Bridgestone Steps up Action for Road Safety
Private Equity Investment Process at Continental Mutually Terminated
Another World Record for Yokohama
Bridgestone Praised in new Independent Tyre Test
A Cypriot Hat-Trick for Sébastien Loeb
Yokohama's ADVAN Sport Tyre Approved for the Brabus Rocket
Toyo Backed Protrucks Finish High In 24 Hours
Star Quality Helps First Stop Dealers Raise Charity Cash

Bridgestone Steps up Action for Road Safety

Bridgestone is stepping up efforts to build support for the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) Foundation's "Make Roads Safe" campaign, creating public attention and collecting petitions at F1 Grand Prix races and other events. The aim is to keep up the pressure on politicians and get road safety onto the G8 and UN agendas in 2007.

Recent special events include a high-profile presence at the Helsinki City Grand Prix (12th August), where an estimated 60,000 Finns saw Jarno Trulli race 6 laps in an F1 car around the city streets before testing the Bridgestone seat-belt simulator.

Away from race tracks and special events, public awareness and support have been boosted by Bridgestone's regular tyre checks with the motoring public, conducted throughout Europe as part of the joint FIA Foundation / Bridgestone global road safety campaign "Think Before You Drive Bridgestone has been energetically supporting "Make Roads Safe" since the Commission for Global Road Safety issued its report and action plan in June 2006.

Bridgestone road safety booths and seat-belt simulator demonstrations at F1 Grand Prix events in the UK, France, Germany and Hungary have helped build public awareness as well as adding thousands of petitions to the campaign's online recruitment of support. The signed petitions include email addresses, enabling the FIA Foundation to update supporters with progress and developments.

Private Equity Investment Process at Continental Mutually Terminated

Continental AG have announced that a private equity investor had contacted the Hannover based group in order to assess the potential submission of a public takeover bid. In the meantime this review, which was only at an early stage, has been terminated by mutual agreement.

The Continental Executive Board has decided to make the termination of this process public to dismiss any rumours on the capital market. Continental AG did not enter into any material commitments in connection with this process.

"We regard this interest of private investors as a confirmation of the attractiveness of Continental and its perspective in the future," stressed the Executive Board chairman Manfred Wennemer. "Continental continues to demonstrate that the company can orientate itself strategically to deal with new challenges and adapt to the ever-changing conditions presented by globalization."

Another World Record for Yokohama

The Japanese tyre manufacturer Yokohama was instrumental in a new world record recently, when it supplied tyres for 'Flat Out', now the lowest car in the world. The Fiat 500 was built by custom specialist Andy Saunders over the weekend of the recent Beaulieu Autojumble, starting as a standard car and ending up with an overall height of just 213/8in (543mm) from the ground.

Saunders already had a relationship with the UK distributor, Yokohama HPT, as it supplied tyres for his 'Mentally Insane' custom Bentley Mulsanne which appeared at this year's London Motor Show. However, both were keen to continue the relationship for this record attempt, in front of crowds of more than 30,000 at the annual event. Work began early on Friday morning, as Saunders and his team attacked the 500 to reduce its height.

The constraints meant that there was precious little time to stop and measure their progress as they went and it wasn't until the Sunday afternoon that they were to find out if they had been successful. One of the limiting factors on the car's height was the wheel and tyre size and the Yokohama A048 tyres, sized at 175/55x13 gave a rolling radius just two inches less than the car's eventual overall height, proving a perfect tool for the task. However, it wasn't plain sailing. With just moments to spare, Flat Out's engine refused to fire, one of the criteria which must be satisfied, but associate sponsor The AA soon took care of that.

Eventually, Flat Out was transferred from the trestles it was built on to a flat-patch to be measured and the outcome was assured; Saunders had broken the record by more than two inches. This latest record adds to the list which Yokohama has been instrumental in, including the drifting world record for oversteer and the record for the fastest time to perform ten donuts and the greatest number of consecutive donuts; spins around the front wheels of a rear wheel-drive car.

Bridgestone Praised in new Independent Tyre Test

The Bridgestone B250 has been labelled a "top-performing all-rounder" in a new independent test carried out by Auto Express 15 makes of tyre were entered in the magazine's 2006 Tyre Test, with experts assessing the rubber in a variety of disciplines including wet handling, rolling resistance, and dry handling - with the Bridgestone tyre scoring an impressive overall 98.8 per cent rating.

"We are obviously delighted with the results of this test," said Andy Lane, consumer marketing manager at Bridgestone UK. "The Auto Express test is very comprehensive and well-respected, and every year all tyre manufacturers await the results to see how they have fared. To receive the 'recommended' seal of approval from the magazine is a great achievement."

The Bridgestone B250 features large grooves, a high sipe density, and a high void ratio in the centre of the tyre to aid wet performance, while solid shoulder blocks ensure excellent dry handling, particularly when cornering. Although the tyre was available as an original equipment fitment on vehicles such as the Renault Clio and Toyota Yaris from 2005, it has this year been released into the replacement market.

A Cypriot Hat-Trick for Sébastien Loeb

With a menu of ground temperatures as high as 50°C and temperatures up to 60°C inside the cars, plus hot, hanging dust, punishing rocks that hammer the chassis and overheating engines that have trouble 'breathing' at average speeds of just 60kph, the Cyprus Rally is undoubtedly the most punishing round of the World Championship. And it lived up to its reputation again this year, despite the organisers' decision to resurface certain stages before the start.

Marcus Grönholm (Ford/BFGoodrich) is famous for his flying starts, especially in Cyprus, and this year was no exception. The four stages of Leg 1's opening loop saw the Finn claim three fastest times, while Sébastien Loeb (Citroën/BFGoodrich) spent the morning running first on the road and sweeping a clear line for those further down the order. The second loop enabled the Frenchman to slowly but surely claw back that early deficit however and, by the end of the day, he was sitting on Grönholm's heels, just 6.4s behind after 111km of competitive action high in the Troodos Mountains.

Despite setting one fastest time, Subaru's Petter Solberg trailed back in 7th place, while Mikko Hirvonen (Ford/BFGoodrich) joined the charging duo on the overnight podium. It was on Saturday afternoon's loop that the 2006 Cyprus Rally tipped definitively in Loeb's favour after another, morning-long blow-for-blow scrap between the Frenchman and his Finnish rival. Indeed, over the 30.33km of SS11, just one tiny tenth of a second separated Loeb and Grönholm at the finish! However, the Citroën driver profited from the second attempt at the same test which he completed 16s quicker than Grönholm to ease clear at the top and pave the way for his third consecutive win on the Mediterranean island. The gap between the pair at the end of Leg 2 amounted to some 20 seconds and Loeb was able to control comfortably from in front to go on and secure the 28th WRC win of his career and edge closer to a third Drivers' world crown.

Ford/BFGoodrich will nonetheless be pleased with the close formation finish of Grönholm (2nd) and Hirvonen (3rd) which promotes the team to within just seven points of Kronos-Total-Citroën in the provisional Manufacturers' standings. Manfred Stohl (Peugeot/BFGoodrich), who secured a surprise 2nd-place here in 2005 at the wheel of a privatelyentered Xsara WRC, had 4th place and the top-privateer award sewn up from a very early stage this time round.His rival Toni Gardemeister (Citroën/BFGoodrich) figured as high as 3rd overall at one point before losing ground on Friday afternoon following a puncture. The Finn ultimately succeeded in fighting his way back to 5th ahead of Henning Solberg (6th, Peugeot/BFGoodrich), Xevi Pons (7th, Citroën/BFGoodrich) and Subaru's Petter Solberg who ended up the best-placed non-BFGoodrich finisher in 8th place.

Aimé Chatard, Manager of BFGoodrich's Rallies Programme commented: "The 2006 Cyprus Rally turned out to be less rough and less hard-wearing on tyres than we had expected. Without informing us, the organisers decided to resurface a number of stages prior to the start and this left a top-coating of soft gravel which was as deep as 5cm in places. Also, the entry of just forty or so car meant the stages weren't entirely swept clear first time through and the leading BFGoodrich runners made different tyre choices for the second passes. For Friday afternoon, Sebastian Loeb opted for the g-Force Gravel H1, while Marcus chose the H2. Then, for Saturday afternoon, Loeb opted for H1s, while Grönholm went for the 'normal' g-Force Gravel. That said, I don't believe it was these differing tyre choices that decided the outcome. In the long stage that saw Seb pull clear, his wider tyres gave him an advantage of a few seconds perhaps over the 6km asphalt portion, but they certainly don't explain the difference of 16 seconds between the two at the end of the stage. Two tread patterns per driver were authorised for this year's Cyprus Rally. In addition to the BFGoodrich g-force Gravel which all our partners chose, the Citroën drivers nominated the g-Force H1 following their pre-event testing, while Ford's drivers selected the H2 which contributed Marcus' win in Greece . because they had anticipated there would be a great deal of wear this weekend."

Yokohama's ADVAN Sport Tyre Approved for the Brabus Rocket

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has announced that the company's global-flagship-brand tyre ADVAN Sport (V103) has been approved by Brabus GmbH of Germany for its Brabus Rocket.

Tyres to be supplied for the Brabus Rocket are size 255/35ZR19 (96Y) for the front and 285/30ZR19 (98Y) for the rear. Tyres from Yokohama Rubber have also been approved for the Brabus MV12 which is a type of sport utility vehicle (SUV).

Brabus GmbH is one of the world's top car tuners and manufacturers, specializing in Mercedes-Benz, and has been in a technological partnership with Yokohama Rubber for the development of tyres since last year. The Brabus Rocket is a highly tuned coupe based on the Mercedes-Benz CLS, with 6200cc total displacement and a maximum output of 730 hp, capable of speeds up to 350 km/h.

Yokohama Rubber's ADVAN Sport tyres have been developed for stable running at extreme speeds of over 300 km/h, and are highly evaluated for their excellent high-speed stability, comfort, handling and braking, etc. - all of which led to their approval for the Brabus Rocket.

Toyo Backed Protrucks Finish High In 24 Hours

Japanese tyre manufacturer Toyo are celebrating another hard fought result at the recent 24 hours 4x4 of France. The Toyo Tires backed Protruck-Chevrolets, prepared by French off-road gurus Pro-system, finished a creditable 4th in class. Dreams of a podium finish were sadly dashed when a driveshaft failure pitted the team for an agonising 40 minutes.

Piloted by Gilles Lequay, Phillipe Tixier and Pascal Bernardon the monster horsepower machine called on the tenacious grip of it's Toyo Open Country M/T rubber to post consistent laps The other Protruck driven by Rene Metge, Carlos Gomes and Rally raid veteran Eric Vigouroux endured a considerable change of fortunes throughout the race .

Qualifying in diabolical conditions in deep mud, the team started in a modest 15th place. Despite this, Vigourox deftly moved through the pack up to an incredible third position by the end of his first stint. Changing drivers, and keen to pile on the pressure, Metge caught a rear wheel, damaging the rim and tweaking the suspension. Limping home to the pits, the team set about replacing the damaged components, but lost a valuable hour in the process. Sadly this, combined with other minor maladies meant that victory was never on the cards. This not withstanding, the truck still managed to finish the full 24 hours under it's own steam.

'I am delighted that our new collaboration with TOYO has started so well' declared Vigoroux 'Despite other problems, the tyres have been utterly consistent, maintaining grip and feel over the entire 24 hours. This is vital when trying to establish a 'rhythm' during a long race".

Star Quality Helps First Stop Dealers Raise Charity Cash

First Stop tyre dealers rubbed shoulders with some of the hottest stars from TV and radio to help raise more than £1,500 for impoverished African youngsters. The owners of Tyrecraft, Bootle; Tyresave, St Helens; Tyreworld, Widnes; Pemberton Tyres, Wigan; and Ashton Tyre & Exhaust, Ashton-in-Makerfield, were joined by Big Brother celebrities Nikki and Mikey, Coronation Street star Richard Fleeshman and cult Radio 2 presenter Sally 'Traffic' Boazman at Truckfest North West, which attracted thousands of people to Haydock Park Racecourse on 16/17 September.

Also on the Bridgestone stand at the event was a stunning replica of the Ferrari Formula One racing car that guided Michael Schumacher to his last World Championship title. Visitors had a chance to meet the stars and have their picture taken with the car in return for a small donation to the Zambia project, which provides education, accommodation and amenities for young people living in the Lusaka region of Zambia. The dealers used the show to promote their businesses and raise awareness of Bridgestone's Think Before You Drive road safety campaign.