Giti Tire
Giti Tire has joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) as a Signatory, in its second major sustainability commitment during the month of September. As part of the United Nations, the UNGC is a highly respected and important global business agreement, that requires a commitment to adhering to the Ten Principles of the United Nations, including human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption.
The Giti Gazelles and Giti Tire have again teamed up to take on the toughest and most conscientious women-only cross-country motorsports event on the planet – the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc. English born Helen Tate Wright and New Zealander Sue Alemann, their Defender 110 named Priscilla and a set of Giti AT70 4×4 all-terrain tyres will cover 2,500 kilometres of deserted Moroccan landscape from September 23-30 in the names of racing and charity.
Giti Tire’s Martin Gibson dominated the latest event of the 2021 British Truck Racing Championship (BTRC) at Donington. Giti Tire’s EU Testing Centre and Motorsport UK manager secured two victories, two second places and three fastest laps over five races. The four podium finishes represent his best single weekend return in three years of truck racing for Giti Tire Motorsport. He won races starting from both the front and rear of the grid in the reverse positions format.
Freddie Hunt, professional racing driver and son of Formula One legend James Hunt, is the latest big name to compete in the GT Radial car number 97 in the 2021 Fun Cup Endurance Championship. He follows Isle of Man TT legend John McGuiness and Steve Peat, multiple World and British Downhill Mountain Bike Champion in taking the seat in this year’s series. Racing at Croft with Ellis Hadley, senior test engineer at Giti Tire, the team finished a respectable 10th place having started 17th on the grid for the four-hour endurance race.
Giti Tire has launched its new winter tyre on the European aftermarket. The GitiWinterW2 delivers improved dry dynamics, wet braking and aquaplaning resistance, the manufacturer states, while snow and ice grip and traction are maintained from the first edition. The tyre is available initially in 13 car and SUV sizes, including the 10 most popular in the European market, for rims between 15 and 19-inches. Giti adds that extra sizes will be introduced in 2022. The tyre targets a wide range of vehicles, from small and medium cars such as the VW Polo or VW Golf up to premium limousines such as the Mercedes C Class. CUV and SUV sizes are designed to be fitted on popular models like the Nissan Qashqai and VW Tiguan.
Giti Tire has launched its first European off-road truck tyre for high mobility vehicles operating under the most extreme terrains – the Giti GAO897. Available in size 14.00R20, Giti says it designed the tyre to provide outstanding traction on unpaved surfaces, mud, sand, gravel and ice, as well as on the road.
Giti Tire’s all-season tyre range has been boosted by 13 new sizes of the GT Radial 4Seasons tyre. Launched in May 2018 at Tire Cologne, the passenger car portfolio has increased by eight sizes to stand at 28, and now covers 26 of the 30 of the most in-demand sizes in Europe. The manufacturer has added five new SUV-marked tyres, bringing the SUV derivative up to a total of eight size options. The GT Radial 4Seasons range now includes 13 of the top 20 SUV size combinations in Europe, which equates to 70 per cent of market demand.
Herve Frederic Richert will step down as chief executive officer of Birla Tyres Limited as of tomorrow. Richert, whose industry experience includes two decades at Michelin and a seven-year stint at Giti Tire, tendered his resignation with the Indian tyre maker on 7 July.
Giti Tire kicked off its 2021 Fun Cup Endurance Championship season with two racing icons in GT Radial car number 97. John McGuiness, part of the Honda TT Legends race team and best known for his 23 Isle of Man victories and 47 podiums, and Steve Peat, renowned multiple World and British Downhill Mountain Bike Champion swapped two wheels for four at the four-hour endurance race at Donington. The company has also added a new Giti branded vehicle to the grid, a joint entry with GT Radial Performance Centre (GTPC) partner MJ Tec from Stratford-upon-Avon.
GT Radial is the Official Tyre Partner of the Champions Hockey League (CHL). The Giti Tire brand will use Europe’s biggest ice hockey competition to boost awareness of its winter portfolio across the continent. The agreement means GT Radial will get advertising at all games, its logo on official media backdrops and on the website, tickets, usage of the CHL emblem, tailored digital activations, on-site promotions and access to fan engagement activities. Giti said its advertising will promote the “direct link between the speed and precision of professional ice hockey and the GT Radial WinterPro2 Sport, its winter tyre dedicated to the UHP market.”
Giti Tire has launched a new UHP tyre under its eponymous brand, the GitiSportS2. The manufacturer says the tyre delivers a five per cent improvement in wet and dry braking and handling, a 14 per cent increase in aquaplaning resistance, and around 10 per cent longer mileage, depending on driving behaviour against the previous model. The tyre’s overall target is higher levels of precise control. Aimed at compact and intermediate size cars and SUVs with a sport orientation, such as the Mercedes C Class, Cupra Leon, Audi TT and Audi Q5, the GitiSportS2 is launched initially in 14 sizes for rims from 16-20”, section widths from 205-275, series sizes from 35-45 and with speed indices across W-Y.
Giti Tire’s GitiSynergyH2 high performance tyre in now available on the European aftermarket. The tyre’s original equipment derivative has already secured several fitments with the Volkswagen Group. The tyre is initially available in 17 sizes between 15” and 18”, section widths 185-235, series sizes 50-65 and with speed indices T, H, V, W and Y. Aimed primarily at compact and family cars, crossover vehicles and small SUVs, a further 25 additional sizes will follow throughout the year. On the EU label, the GitiSynergyH2 is rated A in wet grip and A-C in rolling resistance.
Giti Tire Motorsport by WS Racing has unveiled its 2021 vehicle line-up. The trailblazing #gitiracing all-female racing team piloted the Audi R8 LMS GT4 at the first Nürburgring Endurance Series 2021 race on 17-18 April. Other vehicles racing for the team at the Nordschleife over the 2021 season will include two BMW 330i cars, numbered 491 and 492, and the Volkswagen Golf VII GTI TCR, numbered 490. Each of these will race in the competitive VT2 class. All cars will run on GitiCompete GTR1 tyres.
Giti Tire’s GitiSynergyH2 has won another European original equipment tyre fitment. The Seat Ateca will roll off production lines on the AA-rated size 225/55R17 97V. The news represents the manufacturer’s second VW Group passenger car OE selection in the last month following its fitment in the same size on the Skoda Karoq. The GitiSynergyH2 is also specified by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, selected in size 215/55R17 XL 98H and 205/60 R16 XL 96H for the VW Caddy 5, one of the best-selling commercial vehicles in Europe.
Giti Tire is introducing the successor to its most popular European market tyre. The GT Radial FE2, which replaces the Champiro FE1, is aimed primarily at compact and family passenger cars and small and crossover SUVs. The tyre will be available initially in 17 sizes from 15-18″. These sizes will have speed indices T, H, V, W and Y, section widths from 185-235 and series sizes from 50-65. Tyres dedicated to SUV vehicles carry the initials on the sidewall to highlight their core market.
Göran Strand
Seat