Tyre News

Tyres-Online Publisher in Charity Cycle Ride
Maxxis to Sponsor 2007 British Supersport Championship
Good Ratings for Conti Group Brands from European Motoring Press
Supercar Drivers Risking an Accident says TyreSafe
Bridgestone ER300 Success in 2007 Magazine Tests
Potholes are Ripping Tyres Apart says TyreSafe
Pirelli Wins Ruling Regarding WRC Tender

Tyres-Online Publisher in Charity Cycle Ride

Tyres-Online publisher David Wilson will be getting on his bike to raise money for charity this summer as he takes on a gruelling cycle challenge in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.

David will be joining 76 other riders in the Malin to Mizen Cycle Challenge, which takes place in June and involves cycling the length of Ireland in seven days. In total the cycle ride is 440 miles starting at Malin Head at the northernmost tip of Ireland to Mizen Head in the south. Detailed information on the event can be found on the event's dedicated website at www.mariecurie.org.uk/malintomizen.

Marie Curie provide at-home care and hospice accommodation for seriously ill cancer patients as well as running their own cancer research institute. Anyone who has a friend or relative who has been seriously ill with cancer will know and appreciate the brilliant work these people do. Readers can find out more about Marie Curie Cancer Care at www.mariecurie.org.uk

David is already clocking up the miles in order to achieve the required level of fitness for the event and is pleased to have received a number of significant donations from within the tyre industry including Continental, Kumho and Michelin.

Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so by sending a cheque payable to Marie Curie Cancer Care to David at PO Box 320, Crewe, Cheshire, CW2 6WY.

Maxxis to Sponsor 2007 British Supersport Championship

Maxxis is the new title sponsor of the 2007 British Supersport Championship, one of the leading motorcycle racing series in the UK and Europe and second only to the British Superbike Championship (BSB) in popularity. A top class series in its own right, Supersport is very highly rated by motorcycle manufacturers and racers alike. The 2007 season, which will be contested over 13 weekends at 11 venues throughout the British Isles, commenced with two races at Brands Hatch on Monday, April 9. The final championship round is at Brands Hatch on October 14.

As the support series to the British Superbike Championship, Supersport is looked upon as the final step on the ladder up to BSB and, as such, is considered the breeding ground for the Superbike stars of the future. The Maxxis British Supersport Championship will enjoy the support of six leading motorcycle manufacturers - Honda, Yamaha, Triumph, Suzuki, Ducati and Kawasaki - who supply 600cc road bikes for the series.

"Our sponsorship of the 2007 Supersport series provides us with an ideal platform from which to promote the Maxxis brand and in particular road tyres like the Supermaxx," says Maxxis International UK managing director Derek McMartin. "We are continuing to look for opportunities to raise our profile and since over 90% of the Supersport fans who regularly attend race meetings own a car as well as a bike, they are a prime target audience for us."

TV coverage of the Maxxis British Supersport Championship will form part of the Sky Sports and ITV packages. Last year Sky Sports broadcast 29 programmes during the season, amounting to more than 100 hours of programming for the British Superbike series and Supersport support races. Rounds of the Supersport Championship will also be broadcast as part of ITV1's 2007 racing package, reaching around a million viewers a week.

In addition to wide TV exposure, Maxxis will benefit from trackside branding, podium ceremony advertising and rider interview backdrop branding, while all bikes in the series will carry Maxxis branding on their front number plate sticker.

Good Ratings for Conti Group Brands from European Motoring Press

Continental, Uniroyal, Semperit and Barum summer tyres have been awarded top marks by the magazines of the German motoring organisation ADAC and its Austrian and Swiss counterparts ÖAMTC and TCS. In addition, the publications 'AutoBild', 'AutoBild alles allrad', 'AutoBild sportscars', 'Autozeitung' and 'Test' all recommended the current summer tyres from the Continental Corporation to their readers.

The product that achieved the most recommendations this year was the ContiPremiumContact 2 for medium range and luxury cars gaining top marks six times. In second place came the fuel-saving ContiEcoContact 3 for compact cars, which won four commendations. Also in second place was the Uniroyal rallye 550, the rain tyre for medium range cars, which received the same number of awards. The Barum Brillantis was also rated four times as 'recommended', whilst the Semperit Comfort-Life, a tyre particularly suitable for large saloons, was twice rated as 'recommended'.

The Barum Bravuris scored a good mid-field result, being rated as 'recommended' by the magazine 'AutoBild sportscars'. In the SUV category, the Uniroyal 4x4 street achieved the rating 'recommended'.

Supercar Drivers Risking an Accident says TyreSafe

Drivers of Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini and other high performance cars are risking an accident and injury on wet roads because of worn tyres, according to research released by TyreSafe, Britain's foremost tyre safety organisation.

One of the UK's largest suppliers of high performance tyres and a major TyreSafe supporter has, over a two month period, checked on the condition of tyres removed from high performance cars at their depot in the south of England. The results give cause for concern says TyreSafe. A dramatic 30% of the tyres removed were either defective or badly worn, almost three times the national average*. In addition to risking a £2,500 fine and 3-penalty points on the driver's licence, worn tyres increase the risk of an accident on wet roads.

Independent research undertaken by the tyre industry at the Motor Industry Research Association showed that the ability of tyres to grip in the wet fall dramatically with a tread depth below 3mm. Many of these cars, say TyreSafe, are not used regularly, and so tyres are not being checked on a weekly basis. Furthermore, high performance tyres tend to be more hidden under the wheel arch than those which are of more conventional size and therefore, visual checks of the tread are consequently more difficult to undertake.

TyreSafe is urging drivers of high performance cars to take advantage of free tyre checks offered by all reputable tyre dealers. This is to ensure that their tyres are legal and are capable of matching both the performance and handling potential of the car.

Bridgestone ER300 Success in 2007 Magazine Tests

Also claiming success in the German tyre tests is Bridgestone, whose Turanza ER300 touring tyre has been awarded the top "highly recommendable" rating in all 2007 summer tyre tests. Bridgestone is the only tyre manufacturer to have made this clean sweep.

Contributing to Bridgestone's 100% success record are Stiftung Warentest, Auto Motor and Sport, and AutoStrassenverkehr - all ranking the Turanza ER300 test winner and "highly recommendable" - and ADAC Motorwelt, OAMTC Touring, Auto Zeitung and AutoBild which all give the Turanza a top "highly recommendable" rating.

The two latest tests come from Auto Motor and Sport (AMS) and AutoBild, Europe's biggest weekly automobile magazine with 2.75 million readers. Testing 205/55 R16 V/W tyres on a new Mercedes C-Class, AMS ranks the Turanza ER300 the overall N° 1 tyre out of the 12 big-name brands tested and the only tyre to be "highly recommendable". AutoStrassenverkehr, a fortnightly magazine with readership of over 500,000, also evaluated the AMS test data and published the same conclusion on 22nd March: The Turanza ER300 is test winner and the only tyre "highly recommended". In the AutoBild test, which also featured 205/55 R16 V/W sizes, the Turanza ER300 is ranked 2nd in the field of 12 and one of 4 "highly recommendable" tyres.

Potholes are Ripping Tyres Apart says TyreSafe

Badly maintained and unfinished roads are putting driver safety at significant risk more than ever before according to TyreSafe. A recent study revealed that damage from potholes and bad road surfaces amounted to a worrying £320 million in 2006, with Scotland topping the list for some of the worst roads.

The failure of local authorities to act quickly enough is becoming an ever increasing source of complaints. Motorists are frequently unable to avoid or see even the smallest of potholes, with danger being significantly increased at night, and during conditions of reduced visibility. On many occasions, the internal damage to the tyre may not be immediately visible, and is frequently hidden away from view. Damage may often only be seen weeks or months later following the impact. The driver may also be unaware of any damage to the tyre until a potentially catastrophic failure occurs, thus putting the vehicle occupants and other road users at risk.

Furthermore, at high speed, alignment of the wheel may be altered, thereby promoting uneven tyre wear and subsequent tyre blow-outs. Whilst it should be common practice for motorists, TyreSafe says that one method of reducing damage to tyres caused by potholes is to maintain them at the correct pressure level, as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Although this can extend the life of the tyre by up to 40%, under-inflation or over-inflation can cause even greater structural damage both to the rim and tyre when a vehicle makes contact with a pothole.

If a motorist suspects any level of damage, they should visit their nearest dealer or tyre retailer to examine their tyres for any faults. This could make all the difference.

Pirelli Wins Ruling Regarding WRC Tender

Pirelli has announced that the Tribunal of the Grande Instance of Paris has rejected the legal action presented by Michelin against the decision of the FIA to allocate to Pirelli the sole supplier contract for the World Rally Championship 2008-2010.