The Kari Motor Speedway, located in the outskirts of Coimbatore gears up to host the third and final round of India’s premium motor racing event- the 23rd JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship.

Six races in each category of Formula LGB 4 and Novice Cup will be held during the finale weekend, from Jan 21-24. Chennai's very own Ashwin Datta of Dark Don Racing stole the show in December with his consistent racing in the Formula LGB4 category. The unlikely underdog Amir Sayed from Kottayam of team- MSport, displayed expert skills in the Novice category.

The action was not any less exciting with female racers as Mira Erda of MSport received the best female racer allocate. Meanwhile, in the Novice category, Anushriya Gulati of Ahura Racing emerged as the noticeable winner.

In the Formula LGB4 category, Ashwin Datta leads with 39 points. Chennai-based Raghul Rangasamy of MSport, inches behind at 32 points, while his teammate, Vishnu Prasad comes in at 30 points. In the overall team category, Dark Don Racing heads the standings with 80 points, followed by MSport at 74 & Ahura Racing at 29.  

In the Novice Cup category, Amir leads comfortably with 60 points. DTS Racing’s Dhruvin Gajjar pursues him from Rajasthan with 34 points. Coming in third place is Kolkata racer- Aman Chaudhary representing DTS Racing with 24 points. Team MSport leads the points table with 77 points with DTS Racing and Momentum Motorsport in the second and third place with 59 & 50 points respectively.

In Formula LGB 4, Viswas Jayaraj from Nellore representing Avalanche Racing is the leader with 44 points. At 35 points, Anushriya- Gulati from Dehradun is placed second. With just one point behind, Chirag Ghorpade of Bangalore from Team Momentum Motorsport is placed third at 34 points. The weekend will determine if Anushriya can maintain her lead over Chirag.

Speaking about the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship, Sanjay Sharma, Head, Motorsports, JK Tyre said, “We feel proud that despite the pandemic, which put the world at a halt, we at JK Tyre were able to maintain the continuity of India’s longest-running racing championship without compromising on the safety protocols set by the Government and State authorities. And this is all with the support of our participants, patrons, officials, technicians who worked together to make this happen.”

“With some seasoned racers on the track, it would be a sight to watch the final round go down to the wire as we will get our National Champions for 2020,” he further added.

Lucid Motors has selected Hankook Tire’s EV-exclusive all-season tyre, the iON evo AS SUV, as original equipment (OE) for its all-new electric SUV, the Lucid Gravity, designed for the North American Market.

Through its partnership with Lucid Motors, Hankook Tire has unveiled the iON evo AS SUV as a high-performance all-season tyre designed especially for big electric SUVs. The tyre's next-generation compound design combines high-performance polymers, environmentally friendly components, and high-concentration silica to provide outstanding grip and improved mileage performance in a variety of driving circumstances throughout the year. Notably, the tyre's stiffness profile has been tuned to support the heavier EV battery packs while maintaining a consistent road contact pressure to improve driving stability.

Its tread shape also permits even wear, increasing the tyre's longevity. The tyres greatly reduce rolling resistance and efficiently reduce noise by carefully balancing the size and quantity of tread blocks. Drivers who want a dynamic driving experience may retain great energy economy thanks to this design's improvements.

The Lucid Gravity, a full-size, three-row SUV and Lucid Motors' second all-electric vehicle model, was just introduced in the US. The Lucid Gravity has a sleek body and an elegant interior. It has a range of more than 700 kilometres on a single charge, can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in only 3.5 seconds and produces up to 828 horsepower in Grand Touring configuration. Actual results will vary depending on temperature, driving behaviour, battery state and charging.

Firestone, a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone), has launched the Firestone Affinity AS tyre, its latest touring tyre designed for mainstream sedans.

The Firestone Affinity AS tyre features a tread compound that safeguards against uneven and premature wear and comes with a limited warranty of up to 65,000 miles (approx. 104,607 km). It also helps limit road noise and vibration, while the unique tread pattern with diagonal and lateral sipes is designed to improve wet-weather traction and handling. Noise-silencing grooves in the tread pattern further help reduce noise and harshness while enhancing drivability.

An important addition to the Firestone touring collection, the Affinity AS tyre is positioned between the Firestone WeatherGrip and the entry-level all-season tyres. With no winter-specific certification, the Affinity AS tyre adds to Firestone's lineup and gives drivers who value consistent all-season performance another choice. Popular automobiles with rim widths ranging from 15 to 19 inches are designed to fit the Affinity AS tyre. At launch, there are nine fitments available. Throughout 2025, the 28 total fitments will be made available in a phased rollout. The Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus and Chevrolet Impala SEL are among the vehicles whose Affinity AS tyres fit the best.

Brad Robison, Director – Consumer Product Strategy, Bridgestone Americas, said, "Our new touring offering, the Affinity AS tyre, is designed to deliver confident handling, a quiet ride and long wear life for mainstream sedans. With impressive wet-weather grip and longevity, the Affinity AS tyre is built for the drivers who appreciate strong performance and good value.”

Polestar has selected Continental’s SportContact 7 tyre as original equipment (OE) for its new electric SUV, the Polestar 3. The SUV will be fitted with 21-inch tyres in several key markets, including the UK and Ireland.

The tyre has an XL designation for greater load capacity and is authorised for speeds of up to 168 mph (approx 270 kmph). ContiSilent technology, which lowers interior noise and adds to the comfort that one would expect from a high-end EV, is a feature of the Polestar-approved models. The SportContact 7, available in two sizes (265/45 R21 108W XL and 295/40 R21 111W XL), offers a combination of improved stability, grip and rolling finesse.

Maximum driving safety and accurate handling are made possible by the SportContact 7 tyre in a variety of situations. Its creation was centred on maximising driving pleasure, cutting down on stopping distances and prolonging tyre life. In comparison to its predecessor, the tyre delivers a 17 percent gain in mileage, a six percent reduction in braking distance on dry roads and an eight percent shorter braking distance on wet roads.

Cycling tyre manufacturer Maxxis is set to upgrade its gravel tyre portfolio by introducing its new HYPR-X compound.

The new formulation combines technology from two existing Maxxis compounds: the low-rolling-resistance HYPR for road cycling and the race-winning MaxxSpeed for mountain biking applications.

According to Maxxis, the enhanced versions of its Receptor, Reaver, Rambler, and Ravager models will deliver “19 per cent better cornering traction and 25 per cent less rolling resistance” compared to their predecessors.

Technical improvements extend beyond the new compound. Maxxis implemented a stronger nylon material for the 120 TPI casing to increase tread durability. Sidewalls will incorporate the company’s EXO Protection technology to guard against cuts and abrasions. All models will be tubeless-ready.

The company has also refreshed the aesthetic design of these tyres, featuring updated branding on hot patches with grey and orange accents. In line with sustainability initiatives, the new range will ship in recyclable paper packaging, reducing plastic waste.

The phased rollout begins with the Reaver and Rambler models in 700X45C size, with additional sizes becoming available throughout the next three months. The Ravager and Receptor range is scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2025.

Maxxis has directed customers to contact local dealers or visit their website for information on availability as products are released throughout the year.