.”
Continue ReadingMaxxis Expands Drift Tyre Size Range
Maxxis has announced that its speciality drifting and track racing tyre, the MA-Z1 Drift, is now in stock in an expanded range of sizes. The tyre has been praised by Maxxis-sponsored professional drift driver Declan Hicks, who declared the difference between the specialist drift tyre and standard road tyres to be “quite astounding”. E-marked and fully street legal, it is now available in the following sizes: •195/45 R16 MAZ1 DRIFT 84V XL •195/50 R15 MAZ1 DRIFT 86V XL •205/40 ZR17 MAZ1 DRIFT 84W XL •225/40 ZR18 MAZ1 DRIFT 92W XL •225/45 ZR17 MAZ1 DRIFT 94W XL •235/35 ZR19 MAZ1 DRIFT 91W XL •235/40 ZR18 MAZ1 DRIFT 95W XL •245/40 ZR17 MAZ1 DRIFT 95W XL •245/40 ZR18 MAZ1 DRIFT 97W XL •255/35 ZR18 MAZ1 DRIFT 94W XL
Continue ReadingSumitomo Sales Drop 24% in Q1 2009
Sumitomo Rubber has seen its sales decrease 24 per cent year-on-year
Continue ReadingRussian Court Receives Amtel-Vredestein Insolvency Application
Official confirmation has been given that, on June 3, OJSC Amtel-Vredestein - the Russian operating unit of Amtel-Vredestein NV - filed for insolvency with the Moscow Arbitration Court. The company states this was carried out in accordance with the requirements of Russian federal law number 127, and Amtel-Vredestein has requested the granting of a monitoring period in line with article 62 of the abovementioned insolvency law. Upon formally announcing the filing for insolvency, the tyre manufacturer stated that “given the deteriorating position of the company and increasing number of creditors’ claims to repay debt or foreclose on the company’s mortgaged assets, this action is necessary and unavoidable.” Established court procedure, added Amtel-Vredestein, will see the appointment of an administrator who will run the monitoring procedure for the company.
Continue ReadingLanxess to Increase R&D by 10%
Specialty chemicals manufacturer Lanxess AG has announced plans to increase its research and development budget. Speaking at the company’s Innovation Day on June 5, Board of Management member Werner Breuers stated “innovation is an essential prerequisite if the company is to achieve sustainable long-term success, especially in these difficult economic times. That’s why we’ve increased this year’s investment budget to around 110 million euros, up 10 per cent on 2008.”
Continue ReadingDiscount Tire Entrepreneur Given Honorary Degree
Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh is to honour the founding father of America’s retail chain, the Discount Tire Company, with an honorary degree to be presented at a ceremony on 12 June. Rosalyn Marshall, vice principal at QMU, told national newspaper, The Scotsman, “This is a wonderful opportunity for the local community to be part of a unique university celebration and hear from two world-class entrepreneurs, both of whom have made their fortune in the tyre business. Both outstanding speakers, Bruce Halle and Sir Tom are sure to entertain and inform,” she concluded.
Continue ReadingSibur-Russian Tyres Announces Preliminary 2008 Results
In releasing its preliminary financial results for the 2008 year on June 5, Sibur-Russian Tyres stated that, in spite of “unfavourable trends” during the reporting period, the company’s consolidated revenue – 27.4 billion roubles – did not decrease compared with 2007. The tyre maker further commented that the year’s results were impacted by both increases in raw material costs, beginning in March 2008 and reaching an apex in August, and a decrease in tyre sales during the fourth quarter as a result of the global economic crisis.
Continue ReadingMichelin Sells Part of its Apollo Shareholding
Michelin has sold a portion of its shareholding in Apollo tyres for approximately Rs 500 million (£6.67 million). The French manufacturer, who held an 11 per cent share in Apollo, sold 3.3 per cent through open market sales. The company has held shares in Apollo Tyres since it acquired a 14.9 per cent stake in early 2004, a deal made at a time when a truck and bus radial joint venture between the two companies seemed likely. Despite the venture’s failure to get off the ground and the September 2005 announcement that Michelin would acquire Apollo’s share in the joint venture, Michelin maintained its stake in the Indian company.
Continue ReadingToyo Reports ¥10 Billion Net Loss for Financial Year
Financial data for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009 show reduced net sales and a net loss at Toyo Tire & Rubber. The company’s net sales of 328,371 million yen (£2.08 billion) represent an 8.08 per cent decrease on the previous year’s results, while operating income decreased from 13,168 million yen in the year to March 31, 2008 to a 2,964 million yen (£18.81 million) loss in the most recent period. The company recorded a net loss of 10,722 million yen (£68.04 million) in the year ending March 31; the previous year net profit stood at 6,137 million yen.
Continue ReadingHayes Lemmerz Bags New Production Contracts
New business agreements with a number of existing and new customers are being received with gratitude by a financially beleaguered Hayes Lemmerz International. On June 5 the company announced its Saraburi plant in Thailand will produce 16-inch alloy wheels for the Toyota Scion. This new award, Hayes Lemmerz notes, provides additional volume for the company, which is already a major supplier to Toyota in many parts in the world. In addition, the Thai plant has received new business awards to produce 14-inch alloy wheels for existing customer Nissan as well as 15-inch alloy wheels for a new customer, Nissan subsidiary Autech Japan, Inc.
Continue ReadingGerman Regional Leader Expresses Openness to Conti Solution
In an interview with German news magazine Focus, prime minister of the Lower Saxony region Christian Wulff stated the German federal government and the regions involved may support a solution to the Continental/Schaeffler situation and offer government backed bond guarantees. Wulff, in charge of the federal region where Continental is headquartered, indicated that a solution could involve Continental acquiring parts of Schaeffler and the Schaeffler group ending up owning substantially less than its current share. It would “not retain its 90 per cent share in Conti, but considerably less,” he said.
Continue ReadingPirelli Carlisle Returns to Contractual Hours
Pirelli Industrial reports that its Carlisle tyre plant will return to contractual hours from the 2 May 2009 - July 2009.
Continue ReadingUS and Italian Tyre Retreaders to Cooperate
The Associazione Italiana Ricostruttori Pneumatici (known to its friends as AIRP) and the Tire Retread and Repair Information Bureau (TRIB, to you) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate with each other for the mutual benefit of the retread and tyre repairing industries. The agreement extends to activities both within Italy and many other countries worldwide. The memorandum sets out plans for the two organisations to exchange market and technical information; to assist visits of delegations; to collaborate on exhibitions and conferences; to waive publisher restrictions on each board’s research articles; and to strengthen the ties between the respective boards’ members. The agreement was signed on 21 May, 2009 in Bologna, Italy by AIRP president Stefano Carloni and TRIB MD Harvey Brodsky. “Having known our friends at AIRP for many years and having admired their ongoing dedication to improving our industry, we are very happy to join with them for our mutual benefit,” concluded the latter.
Continue ReadingLochmaben Transport Clocks Up 650,000km with Michelin
As part of a dedicated Bimson Haulage contract with metals stockholder Aalco, Scottish based haulier Lochmaben Transport employs one of its Volvo FH12 tractor units for the Birmingham to Aberdeen run, on which it covers approximately 830 miles per day. Since its delivery in 2007 this Volvo 6x2 tractor unit has covered more than 400,000 miles in total – all on the same set of Michelin XDE2+ drive axle tyres.
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