JK Tyre is a pioneer in motorsports in India with the credit to transform an unorganised and casual interest in racing into organised motorsport. With the sole purpose of growing the motorsports community in India, the company’s motorsports journey began in the early 1980s when it associated with The Himalayan Rally – India’s premier international event. “Ingraining motorsports in India has always been a key priority for JK Tyre. In India, motorsport is at the key junction of going from a niche to a populous sport, with a cult following,” says Sanjay Sharma, Head – Motorsport, JK Tyre & Industries Limited.

For JK Tyre, motorsport has played a vital role in providing the most potent platform to test tyres in the most extraordinary conditions in absolute terms and to reach out to youth and demonstrate technological prowess to build the brand. Sharma further explains, “Motorsports allow us to continuously test and update our products to offer the best possible tyres for passenger or commercial vehicles. Thanks to its competitive nature, motorsporting activities also inspired us to pioneer the technology used in producing high-performance tyres capable of running in treacherous conditions and at high speeds in racing and rallies.

“More importantly, motorsport is a perfect brand-building exercise for any automobile tyre manufacturer, which allows positioning themselves as an adventurer which  connects with the youth instantly, and excelling and winning also demonstrates the effectiveness of our products. JK Tyre’s name is synonymous with motorsport, and we are committed to making India the motorsport hub of Asia and putting in place a system that is constantly unearthing fresh talent and readying drivers for the global stage.”

Legacy

The company has been associated with a multitude of big and small events happening across India every year. It has invested in motorsport programmes for budding racers interested in taking up motorsport as a career. Today, JK Tyre is present in all the verticals of motorsport, from karting, racing, time-speed-distance navigational events, national and international rallying to 2-wheeler racing, truck racing and off-roading coupled with experiential events and expeditions in the country.

JK Tyre’s National Karting Championship has been running successfully for over 15 years. “Our National Karting Championship is serving as a breeding ground for budding racers. Jehan Daruvala, Arjun Maini, Kush Maini and Yash Aradhya, who have won laurels for the country in the international arena, have all started with us and been our national karting champions,” adds Sharma.

JK Tyre National Racing Championship is the longest-running racing championship in the country, which is in its 24th successive year. It was also the first company to acquire the FIA accredited series Formula BMW and rechristened it as the JK Racing Asia Series, which ran as a support race across F1 tracks in Asia and Europe. Subsequently, the company introduced the series as part of its National Racing Championship as JK Euro Cup to give the Indian racers a chance to race in the FIA accredited Formula 3 cars on their home turf. 

The company was one of the inaugural partners of the franchise based X1 Racing League in 2019 and partners of Racing Team India for its debut at Asian Le Mans 2021. “We have been leading in the Indian National Rally Championship with our ace driver, Arjuna Awardee and also our brand ambassador Gaurav Gill winning the coveted title for the seventh time,” adds Sharma.

According to Sharma, back then, the country lacked the infrastructure required for motorsports, and JK Tyre has been actively developing world-class infrastructure. “To nurture and mentor young talent, we have put together a step by step motorsport progression ladder for budding enthusiasts. We encourage young talent in our karting championships post. They graduate to race in the Indian make Formula 4 cars and then further move to Formula 3 cars in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship. After that, they go on to compete in major international events on a global stage. For this, we also introduced India’s first motorsport academy to foster the spirit of young racers,” elaborates Sharma.

Grooming New Breeds

Currently, JK Tyre has the best grid of rally drivers in the Indian National Rally Championship. Along with Indian rally ace Gaurav Gill’s expertise, the company has kickstarted a Rally Academy where Gaurav himself mentors its team of rally drivers.

“An important part of our goal when we became involved with motorsport was to develop the sport and support its sportsmen, and not just use it for product development. Today, we are proud to state that 90 percent of Indians flying the national flag globally are in one way or other have been a part of the JK Tyre development programme. When the Indian National Anthem plays on an international podium, it is indeed a proud moment for us,” says Sharma.

Tyre Test On Racing Turf

For JK Tyre, motorsport is essential in tyre development as it provides an organic testing ground for its products. The conditions in motorsports are not simulated and prove effective in comprehending actual results on the ground, without parameters and conditionalities.

 Motorsport drivers have a more diverse range of needs for their tyres, challenging to meet and balance the off-road rally events tyres on the track. Racing events are different and call for different tyre design approaches. Major performance expectations from tyres are extremely good longitudinal grip for quick braking and acceleration and excellent lateral grip for sharp cornering. They must be robust enough to operate in different terrains and on various surfaces without any punctures and structural damage. These requirements push tyre designers to the limits and constantly make designers think out of the box. “To meet the performance requirements of motorsport tyres, unique tyre pattern designs, constructions and compounds have to be developed. Few of these designs and compounds are horizontally deployed in commercial tyres as well to enhance the performance,” says Sharma.

 Gaining Popularity

Sharma thinks that motorsport is gaining traction in India. He adds that while cricket remains the preferred sport, motorsport still is the second most-watched sport in India. “Motorsport is a unique combination of man and machine. And with technology advancing, the sport also has seen much advancement in the country. In the last 10 years, the way progress has been made is almost at par with the world. The Indian motorsports industry has grown multifold over the past few years and will continue on this growth path in the future as well. With increasing participation in international rallies and events, the country’s role in global motorsports has never been this recognised.

“From Khel Ratna Deepa Mallik to Padma Shri Narain Karthikeyan and from Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill to Pradhan Mantri Bal Puruskar awardee Yash Aradhya, they are all standing examples of motorsport getting its due recognition. Over the years, we have seen many auto and auto ancillary manufacturers use this platform in one way or another, either by participating in the sport or using it to test their products. In any case, the industry participation is unparallel to any other sport,” explains Sharma.

Women In Motorsports

Sharma claims Initiatives of JK have encouraged the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) to focus on women in motorsport. Today in India, there is a commission that only concentrates on women in motorsport with its principal supporter JK Tyre. Over the years, JK Tyre has also played a proactive role in encouraging women to take to the sport, and its efforts have yielded satisfying results.

“JK Tyre adopted FIA’s highly successful initiative: the Girls on Track (GoT) programme, to spread awareness at the grassroots level and encourage girls to come to the race track and take to the sport. The event attracted a huge number of entries from young girls from across the country,” adds Sharma.

Sneha Sharma and Mira Erda emerged from JK Tyre’s karting programmes and are now competing in international formula racing. In fructification of these efforts, the JK Tyre National Racing Championship also features an all-women’s motor racing team. In addition to this, the company has specially curated women-centric TSD events like the Times Women Drive, Defence Wives Power Drive, FICCI Flo and Rally to the valley, which are the most awaited events in the calendar. “Today, in any and every vertical of motorsport, there is almost up to 20 percent participation of women on each grid,” adds Sharma.

Going Forward

JK Tyre will continue to consolidate its partnership with motorsports across verticals and continue investing in technology and bringing India closer to world standards. “We have already seen a tremendous growth of motorsport in the past decade. However, there’s still a long way to go. We pride ourselves on our active participation in almost every vertical of motorsport event happening in the country and will continue to do so in the forthcoming years. While the pandemic may have slowed the progress, the motorsport industry will be back in action with the upcoming seasons to look forward,” concludes Sharma.(TT)

Eurogrip Tyres, the leading tyre manufacturer in India, showcased its premium two-wheeler tyres at the 17th edition of Feria 2 Ruedas (F2R) International Motorcycle exhibition held at Plaza Mayor, Medellin, Colombia. The dates of this high-profile business event in South America's two-wheeler sector are 15–18 May 2025.

For more than 17 years, the Feria de las 2 Ruedas (F2R) has been the leading motorcycle industry event in Latin America. The expo, which takes place every year in Medellín, Colombia, is a vibrant venue for commerce, innovation and growth in the motorcycling sector. Additionally, it gives aficionados the chance to investigate the most recent developments and trends in the industry. The company showcased its premium lineup at exhibit N24 in the Tented Pavillion, which included a range of sport touring, off-road and trail tyres. High-performance versions including the Roadhound, Protorq Extreme, Trailhound STR, Climber, Bee Connect, Terrabite DB+ and Badhshah LX were on display.

P Madhavan, Executive Vice-President – Marketing & Sales, TVS Srichakra Ltd, said, “Eurogrip is focused to deliver innovative products for the global markets. Latin America is a priority market for us, and F2R Expo is a promising platform to engage with our target audience. We are looking forward to interesting business opportunities arising from this expo. Such specialised industry tradeshows add exceptional value to our quest in becoming a leading global tyre brand delivering world class tyre technology.”

Denka Company Limited announced it would record an extraordinary loss of approximately 16.1 billion yen (£85.8 million) as an impairment on manufacturing facilities at its US subsidiary. It will indefinitely suspend chloroprene rubber production at the Louisiana plant.

The Japanese chemical manufacturer, which holds a 70 percent stake in Denka Performance Elastomer LLC (DPE), cited mounting operational challenges, including unexpectedly high costs for pollution control equipment and declining production volumes at the American facility.

“DPE has faced significant cost, production and other challenges at its facility in the United States,” the company said in a statement. “Rising costs are attributable to, among other factors, identification, design, purchase, installation, and operation of pollution control equipment to reduce chloroprene emissions that DPE did not anticipate being required when it acquired the facility from E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company.”

The subsidiary was established in December 2014 and acquired the chloroprene rubber business from DuPont in November 2015. The Louisiana facility was intended to serve as a second manufacturing site in North America, complementing Denka’s Omi Plant in Itoigawa, Niigata, Japan.

However, according to the company statement, DPE has struggled with multiple operational issues, including “rising energy costs and a shortage of qualified staff necessary to operate new pollution control equipment and implement other emission reduction measures. “

Production volumes have declined partly due to “operational restrictions arising from the pollution reduction measures and unscheduled plant outages associated with supply chain disruptions and severe weather events,” Denka said.

The company noted that these challenges, combined with changes in the global economic environment for chloroprene rubber, have pressured profitability, making near-term improvement difficult.

Denka confirmed that DPE employs 250 people as of December 2024 and will not restart its chloroprene rubber manufacturing facilities following a regular maintenance shutdown. Instead, “all options for the business, including a potential sale of the business or its assets, will be considered,” the statement said.

The company emphasised that “no decision regarding a permanent closure of the facility has been made at this time.”

Customers will continue to be supplied from current inventories and production at the company’s Omi Plant in Japan.

DPE is 70 percent owned by Denka USA LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Denka Company Limited, and 30 percent by Diana Elastomers, Inc., a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

Yokohama Rubber reported a 56.9 percent year-on-year decline in profit attributable to owners for the first quarter of 2025, despite posting a 9.0 percent increase in sales revenue.

The Japanese tyre maker recorded a profit of 8.53 billion yen for the three months ended 31 March, down from 19.8 billion yen in the same period last year. Business profit fell 3.2 percent to 24.07 billion yen, while sales revenue rose to 275.12 billion yen.

The company maintained its full-year forecast, projecting an 11.4 percent increase in sales revenue to 1.22 trillion yen and an 8.8 percent rise in profit to 81.5 billion yen for the fiscal year ending 31 December 2025.

Yokohama Rubber attributed the profit decline to one-time costs related to its February acquisition of Goodyear’s off-the-road (OTR) tyre business, which it purchased for approximately 143 billion yen.

“Profit from existing businesses was strong,” the company said in its earnings statement. “In addition to increased sales volume for the company’s consumer tyres, mainly in overseas markets, and continued expansion of sales of high-value-added ADVAN, GEOLANDAR, and Winter tyres as well as high-inch tyres, profit was boosted by the MB segment’s MIX improvements and structural reforms.”

The tyre segment, which accounts for 91percent of the group’s consolidated sales revenue, saw a 10.4 percent increase in sales to 250.32 billion yen. Original equipment tyre sales were higher year-on-year, driven by “strong sales in Japan of vehicle models equipped with YOKOHAMA tyres and expansion of shipments for Chinese automakers’ new energy vehicles,” the company said.

Replacement tyre sales also increased, supported by higher sales of summer and winter tyres in Japan, increased sales of high-inch tyres in Europe, and stepped-up sales efforts in Asia.

The MB (Multiple Businesses) segment, which represents 8.4 percent of total sales, experienced a 3.2 percent revenue decline to 23.02 billion yen. This was attributed to lower demand from construction machinery makers in Japan and automakers in North America.

The company described an “upbeat” business sentiment in Japan for the quarter, noting that “a steady recovery in inbound demand and increasing orders for construction and logistics projects compensated for weak consumption by domestic households curbing spending in response to rising prices of consumer goods.”

Overseas, the company observed rising inflation concerns weighing on consumer spending in the United States, while in Europe, “manufacturing industries are rebounding and corporate business sentiment is improving.” In China, personal consumption was boosted by the Spring Festival holiday, but high US tariffs “reduced China’s exports and created uncertainty about the future that is weakening industrial activity.”

Swedish speciality chemicals firm Nynas reported solid financial results for 2024, posting an Adjusted EBITDA of 1,333 million Swedish kronor, marginally higher than the 1,316 million kronor recorded in 2023.

The company, which specialises in naphthenic speciality oils and bitumen products, attributed its performance to operational efficiency and commercial success in its niche markets.

“We are delighted with the progress made during 2024, evidencing our right-sized cost base and a more targeted commercial and manufacturing footprint. We have redefined our strategic direction, positioning Nynas as a speciality chemicals company, enabling the energy transition and setting our course for 2035,” Nynas CEO Eric Gosse said in a statement.

The firm highlighted strong cash generation from operations, which it said would support planned investments and longer-term growth initiatives. Nynas also mentioned the ongoing transformation of its Harburg site with plans to monetise the asset eventually.

All three of the company’s production facilities maintained high operational reliability between 95 percent and 99 percent. The Nynäshamn refinery achieved a notable milestone: in May 2024, it set a new monthly production record for naphthenic speciality oils at 42,000 tonnes.

Strategic pivot towards sustainability

Nynas outlined a strategic shift focused on higher-margin speciality materials with sustainable characteristics. The company aims to strengthen its position in European markets through innovation and sustainability initiatives.

“Nynas is uniquely positioned to contribute to the energy transition. Our strategy reflects our purpose to advance a more sustainable society, and our product development pipeline is fully aligned with this goal," Gosse added.

In 2024, the company received an EcoVadis Gold rating, placing it in the top 5 percent of globally rated businesses for sustainability performance.

With consecutive years of strong financial performance, Nynas indicated it continues to monitor debt capital markets to optimise its capital structure “at the appropriate time potentially”.

The Swedish chemicals producer noted that, having ceased operations in the United States in 2022, it remains largely insulated from recent global trade tensions surrounding US import tariffs. The company imports only minimal feedstock from America, shielding it from potential cross-border trade disputes.