Uncertain Future Of Formula 1
According to the reactions of tire manufacturers no one of them is interested in the costly partnership with the Formula 1 championship what has put its future in doubt.
Pirelli, Michelin and Goodyear practically at once renounced their participation and noted that they don’t have an intention to manufacture racing slicks for Formula 1. Later there appeared rumors that Kumho or Hankook would be the official suppliers of the championship.
Toyota and Renault followed the example of Honda and BMW and announced their leaving the championship (Toyota will leave after 2010). Taking into consideration the fact that Brawn GP, the winner of this season, is experiencing serious financial difficulties after losing the support of Honda and Virgin, the leaving of four major manufacturers means that Mercedes-McLaren and Ferrari will be the only large-scale participants.
Of course, global economic recession has played its role in the depreciation of the F1 status but there are other reasons contributing to this. The behavior of Max Mosley, former FIA head, whose sexual weaknesses were actively discussed in the media, and Bernie Ecclestone who evidently tried to replenish his bank accounts, make the championship less attractive for the manufacturers who may have had the willingness to participate in it.
In spite of all this four new teams are likely to participate in the following season. One of the teams will be American. The manufacturers from the USA haven’t participated in the racing series for many years. They all will use Bridgestone tires but other tire companies don’t rush to replace the Japanese (taking into account the cost of necessary research, testing etc). Probably the teams will have to call Tire Rack…
Great Tire - Great Puncture!
BFGoodrich Presented Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 In Britain
The BFGoodrich company, producer of premium-class tires, officially presented Mud Terrain T/A KM2 tire on the British market.
The new tire is intended for “serious off-road adherents” and belongs to the specialized segment of the tires suited for deep mud. The company’s announcement says that the tire will operate in off-the-road conditions 80% of its service life. Mud Terrain T/A KM2 replaces the previous model Mud Terrain T/A that has become a real veteran of tire tests and received a lot high appraisals. Now the tire is offered in 15 – 17 inch sizes. The range of the sizes will be extended in 2010.
According to Steve Dolby, head of the marketing department of BFGoodrich, drag force in deep mud, steering on wet surface, braking on dry surface and traction on snow-covered surface of the new tire are by 5% better than those of the previous model. Besides this the sidewalls were reinforced, and drag force on stony surface was improved by 10%. Mr. Dolby also notes that the tire is manufactured with the use of the technologies borrowed from sporty BFGoodrich Krawler KX TEK tire. Thanks to the application of these technologies the tire got more solid sidewalls and aggressive lugs that improved the tire’s performance in severe off-the-road conditions.
The technologies borrowed from Krawler TEK allow to increase the solidity of sidewalls by 33% (if to compare with the previous model) and ensure additional carcass safety. TriGard carcass makes the tire one of the best in the extreme off-road segment. The increased durability makes the driving more confident. One of the basic elements is reinforced cord of the tire’s bead.
Hankook Announces Its Plans For 2010 Sport Season
The Hankook Tire company has confirmed that it will continue to participate in professional drifting competitions and Time Attack races as well as again launch the bonus program for the fans of more popular kinds of sport.
In 2010 Hankook will again sponsor Papadakis Team and Dynamic Autosports team in the Formula Drift Championship. Pilots from Conrad Grunewald Racing will join the teams. The owner of the team Conrad Grunewald will participate on one of the few American muscle-cars in Formula Drift – 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS that will be equipped with Hankook Ventus R-S3 tires.
The company will also continue to sponsor Tanner Foust, twice champion of Formula Drift that pilots Rockstar/Scion tC.
In the Time Attack races the company will also sponsor a few participants – Gary Sheehan from GST Motorsport, Jonathan Bomorito from Sierra Enterprise and Chris Rado from World Racing.
All these pilots will use Hankook Ventus Z214 DOT R Compound tire with symmetric tread pattern that is distinguished by smooth surface and two circumferential grooves ensuring exceptional driving performance on dry and wet track.
“Drifting and Time Attack races are becoming more and more popular in the USA thus influencing the market of tires – noted Bill Bainbridge, marketing director of the American department of Hankook. – All these changes take place in spite of economic difficulties. Hankook remains the leading tire producer in the segment developing state-of-the-art technologies and presenting tires with unique features, such as Ventus RS-3 and Ventus Z214.
