Bridgestone India has expanded its Flagship Select Store network with the opening of four new Select outlets in Hyderabad. With these new outlets, the company has taken its tally of stores in Hyderabad to 46 with an aim to transform the tyre buying and servicing experience by addressing the evolving needs of Indian consumers.

The Bridgestone Select Stores, which are supported by a robust premium network, offer an engaging and instructive experience that enables consumers to choose tyres with knowledge. To assist consumers get the most out of their tyres, the business also gives demos so they can see the impact that each service offers. At the moment, Bridgestone has a strong dealer network of 3,200, which includes 820 Bridgestone Select stores in India. Bridgestone India operates a few select storefronts in important cities including New Delhi, Ghaziabad, Bangalore, Kolhapur, Chennai and Hyderabad. The Select shops are designed to address a long-standing demand for a more intelligent tyre retail structure.

Hiroshi Yoshizane, Managing Director, Bridgestone India, said, “Hyderabad is an important market for us, and we’re proud to expand this pioneering concept of Select stores in the city. Bridgestone is committed to provide superior products and services to customers in line with its mission of serving society with superior quality. At Bridgestone, we’ve consistently led in enhancing customer experience, and these stores will help customers in Hyderabad to make informed tyre choices tailored to their needs. It also offers our dealers a unique, differentiated format to drive more walk-ins. As tyres are the only point of contact between a vehicle and the road, the store is designed to offer customers premium products, services and an elevated buying experience through its exclusive network.”

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Plaza Tire Service, a brand within the Sun Auto Network, has expanded its Missouri footprint by opening a new location strategically serving drivers along the Highway 65 corridor. The expansion now reaches motorists across Ozark, Nixa and the greater Springfield area, reinforcing the company’s presence in Christian County, recognised as one of the fastest-growing regions south of Springfield.

Operating under the Plaza Tire Service name, the newest storefront upholds the brand’s Driver Commitment, which emphasises clarity, confidence and attentive customer care. To enhance the service experience, the facility offers 24/7 online appointment scheduling, digital vehicle inspections, nationwide warranties and immediate access to leading tyre brands. Same-day service is available alongside a full range of automotive maintenance and repair work, including alignments, brake service, oil changes, battery replacements and preventative maintenance.

Michael Loa, Regional Vice President, said, "Missouri continues to be an important market for us. This location allows us to strengthen our presence in the Springfield area while continuing to deliver the consistent, expert know-how our customers expect."

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Hankook Tire, the exclusive tyre supplier to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), successfully completed the sixth round of the 2026 season, the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, where its Dynapro R213 rally tyre played a central role in managing the event’s punishing conditions. The tyre was engineered to absorb impacts from rough gravel and rocky terrain while delivering consistent grip and durability across the rally’s demanding stages.

Held from 7 to 10 May around Matosinhos in northern Portugal, the competition covered 23 Special Stages totalling approximately 345 kilometres. The surface began as soft, sandy gravel but progressively turned into sharp rocks and deeply rutted terrain due to repeated passes, making tyre durability and stability essential for performance. Hankook provided the Dynapro R213 in Hard and Soft compounds, allowing teams to balance high grip from the soft version with the hard compound’s resilience on changing surfaces.

After a fierce battle, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team driver Thierry Neuville secured overall victory, marking his team’s first win of the 2026 season. He took the lead in the closing stages and delivered a commanding performance to finish on the top step of the podium. In the Drivers’ Championship standings, Toyota GAZOO Racing’s Elfyn Evans leads with 123 points, followed closely by teammate Takamoto Katsuta on 111 points.

Throughout the event, Hankook operated a Brand World booth in the service park, featuring a motorsport heritage exhibition, racing simulators, branded merchandise and photo zones to enhance its premium global image. The 2026 WRC season now moves to Round 7, the FORUM8 Rally Japan on 28–31 May, a tarmac event on narrow mountain roads requiring precise steering and high-speed stability. Hankook continues to integrate WRC driving data into its R&D, advancing high-performance tyre technology as the exclusive supplier for all WRC classes since 2025.

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DUNLOP Motorsport is all geared up for the 2026 ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring, scheduled to be held from 14 to 17 May 2026. At the legendary Nordschleife, the team will debut a Porsche 911 GT3 R bearing start number 17, marking the black-and-yellow car’s first appearance at the Eifel classic. A quartet of experienced drivers has been assembled to share the cockpit, including Frenchmen Julien Andlauer and Dorian Boccolacci, Belgian Alessio Picariello and Nordschleife specialist Nico Menzel.

A series of preparatory runs within the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Endurance Series allowed the team to gather vital operational intelligence. Despite a rain‑affected delay to the opening round, the group managed to cross the line inside the top ten overall during its very first race. That outcome, combined with methodical calibration of the Porsche's suspension and aerodynamics, improved the squad's command of DUNLOP tyre behaviour under race conditions.

Unpredictable factors such as sudden showers, evolving asphalt grip and heavy lapped traffic frequently decide outcomes at the Nürburgring. Success therefore hinges on error‑free driving and disciplined strategic calls. The selected drivers bring precisely those attributes: Andlauer from his tenure in elite GT and prototype series, Boccolacci and Picariello from repeated Nordschleife campaigns, and Menzel from years of local expertise.

Several other entrants have also chosen DUNLOP rubber. Saugmotoren Motorsport will run the distinctive BMW Z4 E89, steered by Nordschleife veterans Ralf Schall and Christian Scherer. BLACK FALCON Team FANATEC, collaborating with Gran Turismo, enters a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup whose cockpit will be shared by Manuel Metzger, online personality Misha Charoudin and sim racers Steve Brown and Jimmy Broadbent. For spectators, the Boulevard area presents an interactive zone where Gran Turismo simulators offer virtual Nordschleife laps. A Porsche 962 C on loan from the Porsche Museum, winner of all five Supercup races in 1987 and that year's champion, will also be exhibited.

The ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring starts Saturday 16 May at 3:00 pm. Fans unable to attend can watch live via the official stream or on RTL Nitro. DUNLOP Motorsport also shares regular updates and content from the Eifel region through its social media channels.

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Pirelli has developed a new rear tyre solution for the fifth FIM Superbike World Championship round at the Czech Republic’s Most circuit. The track is known for unusually high mechanical strain on rubber, particularly at the rear axle. To address this, Pirelli created the F0468 medium compound rear specification. Its compound matches the D0922, a tyre used at Most in 2025 and at Phillip Island across the previous two seasons. However, the F0468 features an entirely new internal structure for better race-long consistency and improved stability.

This newcomer evolves the E0829 specification, which shared the same compound and appeared at Phillip Island earlier this year. Riders who dislike the F0468 can still choose the D0922 development rear tyre. That option has already proven itself at the unique Czech layout and at Phillip Island, another tyre‑killing circuit. For qualifying and the Superpole Race, Pirelli has designated the standard soft SC0 as the reference rear tyre.

Beyond the premier class, Supersport and SportBike World Championship competitors will also race at Most. Supersport riders receive the same front choices as Superbike: soft SC1 and medium SC2. At the rear, Supersport entries can pick the soft SC0 or the medium SC1. SportBike competitors have used that same medium SC1 on both axles all season.

The tyre lineup thus gives every category familiar options alongside the new F0468. By blending a proven compound with a revised structure, Pirelli targets greater performance consistency without forcing riders to abandon the trusted D0922. Most’s punishing layout will serve as the ultimate test for both solutions.

Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Motorcycle Racing Director, said, “Over more than two decades as supplier to the Superbike World Championship, Pirelli has built an extremely solid and versatile tyre range. The SCX supersoft rear solution now represents an absolute benchmark for riders and is used in most races on the calendar, with the soft SC0 becoming a valid alternative on some occasions. There are, however, some circuits that are particularly demanding on tyres, such as Phillip Island and Most, which by virtue of their layout and intrinsic characteristics require more specific solutions and more durable compounds, typically medium options.

“In these cases, development work focuses on improving key parameters such as performance and consistency over race distance: objectives that guided the design of the new rear solution in F0468 specification. To complete the allocation, riders will in any case also have the well-proven D0922 option available, which has shown that it can effectively handle the particular stresses imposed by this circuit. It will be interesting to assess whether the new F0468 medium will be able to raise the performance level beyond that of the D0922 further still.”

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