The Hankook logo remains at the top of the SuperTaikyu official website, but the South Korean tyre manufacturer has backed away from supplying the Japanese endurance racing series after its production was hit by a serious fire at its Daejeon factory roughly six weeks ago.
In a three-year deal beginning in 2024, Goodyear will become exclusive tyre supplier to the LMGT3 category in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series. It is currently developing new tyres for the category and will test these in Europe and America together with several GT3 manufacturers later this year. Goodyear comments that “tyre longevity will be a key focus.”
As a contribution to carbon neutrality in motorsport, Yokohama Rubber is now powering its motorsport tyre production line in Mishima, Japan with electricity from renewable sources. Furthermore, certain tyres produced on this line contain 33% sustainable materials.
Sponsors tend to come and go in the fast-moving world of motorsport, making Kumho’s relationship with the BMW Racing Drivers Club one of the longest of its type in UK club history – the opening race of the season at Brands Hatch on 8 April will mark its 26th year.
Giti Tire has signed a multi-year global co-branding agreement with Sparco, one the world’s leading manufacturers of motorsport safety systems and racing equipment. The Giti brand becomes global automotive tyre partner of the Italian brand under the deal, while the slogan “Giti – Powered by Sparco” will appear on the sidewall of key UHP sizes from 2024. The development of these products will form a “bridge” between the businesses, according to Sparco.
If asked which tyres are worn by cars competing in Lamborghini Super Trofeo races, you may be tempted to name an Italian brand starting with ‘P’ – but you’d be wrong. As of the 2023 season, Hankook Tire is now official technical partner and exclusive tyre supplier to all three series of the one-make cup. It has also developed a new, high-performance race tyre for this engagement, the Hankook Ventus Race, a product specifically tailored to the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 racing car.
Kumho has replaced Michelin as control tyre supplier to TCR Australia, adding the race series down under to a touring car championship portfolio that already sees it providing tyres for TCR Europe, TCR South America, TCR Brazil, TCR Spain, TCR Eastern Europe and TCR Denmark. The tyre maker will also supply control tyres for the new in 2023 TCR World Tour.
Hankook Tire, new official technical partner and tyre supplier of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and title sponsor of the current season’s opening race, says it is “prepared and ready” for its engagement in the all-electric race series. The Hankook Mexico City E-Prix takes place on 14 January and is the first of eleven race weekends around the world this year that will host a total of 16 races.
Formula 1 isn’t the only race series switching to an 18-inch tyre. When the NASCAR Next Gen stock car makes its regular season debut at the Daytona 500 on Sunday 20 February, drivers will compete on the newly designed Goodyear Eagle race tyres for the first time in a points-paying race.
A major change to Formula 1 for the 2022 season will be the introduction of 18-inch tyres after half a century of wide sidewall tyres sitting on 13-inch rims. Pirelli is presenting the new tyres at Silverstone today and comments that “now it’s time to change to a more modern approach” with a dimension actually seen on today’s road cars.
The World Motor Sport Council convened during the 2021 FIA Conference on 8 July, and amongst the decisions reached was approval for the introduction of the new rear tyre specification that Pirelli had tested during free practice at the Austrian Grand Prix on 2 July. Pirelli will thus bring the new tyres to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this coming weekend.
The GreenGT LMPH2G is making make its UK debut at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The hydrogen-powered MissionH24 endurance race car will contest the hillclimb and be showcased on the Michelin Supercar Paddock stage every day of the four-day event.
Pirelli says the two tyres that failed during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 6 June did so because of a “circumferential break on the inner sidewall” that was “related to the running conditions of the tyre, in spite of the prescribed starting parameters (minimum pressure and maximum blanket temperature) having been followed.” But Max Verstappen isn’t satisfied.
With David Coulthard’s pull no punches words perhaps still ringing in their ears, this past week or so the Pirelli F1 team has looked into why two of their tyres were not boring at all during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Pirelli says it has, in conjunction with the FIA, completed an analysis and identified why the rear left tyres on the cars driven by Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen failed.
Following consultation and review between the FIA, Formula 1 and all ten teams, on 26 April the FIA Formula 1 Commission unanimously approved the adoption of a Sprint Qualifying at three Grands Prix during the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship. These events will be held at two European and one non-European venue.
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