Commitment to include two compounds per meeting, F1-style
Kumho has won the contract to be the sole supplier of tyres to the international Auto GP series for 550bhp single-seat racing cars. The appointment comes at an interesting time as, new for this season, all Auto GP teams will be required to use two specifications of tyre per weekend; as occurs in F1.
Auto GP is already one of the premier schooling grounds for Grand Prix drivers, and giving this year's competitors the opportunity to learn the management of both 'prime' and 'option' tyre compounds at each of the seven circuits visited will further strengthen that role. So too will
Said Steve Thompson, European Motorsport Manager for Kumho Tyres: "The new tyres provided our designers with a number of challenges. Firstly, they had to be able to deal with the considerable power, speed and downforce created by these cars. Secondly, we were required to produce one compound that gave consistent performance throughout and one that initially performed better but also degraded faster – thereby providing the teams with a suitably demanding test of strategy and tyre management. The first challenge was meat and drink to our designers, owing to the inherent characteristics of our tyres. The second request was a harder nut to crack!"
Auto GP's roots lie in the Italian Formula 3000 series of 1999, but was first run in its current format and name in 2010, when it was won by the talented Swiss driver Romain Grosjean. This truly launched his career and he was last year crowned champion of both GP2 and GP2 Asia, and will now partner Kimi Räikkönen in the 2012 Lotus F1 team. The outright winner of Auto GP in 2011 was the precocious 18-year old Italian Kevin Ceccon, who plans to graduate to GP2 this year.
The format of the three-day Auto GP meetings comprises practice on the Friday, qualifying and Race One on Saturday and Race Two on Sunday. The series will visit the following circuits during 2012: Monza (Italy), Valencia (Spain), Marrakech (Morocco), Hungaroring (Hungary), Estoril (Portugal), Curitiba (Brazil) and Sonoma (USA). The Auto GP season kicks off at Monza on March 9/10/11.
Commented Auto GP Series Organiser Enzo Coloni: "Right from the start of our talks with Kumho, it was clear that the company's approach was a very positive one, aimed at giving us the best possible experience in terms of technical support. Not only did Kumho accept with enthusiasm our proposal for the two different tyre specifications, but it expressed a will to work with us and the teams to achieve the optimum result; something unique in the one-make series scenario. The first step of this process will be the creation of a special super-soft tyre for the Marrakech round; a street track where we expect a very low grip level. Being involved in such a development plan will give our drivers knowledge they couldn't get anywhere else; a vital experience for their future."
Added Kumho's Steve Thompson: "We are delighted to be involved with Auto GP, and excited at furthering our involvement with up and coming F1 drivers that began with long term support for the F3 Euro Series and the annual Masters of F3 meeting. It was through these platforms we assisted the careers of current GP stars Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Paul di Resta, among others. Auto GP is the perfect showcase for us to display our ever-increasing capabilities and we will certainly make the most of the opportunity."
Over recent years, Kumho tyres have carried drivers to the top of the podium in a host of international and national rally championships but, until this year, had never featured on a winning car in the French Gravel Championship. Now they have not only aided former double European Rally Champion Simon Jean-Joseph to outright honours in the Terre De l'Auxerrois, Terre De Langres and Terres De Catalunya rounds of the series and 3rd place in the Rallye Terre des Cardabelles, but taken him to overall victory in the championship, courtesy of a 2nd place in last weekend's (November 12/13) Terre De Vaucluse event at the wheel of his trusty Peugeot 207 S2000. On this occasion he was only beaten by Stephane Chambon in a Subaru Impreza, which, like Jean-Joseph's Peugeot, was shod with Kumho R900 gravel rally tyres. There was just 1/10th of a second between the duelling pair after two days of flat out competition.
Said Kumho's European Motorsport Manager Steve Thompson: "It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Simon this season, who has been the first to credit the role our tyres have played in his stellar season. Despite two years away from the sport, he has clearly lost none of the raw speed that won him his two European Championships, and his achievements with the modestly-powered Peugeot have to be seen to be believed.
"By filling the top two places on last weekend's podium, Kumho has sent a strong message to those competing in the French championship next season and it would be nice to think we can achieve the same level of success in 2012."
A memorable year on stage and circuit
2011 has proved to be a notably successful one for Kumho's ever-busy European motorsport department and among its many other notable achievements are supplying the tyres for:
Victory on the final round of the World Rally Championship
And the results keep flowing, with Kumho-shod cars finishing 1st, 2nd, 5th and 8th in the national section of the Wales Rally GB last weekend (November 10-13) - regular Kumho runners Roger Duckworth and Mark Broomfield were the winners in a Subaru Impreza WRC.
Since it commenced in the spring of 2009, Kumho Tyres' innovative NVQ training programme has already created 22 graduates, while a further 37 tyre technicians from 31 of the company's nationwide network of ECSTA Performance Centres (EPCs) are currently being progressed through the system. As a result of the success to date, plans are now afoot to encourage retailers from the wider EPC network to become involved.
The Level 2 and 3 national qualifications fall into three categories, namely: Vehicle Fitting Technician, Specialist Tyre Technician and Service Technician. These Government-backed apprenticeships are delivered free-of-charge for those entering the programme ahead of their 19th birthday, while older participants require a level of financial support from their employers. All the training is delivered in the workplace, overcoming the need for participants to attend college.
The scheme, which is believed to be unique within a large network of independent tyre businesses, is being run in conjunction with Kumho's national distributor, Micheldever Tyre Services, while the training is being delivered by ReMIT - the UK's largest motor industry specialist training provider.
The directors of AA Silencers, Simon Grocott (Level 3) and his brother Justin (Level 2), were among the first technicians to graduate from the programme and are in no doubt about the benefits to their business. Said Simon: "Having participated in the scheme ourselves, we have learnt first-hand what it can do for our employees. There is no question that the training leads to higher levels of service and professionalism, and being able to undertake the courses on site is a major bonus. We thoroughly endorse the project and will continue to support it."
Said Kumho Tyre UK's Marketing Director John Thrupp, "We are delighted with the way this programme is progressing, from which all parties involved benefit: the technicians enhance their knowledge and CVs, thus making themselves more valuable to their employers; the EPCs gain a better trained, more motivated workforce; and the customers enjoy a better service.
"We are very proud to be supporting such a programme for the EPCs and look forward to assisting ever more technicians to achieve NVQ status in the coming months/years."
Having dominated the diesel class of the Nürburgring-based VLN racing championship all season, the Kumho-shod Peugeot RCZ Team Nokia's white-coloured car No.545 driven by Michael Bohrer, Stéphane Caillet and Jürgen Nett has clinched overall class victory in the series, with two races still to run.
Between them, the team's two cars (one white, one black) have achieved 11 podiums, six victories and four one-two finishes in just eight races. Car No.545's constant successes currently place it sixth overall among the championship's hundreds of runners - an astonishing achievement for a 2-litre diesel car.
Throughout the year, the Peugeots have been shod with wet or dry weather Kumho tyres as required - covers that have been much praised by the drivers, who have been constantly improving their lap times around the tortuous 12.9 mile long circuit. Said Kumho's European Motorsport Manager Steve Thompson: "It has been a delight to work with this very professional Peugeot team that is constantly looking to improve on its already outstanding performances. Our tyres have proved themselves come rain or shine in the four and six hour races, plus the incredible 24 hour one - a tough environment for any product.
"Such demanding track-based competition is of direct benefit to the development of our road tyres and will therefore benefit our customers the world over."