Giti Tire Motorsport’s all-female racing team took to the grid of the second Digital Nürburgring Endurance Series meeting on 4 April. Professional WS Racing drivers Carrie Schreiner and Celia Martin got behind the gaming wheel of a virtual Giti liveried Audi RS3 LMS TCR for the three hour endurance race and finished 10th in the TCR Class.
As of 5 February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that there have been 24,554 confirmed cases of coronavirus across 25 countries since the outbreak began on 23 January 2020. Governments all round the world are taking steps to contain the spread of the virus as well as to develop treatment, but China is bearing the brunt of it with 24,363 cases within its borders alone. As a result, the transport systems of at least 10 cities in the People’s Republic have been shut down and public gatherings are being discouraged. As a result, home-working rates have shot through the roof and there has been an inevitable impact on the manufacturing industry. Considering China is the world’s largest manufacturer of tyres by unit volume, what impact is the coronavirus having on the tyre industry?
Giti Tire’s “busiest year-to-date in European motorsport” was capped by two victories by Giti and GT Radial sponsored partners. The all-female racing team, ‘Girls Only – Ready to Rock the Green Hell’, recorded their first ever class win in the ninth and last race of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft in their VW Golf VII GTI TCR. Meanwhile Benjamin Boulbes became a six-time French Drift Championship winner on GT Radial tyres.
Giti Tire is returning in 2020 as the exclusive tyre provider and brand in the Formula 3 Asian Championship Series, a top-level formula competition of young racing leaders from around the world. Next year’s race calendar includes Giti’s international motorsports racing debut in the Middle East, with races featured on 10-11 January in Dubai and 17-18 January in Abu Dhabi.
Giti Tire has expanded its seasonal tyre range with the launch of the GitiAllSeasonCity, a passenger car tyre aimed at smaller A-C segment vehicles including the Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo. Initially available in European markets (but not in the UK) in 13 sizes from 165/70R14 to 195/55R16 across speed indices H and T, the tyre carries the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol for approved fitment in markets with laws governing winter tyre use.
Giti Tire wasn’t only present at last month’s BMW Berlin Marathon as official Main Sponsor, the event was also the location chosen for the global premiere of a new tyre specifically developed for electric vehicles. The tyre maker shares that the GitiSynergyE2 will be available in some markets from spring 2020.
Giti Tire will supply the GitiSynergyE1 in size 205/60R16 92H to the VW T-Cross. The T-Cross is built for the European market on the MQB-A0 small car platform in Pamplona, Spain alongside the Seat Arona Compact Crossover and VW Polo, for which the tyre manufacturer already supplies OE tyres in the same pattern.
Giti Tire has launched its next generation, three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) certified, all-position urban-bus tyre, the Giti GAU867v1. Replacing the popular Giti GAU861 and Giti GT867 patterns, initial key sizes include 275/70R22.5, 295/80R22.5 and 11R22.5, all of which possess market standard load and speed indices. The manufacturer states that the tyre is designed for hard urban use, and utilises the manufacturer’s latest casing construction, enhancing mileage and handling and retreadability, a key market stipulator due to a short original lifespan.
It’s 24-Hour Race time. Falken Tyres is returning to the Nürburgring this weekend with a tried and tested line-up, while Yokohama Rubber and Giti Tire are each supplying tyres to four cars competing in the 47th Nürburgring 24-Hour Race (ADAC Total 24h-Rennen). Dunlop has a major presence and says it is well prepared for the race, which it views as the “third chapter” in its “June motorsport trilogy” after the Isle of Man TT and Le Mans 24h. Michelin reports that “nine of the ten fastest teams” will race on its tyres.
Giti Tire’s GT Radial Ride and Drive Day at Horiba Mira, held in partnership with exclusive brand distributor passenger for car, SUV/4×4 and light truck tyres, Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS), was attended by a capacity group of 40 new and existing customers. A mixture of independent garage owners representing potential partners and GT Radial Performance Centres (GTPCs) were given the opportunity to test out the GT Radial passenger car tyre portfolio on the test centre’s circuits, including the wet handling circuit in Golf GTIs on both the FE1 and SportActive tyres, and the wet circles ‘drifting’ in a new BMW 3.
