Tyre News

Three Continents in Three Days by Car
Middlesbrough Tyre Fitter Hits the Fast Lane
Maxxis Signs 3 year Partnership Deal with Liverpool FC
Bridgestone celebrates Investor in People Award
Michelin Scoops National Award for Innovation
Avon Tyres Launches All-New Website
F1 Event Puts Carson Tyre & Autocare in Pole Position
TyreSafe Launches Online Truck Tyre Safety Advice
Avon Tyres Celebrates 'Best of British' with Unique Prizes

Three Continents in Three Days by Car

Austrian distance driver Gerhard Plattner sets off on one of his most ambitious adventures to date on 8th June 2009. For the first time ever, the record-holding driver aims to drive a car on three different continents in three days.

The marathon tour will take Plattner and his series-produced Audi A3 through 13 countries - he will rely not only on his preferred make of vehicle, but also on high-performance tyres from Hankook. Plattner has already circled the globe about seven times on his quest to set new records. And yet, even after driving almost seven million kilometres, the fascination of driving a car still has the journalist firmly in its grip.

In his new attempt to set a record, Plattner and his long-term co-pilot Franz Doppler will try to be the first ever to travel the almost 5,000 kilometres between the Moroccan capital of Rabat and the Asian side of Istanbul within 72 hours (three days).

Dubbed the "most versatile driver in the world" by the Guinness Book of Records, Plattner is aware of the huge challenge he is taking on - and he will be counting on tried-and-tested partners to help him to overcome the extreme conditions he will face en route.

"Our Audi A3 1.9 TDI e and our Hankook tyres provide the best conditions for top performance, dependability, and fuel economy under all road conditions on all three continents," says Gerhard Plattner. "We chose the high-performance Hankook Ventus S1 evo tyres, which Audi also uses as original equipment on various A3 models, because, in spite of their exceptionally good traction, these tyres have proven that they are also highly durable and have low rolling resistance".

The tour will begin in front of the mausoleum of King Hassan in Rabat, Morocco. From there, an express ferry will take the team to Tarifa, in Europe, where they will then drive along the Mediterranean coast, through Spain, France, Monaco and Italy. After crossing the Alps, the route continues through Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria until it reaches Turkey. In Istanbul, the team will cross the Bosphorus on 11th June, reaching the finish line on the Asian side of the city.

Middlesbrough Tyre Fitter Hits the Fast Lane

A Middlesbrough car mechanic will celebrate his 30th anniversary at a HiQ fast fit centre in style, when he swaps his forecourt for the fast lane of the British Touring Car Championship for the weekend. Brian Hurman, a mobile tyre mechanic with HiQ in Longlands Road, will be working trackside at Croft race circuit changing tyres for Matt Neal, Jason Plato, and all the stars of Britain's premier motor racing series.

Brian, aged 45, has been given the 30th anniversary gift from his bosses as a thank-you for all his hard work at the centre and the North-East area over the years. He will work with the Dunlop Motorsport team and will be given the chance of a lifetime in changing tyres for the stars of the British Touring Car Championship. HiQ are sponsors of the British Touring Car Championship and as part of the relationship, the company can invite one fast fitter to go to each circuit.

HiQ's franchisee Roger Griggs, of North Eastern Tyre & Exhausts, owns the Middlesbrough centre along with 15 other centres in the North East He said: "We chose Brian as a thank you for all his hard work over the years. It is his 30th anniversary year with us on June 18 and this is the perfect present for him. But we also chose Brian on merit. He has been exceptional and he deserves the opportunity. We have had great customer feedback about him and he is a credit to HiQ."

Maxxis Signs 3 year Partnership Deal with Liverpool FC

Following its successful tie up with Liverpool FC for the final stages of the 2008/09 Barclays Premier League, Maxxis has now concluded a deal which will extend the relationship for a further three years. Under the terms of the deal, Maxxis will be entitled to an extensive rights inventory, providing it with prominent exposure through a pitchside advertising presence at every home fixture except Champions League matches plus advertisements in the This is Anfield matchday programme and in LFC Magazine, the club's weekly magazine.

Maxxis will also feature on Liverpool FC's own TV channel, LFC TV - which was launched in 2007 and keeps almost three million UK viewers up to date with the club's activities - and will continue to advertise on one of the UK's most popular football websites, www.liverpoolfc.tv There will also be promotional initiatives to excite Maxxis customers and Liverpool fans alike. Maxxis plans to develop opportunities surrounding a 5-a-side competition at Liverpool's Youth Academy, and is also looking into promotional spin offs, since its status as Official Partner means it is entitled to use Liverpool FC marks, logo and imagery on promotional items such as pens, T-shirts, posters and mugs.

Bridgestone Celebrates Investor in People Award

Bulldog Remoulds (Holdings) Ltd and Kingsway Tyres Ltd, part of Bridgestone UK group of companies, are celebrating this month after being awarded the Investor in People Standard. Both companies have been awarded the status for the first time and are thrilled to gain public recognition of their achievements, after a rigorous audit of their working practices.

Paul Lawrie, human resources director for Bridgestone UK group companies, which includes Kingsway, Bulldog and Bridgestone UK, comments: "Our Investor in People Standard recognises our commitment to providing our employees with the right skills and the motivation to work efficiently and enthusiastically. Bulldog and Kingsway are rewarding and stimulating places to work and we are thrilled to receive our new status, which is testament to this."

The Investors in People Standard provides a framework that helps organisations to improve performance and realise objectives through the effective management and development of their people.

Michelin Scoops National Award for Innovation

Michelin has scooped one of the most prestigious awards at this year's fiercely contested Motor Transport Awards, held in front of an audience of 1,300 senior road transport professionals at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Wednesday, 1 July.

In winning the Innovation Award, Michelin demonstrated that its new X One MaxiTrailer tyre not only delivers an impressive increase in tyre life of up to 50 per cent, but also provides significant gains in productivity, safety and reduced environmental impact. The evening saw Michelin beat off stiff competition from a trio of fellow finalists which included white goods manufacturer Indesit UK, asset management specialist Amey, and a joint entry from B&Q and Ceva Logistics.

The award was jointly presented by top comedian Omid Djalili, category sponsor Trevor Ellis, Chairman of Palletline, and Justin Stanton, Editor of Motor Transport. Receiving the trophy was Bill Schafer, the newly appointed Commercial Director of Michelin's truck tyre division, and Martin Covington, Head of Truck and Earthmover Marketing.

Avon Tyres Launches All-New Website

Avon Tyres has launched a new, user-friendly website designed to help car and motorcycle owners choose the perfect tyre. The site aims to be educational, practical and enjoyable, with visitors able to browse through Avon's entire product range and select the perfect tyre for their vehicle via the product finder, as well as locating their nearest dealer.

For motorcyclists, there's also a dedicated 'Rider' section on the website. This is packed with safety information and includes a section dedicated to how you can take care of your tyres as well as a regular 'Five Minutes with…' section - which features an interview with an Avon tyre product expert.

In addition there's a feature called 'Where's Avon Taken You?' which recounts epic journeys made on Avon tyres. For the launch of the website there is also an interview with legendary cruiser builder Arlen Ness.

Customers who want to know more about the 'black art' of tyres, can visit the site's technical section, where everything is explained from tyre construction to exactly what the numbers and letters on the sidewalls mean. There's also a section that explains all about tyre sizing and just what the speed and load ratings are. .

F1 Event Puts Carson Tyre & Autocare in Pole Position

Melksham welcomed the glamour and excitement of F1 in to town with an event on Saturday, 13 June. Carson Tyre & Autocare, which is part of the First Stop network of tyre dealerships, hosted the event at department store Leekes, in Melksham, where they showcased a stunning replica F1 car and simulator to help raise money for charity.

Visitors to the event had the chance to have their picture taken by the F1 car and test their driving skills on the simulator - both for a small charity donation. The event raised £200 for the British Heart Foundation. All those who came along were also able to get their hands on Bridgestone merchandise and had the chance to enter a prize draw to win an exclusive F1 factory tour of the Williams factory in Grove, Oxfordshire, as well as picking up safety and product advice from staff at Carson Tyre & Autocare and First Stop representatives, who were on hand during the day.

David Carson, owner/manager at Carson Tyre & Autocare, commented: "We were really pleased to have had such a great turnout at the event and we would like to thank all those who showed their support on the day. As part of the First Stop network, we were delighted to be able to display the car and see everyone enjoying the event."

TyreSafe Launches Online Truck Tyre Safety Advice

Tyre safety organisation TyreSafe is making truck tyre safety information more widely available to commercial vehicle users by adding a truck specific section to its website and producing a truck tyre safety handout. Defective tyres represent a growing number of MoT failures in the HGV sector, with statistics recorded by VOSA showing that an MoT failure rate of 36.5 percent was recorded in 2007/8, with 'condition of tyres' ranking as the second most common failure defect.

The new TyreSafe web pages contain invaluable tyre safety advice for all members of the commercial vehicle community, including fleet managers, workshop managers, fleet inspectors and drivers and are designed to be informative and easily accessible.

"With fleet operators increasingly under pressure to ensure the provision of safe and roadworthy vehicles and VOSA officials now able to issue fixed penalty notices to drivers at the roadside, commercial vehicle users must be more vigilant than ever to ensure that their vehicles' tyres are legal and correctly maintained," explains Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe.

"Making tyre maintenance a key priority allows commercial fleet operators to help ensure the safety of their drivers and reduce the number of accidents caused by defective tyres on our roads. TyreSafe's new truck tyre safety guide provides a useful point of reference for safety information together with a set of practical tips."

The new web pages can be found at www.tyresafe.org and include clear and concise information on the importance of tyre pressure, tread depth, wheel alignment, regrooving and tyre disposal, together with details of the common causes of tyre damage and wear and top tips for correct truck tyre maintenance. A free truck tyre safety handout can be downloaded from the site and hard copies are also available.

Avon Tyres Celebrates 'Best of British' with Unique Prizes

Avon Tyres is celebrating all that is 'Best of British' on two and four wheels, with a poster campaign and the chance to win some great prizes. All you have to do to celebrate with Avon is to log on to www.avon-tyres.co.uk. Bikers can win a trackday at Castle Combe on Avon VP2 tyres, while visitors to the car site can win VIP hospitality tickets to the season finale of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship at Brands Hatch on September 20. Runners-up from each competition will be given the chance to win exclusive limited-edition Avon watches.

The double poster campaign features the product of another legendary British firm - a Triumph Thruxton - shod with the latest Avon Roadrider rubber making the pairing a distinctly British combination. Likewise, the car version shows one of the Aston Martin DBRS9 racing cars that competes in Avon's flagship motor racing series, the Avon Tyres British GT Championship.