ERJ Top Five: Racing Rubber

ERJ staff report (TP)

Singapore GP ... Pirelli ... DMACK ... GT Radial ... Avon Tyres ...

1. Tire strategies were crucial to the outcome of the Singapore Grand Prix, according to Pirelli. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton used a three-stop strategy, with three opening stints on the P Zero Red supersoft before completing the race on the P Zero Yellow soft. Runner-up Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel ran a two-stop strategy, doing two opening stints on the supersoft and then a final stint on soft, when the car was at its lightest on low fuel. In the closing stages, Hamilton on newer soft tyres overtook Vettel on older soft tires to seal victory and claim the lead of the world championship.

2. Pirelli announced it is an official partner of the FIA Mobility Conference Week, the annual event bringing together all FIA Mobility clubs from around the world. The 22nd Mobility Conference Week took place from 16-19 September, hosted jointly by the FIA, the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) and The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV). The event was an opportunity for FIA Mobility experts to exchange views and debate issues of common concern with regard to future mobility needs. ‘Membership in a Connected World’ was the theme of this year’s conference.

3. The Drive DMACK World Rally Team (pictured above) heads down under this week for Rally Australia, where it will field both WRC 2 team crews for the final time in the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship season. As the third and final long-haul event of the season, the rally is "both tough and complex". It’s the first time both DMACK crews will have tackled Rally Australia so "experience is low and the challenge is high". The New South Wales-based event sees DMACK runners use its DMG+2 gravel tire. DMACK has nominated the hard compound S3 as first choice for the rally, with the softer S6 available should conditions turn wet or cold.

4. GT Radial's Le Mans 24 Hour Cycle Race team pedalled 169 laps of the 4,185m Circuit Bugatti in France to raise over £1,000 (€1,246) for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The team, comprising Brian McDermott, MD UK for Giti Tire, Ellis Hadley, Martin Gibson, (both senior test engineers), and Bertrand Saint-Supery, OEM EU technical director, covered a total of 707,265m to finish a "very respectable" 340 out of 458. Donations are still being accepted for Marie Curie Cancer Care at www.justgiving.com/GTRadial. GT Radial is exclusively distributed throughout the UK by Micheldever Tyre Services, who have sole supply rights for passenger car, 4x4 and light truck tires.

5. Avon Tyres enjoyed a "clean sweep" at the 500cc Classic TT race on the Isle of Man in late August. The motorbikes may be from the last century, but there was nothing dated about the performances from Avon-shod riders. The British company took all the top spots, with all of the top riders using Avon’s AM22 and AM26 Roadrider race tires at this year's event.