Goodyear’s New Eagle F1 Tire Wins NorTech Innovation Award
Goodyear’s Eagle F1 GS-D3 “world tire” won praise just outside the company’s hometown last week, when company representatives accepted a NorTech Innovation Award for the unique, global tire.
MOTORSPORT
Goodyear’s Eagle F1 GS-D3 “world tire” won praise just outside the company’s hometown last week, when company representatives accepted a NorTech Innovation Award for the unique, global tire.
Michelin’s Motorsport Director, Pierre Dupasquier, has been reported in the British media saying that the tyre manufacturer developed new compounds and constructions for Formula 1 during the winter. Compared with 2002, the new tyres should be about one second quicker per lap and he hopes that the teams Michelin fits in 2003 can break the dominance of the Bridgestone/Ferrari package.
Bridgestone Motorsport has extended its involvement with the Jordan Grand Prix team for a fifth consecutive year. Bridgestone began supplying tyres to Jordan in 1999 and since then Jordan has won two Grands Prix and achieved six additional podium positions.
Michelin has signed up with Ford to supply tyres for the car manufacturer’s World Rally Championship from 2003. The three-year deal was signed after Ford reached agreement with Pirelli to terminate the existing tyre contract one year early. Ford used Michelin tyres for two seasons following the debut of the Focus WRC in 1999. Said Malcolm Wilson, Team Director of Ford Rallye Sport: “We have enjoyed two successful years with Pirelli and thank them for their support.” He went on: “The World Rally Championship is Ford’s premier global motorsport activity and as such we have exciting plans for the future. We felt it was in the best interests of all parties to utilise this option now and enable us to renew our development links with Michelin.”
It has been decided by Formula 1’s governing bodies that any technical changes will be delayed until the 2005 season. One of the expected changes is the re-introduction of slick tyres, but this has been opposed by Rory Byrne, Chief Designer for Ferrari. He believes that driving on slicks with today’s faster lap times would increase the danger for the drivers.
The Goodyear Eagle F1 which has been progressively rolled out around the world through 2002 is to become the first global tyre. The aim of global tyres is to produce tyre sizes for the worldwide market from single region manufacturing points. That is to say, tyres of any given size type will be manufactured in a single region and shipped globally. Currently eight North-American specific tyre sizes are manufactures in Lawton, Oklahoma, and 31 popular European sizes are manufactured in Germany. The global approach will significantly reduce manufacturing and equipment costs. The F1 is the first of many tyres that Goodyear will be offering on a global scale.
In South Africa, a V8 speedster called Spirit of Dunlop, shod with locally-produced SP Sport 7000D tyres, achieved an average speed of 388.538 km/hr over a measures kilometre, monitored by Motorsport SA. This is an unofficial, but recognised, World Land Speed Record for standard production tyres, says Dunlop Tyres South Africa. It also beats the South African Land Speed Record of 372.401 km/hr, which has stood since 1990. The Spirit of Dunlop was driven by three times SA Production Car Champion Grant van Schalkwyk.
Goodyear now offers the Wrangler F1 in the size 285/30 ZR 22 as an alternative fitment for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, BMW X5 and the Mercedes M-class.
Michelin and Porsche have signed a partnership agreement with Porsche for the exclusive supply of racing tyres, effective from the first of January 2002. It concerns all Porsche’s competition activities, the national Porsche cups, plus the current and future official entries of Porsche Motorsport. The Porsche Super-Cup, which traditionally runs alongside several Formula 1 Grands-prix, including the Indianapolis GP, will henceforth be known as the Porsche Michelin Super-Cup. The German Porsche Carrera Cup will also be run under Michelin colours. Michelin, as the official partner, will be involved in all future motorsport development for Porsche.
Speaking just before the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, Bridgestone President Shigeo Watanabe said that the company would remain a tyre supplier to Formula 1 “indefinitely”. He added: “Being in F1 has boosted our corporate image generally and has put us at the forefront of tyre technology in the eyes of the world. Our brand awareness has dramatically increased all over the world.” Watanabe said that the future would see more car manufacturers involved in the sport and he believes the number of tyre manufacturers will increase also.
KPMG has been appointed as official receiver for Colway Tyres and Motorway tyres. Production at both firms has ceased and the assets of the firms are to be sold. Total output from the retreading operations amounted to some 1,000,000 tyres in the preceding year. The demise of the retreading operation will indubitably have an effect on the UK retread market, and potentially on the waste tyre problem.
The Prost Formula 1 racing team has now signed a three-year deal with Michelin to supply tyres, beginning with the 2001 season. Prost has not yet chosen its second driver to team up with Jean Alesi.
Michelin and the Motorsport Division of the Porsche Club Great Britain have signed an agreement whereby Michelin will supply all tyres for the Porsche Cup and the Porsche Classic motor racing championships for the next three seasons. Cup competitors will use slick and wet racing tyres, while Classic racers will use specially-developed, road-legal Pilot Sport Cup race tyres.
A report commissioned by the Motorsport Industry Association and researched by various universities and management schools has concluded that the motorsport industry is worth nearly 5 billion Pounds a year to the UK economy. It also earns over 2.2 bn Pounds in export earnings; more than steel and agriculture combined, as well as employing 40,000 people. Three quarters of the world’s single seater racing cars are made in Britain and, in F1, 7 of last year’s 11 teams were based there.
As announced at the Detroit Motorshow, the new Bentley EXP Speed 8 will be exclusively equipped with Dunlop tyres for the 2001 Le Mans 24 hour race. This renews a 70 year old motorsport partnership. For many years the tyre brand has had a strong connection with Le Mans: exactly half the total number of winners have driven on Dunlop tyres.
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