Bridgestone will continue as a tyre supplier to the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) in 2026, extending its partnership with the series which began in 2017. The company will increase its involvement by equipping seven teams with its premium BATTLAX motorcycle tyres, a rise from the five teams supported the previous year. The seven teams are AutoRace Ube Racing Team, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, F.C.C. TSR Honda France, Kawasaki Webike Trickstar, KM99 Yamaha, Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team and Yoshimura SERT Motul.

This expanded role follows a highly successful 2025 season where a Bridgestone-equipped team, Yamalube YART Yamaha, claimed the EWC title. This victory marked the sixth championship win for a team using Bridgestone tyres and the fifth consecutive year of such dominance, with five of the top six overall positions occupied by Bridgestone-supported teams.

The BATTLAX racing tyres are the result of advanced engineering, utilising sophisticated materials and construction methods to provide superior grip, consistent performance and lasting durability. These qualities are essential for the demanding nature of endurance racing, which features events lasting up to a full day. Engineered to perform reliably in diverse weather and track conditions, the tyres give riders the confidence to maintain a competitive pace throughout each stint.

Bridgestone views the racetrack as a crucial development environment, using the extreme conditions of the EWC to rigorously test and refine its technology. With races ranging from 8 to 24 hours, the series places continuous, intense stress on tyres, offering a perfect setting to advance compound chemistry and construction techniques. This knowledge is then applied to consumer products under the company’s From Circuit to Street philosophy. The latest proof of this process is found in new additions to the BATTLAX family, including the track-only RACING BATTLAX V03 slick tyre and the road-legal BATTLAX RACING STREET RS12, both of which feature technology honed in the crucible of endurance competition.

Nico Thuy, Director Motorcycle, Bridgestone EMEA, said, “The FIM Endurance World Championship represents the ultimate proving ground for tyre performance, durability and innovation. The 2025 season once again demonstrated the consistency and capability of Bridgestone tyres under the toughest racing conditions. Following this success, we are proud to offer our expertise and top-performing tyres to seven teams for 2026.”

The 2026 EWC season schedule is as follows:

• 18 April: 24 Heures Motos, Le Mans, France
• 6 June: 8 Hours of Spa Motos, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
• 5 July: Cuca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours, Suzuka race track, Japan
• 19 September: the Bol d'Or, Circuit Paul Ricard, France

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Hankook Tire, the exclusive tyre supplier for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, played a central role in the season’s pivotal Japanese double-header. As the official race tyre for all competitors, the company’s iON Race compound was put to the test under extreme and shifting conditions during Rounds 14 and 15 of Season 12 at the 2026 TDK Tokyo E-Prix.

The weekend’s on-track action produced two dramatic winners. CUPRA KIRO’s Dan Ticktum snatched victory in Round 14 with a last-corner overtake on Jake Dennis, while Nick Cassidy completed the podium. The following day, Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries claimed Round 15, finishing ahead of Cassidy and Dennis, who secured second and third respectively. The entire paddock also observed a period of remembrance for the late Cyril Blais.

The 2.575-kilometre temporary circuit, featuring 18 corners and situated around Tokyo Big Sight, hosted its first-ever night races, drastically altering track conditions from practice to competition. Unstable weather compounded the challenge, with a Sunday thunderstorm cancelling Free Practice 3 and leaving a damp, drying surface for Round 15 that demanded constant adaptation in tyre warm-up and strategy.

Throughout the weekend, Hankook’s iON Race tyre demonstrated reliability across the evolving grip levels and temperature swings. Following the Tokyo results, Dennis retains the championship lead with 146 points, narrowly ahead of Mitch Evans and Pascal Wehrlein. The title battle remains fiercely contested and will be resolved at the season-ending Hankook London E-Prix double-header on 15–16 August.

Manfred Sandbichler, Senior Director, Hankook Motorsport, said, “Bringing Formula E night racing to Tokyo for the first time made this a distinctive weekend and one of the more unusual tyre assignments of our season. The contrast between afternoon running and the 20:05 races shaped how teams prepared for both events, and the iON Race managed that transition and the changing weather conditions well, delivering consistent and predictable performance as the circuit cooled through the evening.”

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Tegeta Green Planet recently contributed to the ‘Circular Future’ green camp, an environmental education initiative organised by CENN and funded by the European Union. The camp, which hosted 23 teenagers from the Adjara and Kakheti regions, was designed to deepen ecological understanding, advocate for waste-free systems, and inspire long-term behavioural change among the next generation.

Throughout the week-long gathering, young attendees engaged with forward-thinking methods for minimising refuse, prolonging product life cycles and improving separation and recovery processes. Interactive workshops translated abstract circular economy theories into tangible daily actions, equipping participants with the know-how to conserve materials and shrink their personal environmental toll.

A noteworthy component of the programme occurred on 22 July, when a specialised seminar titled ‘Circular Economy: Waste Reduction and Recycling for Public Health’ was convened. Co-hosted by Tegeta Green Planet, the UNDP and the Waste Management Business Association, the seminar examined the intersection of ecological integrity and human well-being, illustrating how robust recycling systems directly benefit community health outcomes.

Closing the day’s agenda, Tegeta Green Planet’s Director, Shalva Akhvlediani, offered an in-depth look at the Extended Producer Responsibility model currently unfolding in Georgia. He traced the journey of end-of-life vehicle components – from used tyres and spent lubricants to depleted batteries – through collection, transport and reprocessing channels. Akhvlediani also highlighted his organisation’s network of over 350 domestic producers and importers, stressing that youth education remains a cornerstone of their mission. The floor was then opened for a lively exchange, where students posed probing questions, debated local environmental dilemmas and floated their own grassroots suggestions, reinforcing the message that responsible resource use begins with informed individual choices.

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Nexen Tire reported second-quarter revenue of KRW 891.3 billion and operating profit of KRW 34.3 billion, as growth in Europe and higher sales of premium products supported performance despite rising costs and geopolitical uncertainty.

Revenue increased 10.8 per cent from a year earlier, driven by demand in key markets, particularly Europe, the company said .

The tyre manufacturer said its strategy of expanding original equipment (OE) supply programmes and diversifying replacement (RE) tyre sales helped support growth amid weaker demand in the automotive market. Sales of 18-inch and larger tyres accounted for 38.8 percent of total sales, up 3.6 percentage points from a year earlier, reflecting a greater focus on premium products.

Profitability came under pressure as higher raw material prices and increased ocean freight rates raised costs. The company also incurred one-off expenses following the final ruling on US anti-dumping duties, which resulted in a higher tariff rate than previously expected.

Europe was the strongest-performing region during the quarter, with revenue reaching KRW 407.2 billion, the first time quarterly sales in the region have exceeded KRW 400 billion.

The company attributed the growth to higher OE sales from its European manufacturing plant, business expansion in the UK, Türkiye and other markets, and improved distribution and logistics following the addition of a finished-goods warehouse at the plant.

In South Korea, demand for electric vehicle (EV) and sport utility vehicle (SUV) tyres remained strong. Nexen Tire said its expanding OE portfolio, which includes the Hyundai IONIQ 6, Kia's EV3 to EV9 models and other domestic electric vehicles, supported higher OE revenue and increased sales of larger-diameter tyres.

The company also said continued growth in rental sales within the replacement market improved its product mix, while its first OE supply agreement with BYD strengthened its position in the global EV market.

Alongside its financial results, Nexen Tire said it had expanded its OE supply during the quarter to electrified models including BYD vehicles and the Hyundai STARIA EV. Supply to premium automotive brands also increased from a year earlier, supported by research and development initiatives, including AI-based performance prediction technologies.

"Despite growing cost pressures from external factors, we have continued to achieve top-line growth on the back of strong sales in key markets," said John Bosco (Hyeon Suk) Kim, CEO of NEXEN TIRE. "With the stable ramp-up of the second-phase expansion at our European plant and the results of our distribution improvements in North America, we expect more tangible improvements in earnings."

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Pirelli has officially communicated to all Formula 1 teams the tyre compound selections for the upcoming Dutch, Spanish and Italian Grands Prix. The Italian manufacturer has opted for the medium-range C2, C3 and C4 compounds for the events at Zandvoort and the new Madrid circuit, while the Monza race will see the softest available tyres, the C3, C4 and C5, deployed.

For the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, Pirelli has confirmed the same compound choice as the previous year. The coastal circuit is defined by its medium and low-speed corners, including two banked turns, which place significant vertical and lateral loads on the tyres and demand high aerodynamic downforce. The track surface itself offers low inherent grip, a challenge compounded by sand from the nearby beaches being blown onto the asphalt, further affecting tyre performance.

The Italian Grand Prix at Monza presents a contrasting challenge, with its recently resurfaced track encouraging teams to run low-downforce configurations. The pit lane loss time for a tyre change is among the highest of the season, incentivising teams to extend stints and manage degradation to achieve a one-stop race. However, the potential for high ambient temperatures could complicate this strategy, making tyre management more difficult.

Making its debut on the calendar as the Spanish Grand Prix, the semi-permanent street circuit in Madrid features 22 highly varied corners, significant elevation changes and the longest banked turn in the championship. Simulations indicate that the loads on the tyres are comparable to those at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps. Consequently, Pirelli’s selection of the medium-range compounds is designed to favour a two-stop strategy and offer greater protection against overheating, a risk to which the softer C5 compound would be particularly vulnerable in warm conditions.

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