By Denna Bowman

A series of technical seminars and demonstrations by industry experts will be a major attraction for visitors at the UK’s leading tyres exhibition later this year.

Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS), tyre labelling legislation and other highly topical issues relating to tyres will be among the subjects covered by a series of free technical seminars at Brityrex International 2012 in Manchester this October.

The seminars will provide invaluable expert advice and information to exhibition visitors in a practical, hands-on environment at the three-day exhibition, organised by the NTDA in conjunction with the Tyre Industry Federation.

Paul Farrant, Managing Director of Brityrex organiser ECI International, announced: “Not only will Brityrex offer the latest and best in tyres and equipment, it will also provide great value in terms of knowledge and expertise.

“The seminar programme announced today provides another compelling reason for retailers to visit the show and spend time meeting suppliers and industry experts. More exciting ideas are in the pipeline and will be announced in the coming weeks and months.”

Brityrex will also play host to a meeting of the influential Automotive Aftermarket Liaison Group (AALG), which brings together major organisations from the independent aftermarket and is regarded as a powerful lobbying body.

Members include some of the industry’s biggest names, such as the SMMT, Garage Equipment Association, RMI, Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation, GROUPAUTO, British Battery Industry Federation, Federation of Engine Re-Manufacturers and the NTDA.

Brityrex International, which runs from Tuesday 9th to Thursday 11th October 2012, will be the focus for dedicated tyre and equipment trade exhibitors and buyers from across the UK and overseas.

We’re delighted to announce that our Newcastle tyres team has been nominated for the 4th annual Mumsclub Business Mum’s Awards.

The honour actually goes to Victoria Valentine, who owns and runs the mobile tyres fitting business with her husband Jeremy, and who has made it onto the shortlist for the award, which is sponsored by MyFamilyClub.

Victoria said: “This is fantastic news for etyres Newcastle and we are thrilled and honoured to receive this nomination.

“It is an exceptional way to celebrate how far we have come as a company in our first year of trading. I think I stood out for the judging panel for being a woman in a typically-male dominated environment. After all, tyres aren’t especially glamorous!”

The Business Mum Awards have recognised and rewarded those women who have started businesses and achieved success in a short space of time since 2008.

Jane Hopkins MBE, founder of MumsClub, said: “The nominations this year have been of a very high standard and it has been my pleasure to personally go through them all to create a shortlist to pass to our esteemed judging panel.

“Starting a business is hard at the best of times, but to do so alongside a growing family makes it so much more demanding. Being nominated by a fellow mum in business is a huge accolade in itself and I hope all those nominated are incredibly proud of themselves.”

Denna Bowman, Head Office

The judging panel consist of previous Business Mum Award winners and industry professionals.

Maxxis tyres was among the first to congratulate Liverpool FC after it won the Carling Cup on Sunday.

The win - which came down to a penalty shootout against Cardiff City - marked a record eight victories in the League Cup competition and a sponsorship triumph for the tyres manufacturer.

Derek McMartin, Maxxis International UK’s managing director, said: “The Carling Cup final was a really exciting spectacle for the fans and an important win for manager Kenny Dalglish in his first full season back with the club, so we are delighted for everyone associated with Liverpool FC and wish them every success for the rest of the season, which has still got plenty of potential to come with the FA Cup and Champion’s League qualification.”

Maxxis has been an Official Partner of Liverpool FC since the 2008/09 season and enjoys a high profile presence at Anfield through pitchside advertising as well as exposure to a legion of fans, who follow the team home and away, via matchday programmes, the club’s weekly magazine and website and its own Liverpool TV channel, LFC TV.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Denna Bowman

The future is bright for Yokohama as it gears up to unleash its latest new ‘orange oil technology’ tyres in the US.

The Avid Ascend all-season range of tyres goes on sale at the beginning of March and will be available in a variety of applications ranging from cars, crossovers and minivans.

The initial line-up includes 45 sizes for 15 to 18-inch tyres in T, H and V speed ratings.

According to Yokohama the Avid Ascend is the first tyre “to collectively achieve – without compromise – exceptional all-season performance, remarkable tread life and excellent fuel efficiency”.

Dan King, Yokohama senior vice president of sales and marketing, explained: “The Ascend’s orange oil technology creates a compound resulting in a perfect balance of extended tread life, all-season handling and great fuel economy.

“All this and a quiet ride, too. Today’s drivers can now expect more from a touring tyre than ever before – an accomplishment made possible through Yokohama innovation.”

King added that the Ascend falls under Yokohama’s ‘BluEarth’ umbrella: “BluEarth is the name for our global environmental philosophy, which is aimed at creating tyres that produce positive improvements socially and environmentally. The Ascend is our first replacement tyre to be recognised as a BluEarth product.”

As the latest generation of Yokohama’s orange oil technology, the tyre follows in the footsteps of the company’s dB Super E-spec, the world’s first orange oil tyre, which was introduced in the US market in 2008.

By Denna Bowman

Continental tyres dominated the summer tyres test carried out by two leading motoring associations.

The latest tests produced by German motoring association ADAC, in partnership with OAMTC (the Austrian equivalent) pitted fifteen 165/70 R14, fifteen more 205/55 R16 V and seven 215/55 R16 H SUV tyres against each other.

Although the 205/55 R16 test was a three-way tie between the ContiPremiumContact 5, the Goodyear Optigrip and the Dunlop SP Sport FastResponse, the German Hannover-based automotive supplier was the only tyre manufacturer to produce products placing first in all three tests, according to Tyres and Accessories.

The 165/70 R14T test demonstrated the strengths of Continental’s ContiEcoContact 5 as it topped almost all of the dry, wet, noise and tread wear categories that were ranked with an overall score of 1.9 (the lower the score the better).

Michelin’s Energy Saver came a close second, with 2.0 and Pirelli’s Cinturato P1 slipped into third place with a score of 2.2.

One of China’s top three tyres manufacturers has announced it is set to exhibit at the eagerly awaited Brityrex 2012.

The news that Ling Long Tyres is coming to the Brityrex International exhibition in Manchester’s new EventCity in October is a massive boost for the show organisers.

Ling Long was recognised recently as one of China’s three largest tyre manufacturers, ranked as number 16 in the world in 2010.

The company said that exhibiting would help it underline its “emergent status as a fast-growing international player”.

It also revealed it has experienced annual growth rates of over 40 per cent, and it will have a specially-designed stand at the British trade show.

Based in Zhaoyuan City, China, Ling Long has recently launched a new European marketing campaign designed to promote the quality of its tyres, according to Tyres and Accessories.

It states that it aims to produce the best-known tyre brand in the world, an ambition it supports by investing in technology, management, branding and marketing.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

It sounds like a ride at Alton Towers, but the new Adrenalin RE0002 is the latest addition to the premium Potenza range of tyres from Bridgestone.

As the name might suggest, the tyre is targeted at motoring enthusiasts ‘who love a sporty feel’.

According to Bridgestone, the new tyre offers a more exciting, sportier everyday driving experience through outstanding dry grip and stability.

Within Bridgestone’s existing premium sport range the Potenza S001 remains the flagship product for high-performance and luxury cars in both the OE and replacement markets, offering perfectly balanced wet-oriented performance.

The Potenza Adrenalin RE002 by contrast is a pure sport, replacement market tyre largely tuned for dry performance, combining razor-sharp steering response and precision handling for the two-seat roadster, hot hatchback or tuned car driver.

To enhance dry handling and sheer driving pleasure, the tread design boasts large, stiff outer blocks with a 3D connection between shoulder and adjacent rib, giving the tyre an exhilarating cornering ability. Road grip and sporty manoeuvring are enhanced by the wide offset rib design with grooved edge and waved centre block.

The Adrenalin also gives the wet security drivers need in European weather conditions through its new “pulse” groove and deflector technology, which breaks the water film faster in front of the footprint and deflects it away from under the tyre, increasing resistance to hydroplaning.

Tomio Fukuzumi, Director Consumer Products, Bridgestone Europe said: “With this range expansion, the new Potenza Adrenalin RE002 is appealing to new Bridgestone consumers. We are targeting enthusiasts who love a sporty feel and want an alternative to touring tyres.”

The new Potenza Adrenalin RE002 is available in 15 to 18 inch sizes, 60 to 40 series.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Alex Kapadia

Formula One teams got the chance to try out the full range of Pirelli’s 2012 slick tyres, with the P Zero Silver hard, P Zero White medium, P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red supersoft tyres all taking to the track in Barcelona this week.

In total the drivers completed 3697 laps, the equivalent of 17,207 kilometres, during the four-day test at the Circuit de Catalunya.

At the second test of the year, the majority of the teams ramped up the development curve with their 2012 cars, seeing how they interact with the full range of Pirelli tyres on a circuit that is very familiar to all of them.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsport director, said: “It was an extremely productive four days, and we were helped by temperatures that – at least in the afternoons – were more representative of what we will expect to see during the season.

“The teams all completed the most amount of running that we have seen so far this year, 17,207 kilometres as opposed to 14,949 kilometres in Jerez. This allowed them to gather plenty of data on all four slick tyres that we can now analyse in order to come up with a few different scenarios for the first races related to strategy options and crossover points.

“As we expected, most teams chose to concentrate on the medium tyre, with the emphasis often on aerodynamic set-up work rather than tyre evaluation.

“However, we got plenty of work done and we’re satisfied with the levels of degradation and performance seen so far, as we head now into the final test again at Barcelona next week.

“It’s only then that we will see a more accurate picture of the relative performance of the teams, but from our point of view we are meeting our objectives.”

By Denna Bowman

Pirelli Tyres has been singled out for praise by the Deputy Prime Minister as the Government announces the launch of an extra £1 billion fund to help businesses seeking support to create new jobs.

The Carlisle tyres plant was highlighted by Nick Clegg as one of the companies to have already benefited from the Regional Growth Fund, which has now been boosted to £2.4 billion.

Mr Clegg confirmed that Pirelli is one of the 48 successful firms from the first two rounds of the fund which have completed their legal checks and have access to the Government fund which leverages private sector investment, with at least £5 put in for every £1 of public money.

“The Regional Growth Fund is already having a huge impact across the UK,” he said.

“So far there have been over 170 successful bids to the fund, leveraging around £7.5 billion of private sector investment and set to create and protect 330,000 jobs. I want to see more businesses that are confident they can create jobs and get Britain building and making things again, coming forward — making sure their hats are in the ring.

“Funding from rounds one and two has gone to some extraordinarily promising manufacturing projects. From Pirelli Tyres in Carlisle who’ll use the money to develop a new range of carbon-cutting tyres; to a Portsmouth based company which hopes to use theirs to create a cutting edge boat building college.

“These are the kinds of projects that will lead their communities into brighter times, helping put industry at the heart of the UK’s economy. Businesses have until June to apply for a share of this extra £1 billion.”

Jenson Button has been getting to grips with the new Pirelli tyres as the world of Formula One revs up for the start of the 2012 season.

The McLaren racer admitted the tyres are a “key” component in ensuring success during the season which opens in Melbourne on March 18.

Button revealed that McLaren know they have to keep pushing as hard as possible with the development of their MP4-27.

The former world champion took over the Mercedes-powered challenger from Lewis Hamilton for today’s penultimate day at the first Barcelona test and carried out a similar programme to the one his team-mate completed on Wednesday.

Like Hamilton, Button cleared a century of laps - 114 - and finished with a time of 1:23.918 which secured him a respectable fourth place on the timesheet.

“We’ve done a lot of reliability work over the past three days - more than 100 laps on each day,” he said.

“Most of that has been longer runs, getting used to the feeling of the car over a long-run and set-up work for the longer runs.

“We’ve also been really working hard to understand this year’s Pirelli tyres and getting the car to work efficiently around them. That’s a key part of the programme this winter.”

Button, who will wrap up the test for McLaren tomorrow, said the Woking squad have to stay focused on improving their own package over the remainder of pre-season, with the first upgrade ahead of the opening race set to be fitted to the car in time for next week’s final test.

“There are a lot of cars out there that look competitive: so we’ll keep pushing,” he added.

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

“We should hopefully bring our upgrade package to the next test and that will see us through to the first race in Melbourne.”