By Alex Kapadia

Tyres strategy will play a key role in deciding the outcome of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tomorrow, according to Hirohide Hamashima, director of motorsport tyre development for Bridgestone.

The racing tyres supremo said: “Based on the information so far the major race tyre strategy consideration will be minimising use of the soft. However, as the track is still improving so we could see better performance from the soft tomorrow.”

He said that today’s qualifying sessions were about “further learning the track and it still has a few tricks.

“We were treated to an exciting qualifying session and one where our harder tyre proved to be the quickest for pole position.

“Lewis Hamilton did a great job, particularly with his 1min 39.695secs time on the medium in Q2. Track conditions continue to improve so tomorrow’s race should be fascinating on many levels.”

Looking ahead to the last race of the season tomorrow, Hamashima added: “Our information shows that neither tyre suffers particularly from degradation or wear.

“The medium tyre is very well suited to this track. It has good grip and its performance is consistent, meaning that lap times should fall as the cars get lighter.”

The world championship title is in the bag for Jenson Button, but Lewis Hamilton has scorched his way to pole position on the Abu Dhabi desert circuit.

Hamilton tore up the track as falling temperature - the air temperature dropped to 29 degrees Celsius and track to 31 - caused problems with tyres for many of the teams.

It is Hamilton’s fourth pole of the season and provides emphatic evidence that he is chasing victory in the final race of the 2009 season at the spectacular Yas Marina circuit.

Hamilton wound up seven-tenths of a second faster than German Sebastian Vettel, who was second ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Australian Mark Webber.

Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello, in probably his last race for the Brawn GP team with which he won the constructors championship in Brazil two weeks ago, was fourth-fastest.

And in fifth place comes our very own newly-acclaimed champion Briton Jenson Button.

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

We love to hear about new uses for old tyres and this one is streets ahead!

An emerging new company called Pavegen has just installed squares of energy-generating pavement in east London made out of recycled car tyres, stainless steel and recycled aluminum.

It also includes a lamp embedded in the pavement which lights up every time a foot touches it to show that it is harnessing kinetic energy.

But here’s the point – each time someone steps on the slab the energy is converted into energy which is transmitted to streetlights and other electronics located close by.

Alternatively, the kinetic energy, created by 5 millimetres of flex in the material, can also be stored by lithium polymer batteries contained within the paving.

Launched in July of this year, the company spun out of a project at Loughborough University and is actively looking for investors.

The average square of pavement produces about 2.1 watts of electricity. And according to Pavegen, any one square of pavement in a high-foot traffic area can see 50,000 steps a day.

Based on this data, only five units of Pavegen pavement can be enough to keep the lights on at a bus stop all night.

The company, led by 24-year old founder Laurence Kemball-Cook, says it eventually wants its slabs to power automatic doors, ticket machines, neon signs, and even computers and major appliances.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Denna Bowman

Hard-up motorists are neglecting the safety of their vehicles, particularly their tyres, according to the AA.

The motoring organisation claims there strong evidence that increasing numbers are driving around on tyres that are so worn, they are illegal.

The latest figures show 34 deaths and 900 injuries were caused by tyre-related problems on Britain’s roads last year.

The AA says motorists are not taking tyre safety seriously enough. It believes that this attitude could end up making our roads unsafe.

Stewart Topp, named AA Patrol of the Year in April, admits he is worried about the situation.

He said: “In this current economic climate, people are neglecting their vehicles. If the car’s reliable, they just tend to leave it.

“It’s a safety issue. [Tyres are] the only things keeping you on the road so it’s important to get them checked and changed if necessary.

“A tyre that’s on its minimum [tread depth] limit of 1.6mm is 50% less efficient than a new tyre. You wouldn’t go out with a brake that’s 50% efficient, so why do it with tyres?”

Vehicle owners who need to replace their tyres can find the best deals on the internet.

Etyres, the UKs leading online tyres company, offers premium brand tyres at prices up to 40% cheaper than the traditional high street depots.

It offers a mobile fitting service – tyres are fitted at a location of the customers choice, at home or work – which means it has low overheads and passes the savings on to customers.

By Alex Kapadia

Success at the final Grand Prix of the season will rely on how well teams predict the grip situation on the new Yas Marina circuit, according to a Bridgestone tyres executive.

Earlier today soft and medium tyres swept the two McLaren drivers to the fastest times in the practice sessions for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton was quickest in the morning, using the medium tyres, while his team mate Heikki Kovalainen was fastest in the second session on the soft compound.

Hirohide Hamashima, director of motorsport tyre development for Bridgestone, said: “Today was all about learning this fantastic new circuit so for the team and the drivers it was a big challenge.

“As with any new circuit the grip level increased a lot through the day and we saw a big improvement in lap times.

“Our desert location means there was sand and dust on the track at the beginning of the day too. In the later session the track temperature seen was still quite warm.”

He added: “We expect the track to further improve tomorrow. We are currently analysisng today’s data as it is still very early to say how exactly the medium and soft will work in the race.

“We saw graining today, especially on the rear. There was more graining on the soft compound, as you would expect.

“Whilst there was good grip improvement on the racing line, off-line the track is still quite dirty so drivers need to be vigilant here.

“A good qualifying and race set-up will depend on how well the teams predict the grip improvement from the track.”

When you order from the internet you want to be certain you are getting the best price and service available.

Etyres, the UKs leading online tyres company, strives to give our customers the highest level of satisfaction on both fronts.

And we’ve just had this email from a customer who needed tyres in Reading, which we believe sums up what we’re all about.

Here’s what she had to say: “Just want to say a huge thank you for such an efficient job done on my car.

“Tyres are perfect and balanced for the first time properly! I shall always use you again and highly recommend you to everyone else.

“Amazing service and such a good price.

“Kwik Fit can get lost I am pleased to say.

“Regards D. Sholl Reading, Berkshire.”

The reason our prices are so cheap is that we offer a mobile fitting service which means our overheads are low and so you get two major benefits!

Firstly, you get your tyres fitted at a location of your choice – at your home or workplace and don’t have to waste time sitting around in a garage waiting room.

Secondly, because we don’t have expensive overheads, we pass the savings on to you in the form of lower prices – often up to 40% lower than the leading high street tyre depots.

Charlotte, National Call Centre

Everyone wants to save money when they can – forgoing a drink in the pub, renting a DVD instead of going to the movies, a take-away pizza instead of a restaurant meal – every little helps, as they say.

But when it comes to your tyres never scrimp on safety to save a few pounds.

Your tyres can mean the difference between life and death on the roads, especially with the arrival of autumn when rain-soaked, leaf-strewn roads are starting to become really hazardous.

When you are forced to brake or steer around danger you want to be sure your tyres have got the right amount of tread to grip the roads and give you control over your vehicle.

But replacing your old tyres doesn’t have to wreck your bank balance.

Etyres, the UKs leading online tyres retailer, operates a mobile fitting service, which means we come to you to fit premium brand tyres at a location of your choice – at home or work.

And because we don’t have expensive depots to run and large overheads, we pass the savings on to our customers in the form of cheaper prices – up to 40% lower than the leading high street chains.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Denna Bowman

A US county judge who deflated one of the tyres on a car parked improperly at the courthouse has pleaded guilty to tampering with a vehicle.

Robert Nalley, the tyres-tampering Charles County, Maryland circuit judge, was fined $500 and ordered to write a “heartfelt” letter of apology to the victim.

The court heard that cleaning lady Jean Wilson, 51, who works two jobs a day, had parked her car in an area labeled “restricted”. This is the area in which the judges usually parked.

Two local lawmen then witnessed the judge deflating the tyre. He was issued a citation after an investigation of the incident.

Nalley pleaded guilty and apologised to Ms Wilson, who sat in the courtroom. He said: “I am profoundly sorry. I am ashamed of the conduct.”

He added that his decision to deflate one of the tyres on the car embarrassed this community and embarrassed his family.

Citing the judge’s prior criminal record — none — defense attorney William Brennan asked for, and was granted, “probation before judgement”. Under that ruling, the charges will melt away if the defendant stays out of trouble.

But the visiting judge who heard the case, Anne Arundel Co. District Judge Robert Wilcox, fined Nalley the maximum penalty of $500 for his crime and ordered him to write a “heartfelt” letter of apology to the victim.

And it’s not over yet.

It was confirmed in court that the commission that oversees judges in Maryland is actively investigating Nalley’s conduct in this matter. The commission has the power to sanction and even fire judges.

Goodyear tyres saw its shares plummet shortly after announcing its first profitable quarter since 2008.

The reason for the steepest drop in 22 years was the news that much lower income is expected for the rest of the year.

Executives announced that they anticipate that Goodyear’s largest division will have between $75 million and $125 million less income in the current quarter compared to the third quarter.

Goodyear’s stock closed down $3.28, or 19.6 percent, to $13.46, making it the worst performer Wednesday in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

Share prices fell by $4.74 at one point, which sent the price briefly to $12. Shares are up 125.5 percent since Jan. 1 — well up from the year low of $3.51 on March 6 — and are up 56.5 percent from a year ago.

The drop wiped $794 million off the value of the company to $3.25 billion.

But executives told industry analysts in a conference call that they expect the Akron tyre maker will have a stronger financial performance in 2010 because of ongoing efforts to improve profitability combined with an expected global economic recovery.

Including the North American Tyre projections, fourth-quarter results are expected to be in line with the company’s plans and ‘’significantly improve” from a year ago, Chief Financial Officer Darren Wells said.

Industry analyst Saul Ludwig with Cleveland-based KeyBanc Capital Markets asked executives about the projected $75 million to $125 million income drop in the North American Tyre division.

”That’s enormous,” Ludwig said. ”That probably explains why the stock is getting mangled.”

Goodyear executives said the drop in North American income will stem from complex reasons, including expected slow sales, higher raw-material costs and what they called ”adverse unabsorbed overhead.”

Oliver Hall, Operations Team

By Alex Kapadia

Disposing of old tyres is big business, especially since recent EU regulations came in prohibiting their disposal in landfill sites.

And now the Environment Agency is increasingly facing calls to strengthen its auditing process to target businesses who pay unlicensed agents to get rid of tyres.

Peter Craven, owner of 35-year-old Essex-based tyre casing specialists Grove Road Tyres says there are incidents going on all around London and nationwide where local tyre firms appear to be colluding with illegal operators.

He said: “What happens is that a legitimate company will charge 65 to 80p per tyre to dispose of them properly, and you’ve got these chaps going around in vans saying they’ll do it for 40p.”

These unlicensed operators then dump the tyres illegally and leave landowners or the council to foot the bill to dispose of them properly.

John Seddon, an Environment Agency technical specialist in London, added: “If someone gets rid of tyres at a price like 40p each they must have some inkling that it’s not straightforward.

“But you have to prove that they knowingly participated, and it’s very difficult to prove that someone had knowledge of an act.”

Mr Craven went on: “Every borough is having similar problems. Maybe it was worse ten to 15 years ago, but now there are people making a business out of it. They get an old van and a carrier licence and drive around, and if they can get 400 tyres a day, that’s £200 in one day. The fines are just a slap on the wrist.

“We’re independently audited and we’re registered with the Tyre Recovery Association, and we provide a collection note and duty of care certificate when we pick up the tyres.

“The Environment Agency say they don’t have the manpower. But the way to resolve this is to go to every single tyre shop in the area’s Yellow Pages and ask them who clears their scrap. You then phone up these companies and check and find out if they’re lying.”