Bridgestone has celebrated a landmark achievement in the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), the world’s leading endurance motorcycle racing series. The BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM captured the title riding Bridgestone’s BATTLAX premium tyres, becoming the first European manufacturer ever to secure the championship. It also marked the seventh overall and sixth straight year that a Bridgestone-equipped team has claimed the EWC crown.

The Japanese tyre maker’s presence in the series dates back to 2017, when it began supporting full-season entrants with BATTLAX tyre engineered for grip, durability and predictable handling. In 2026, Bridgestone supplied 7 of the 17 full-season EWC class entrants. Its teams delivered a historic sweep, locking out the top five championship positions and, for the first time, claiming every podium place at each round.

The season tested tyres across extremes, from the cold opening 24 Hours Motos at Le Mans and variable weather at the 8 Hours of Spa Motos to rain and unseasonable cool at Suzuka and high heat and speed at the Bol d’Or finale. BATTLAX maintained consistent performance throughout, extending Bridgestone’s winning run to sixteen consecutive EWC races across four seasons.

Werner Daemen, Manager – BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM, said, "We are extremely proud to have achieved the world championship! Two years ago, we had the opportunity to work with Bridgestone, and to be honest, this was one of the keys to our victory. We are truly proud to work with such a professional company, and together with BMW, our team, and Bridgestone, we achieved this championship. We will definitely be back, and next year in Japan at Suzuka, we hope not to go for third place, but for first, and to compete again for the world championship. I want to thank everyone at Bridgestone – engineers, marketing, operations and all the people we have worked with. I hope to see you again next year. Thank you!"

Hiroshi Imai, Executive Officer, CPO (Chief Product Officer), Bridgestone Corporation, said, "First of all, I would like to send my congratulations to everyone at the BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM on winning the series championship! Also, I extend my sincere gratitude to all the fans who supported the races, every team that competed throughout the EWC season, event staff and everyone involved in organising the series, including FIM and the promoter EMP. With dramatically different conditions at each race, the BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM demonstrated outstanding adaptability and unity, delivering truly champion-worthy performances and inspiring fans around the world. We are also proud that, in the extreme challenge of EWC, we were able to work as one Bridgestone team to support these teams by providing BATTLAX tyres to maximise rider and machine performance. We will continue to refine our technologies at the racetrack and strive to develop and supply even higher-quality, higher-performance tyres so that, as a member of our partner teams, we can contribute to victory from the ground up."

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Kuraray America, Inc. (KAI) threw its support behind Japan Festival Houston 2026, joining the weekend-long cultural showcase as both a sponsor and an active participant. The event served as a bridge between the company's Japanese origins and the Houston community it calls home.

Organised by the Japan-America Society of Houston (JASH), the two-day celebration gave visitors a window into Japanese culture. Attendees explored traditional and contemporary art, enjoyed live performances and authentic food, took part in family-oriented activities and browsed vendors selling Japanese merchandise and handcrafted items. The festival returns each year to honour Japanese culture in Houston while deepening ties between Japan and the United States.

KAI contributed as an Entertainment Underwriter sponsor, helping fund programming that made a weekend devoted to cultural connection, learning and community involvement possible. The occasion carried extra weight given that Kuraray reaches its 100th anniversary in 2026. Launched in Kurashiki, Japan, in 1926, the company evolved into a worldwide specialty chemical enterprise without losing its deep Japanese roots. For KAI's Houston-based employees, the festival became a way to honour that background and encourage cultural understanding close to home.

Over the course of the weekend, 21 KAI employees donated their time across various shifts, pitching in from Saturday morning until Sunday evening. Such involvement mirrors Kuraray America's wider dedication to supporting the communities where its workers reside and labour, and the company has backed the festival as a sponsor for several years running. KAI thanked every employee who volunteered, along with JASH for continuing to unite Houston through culture, education and meaningful interpersonal exchange, and offered particular gratitude to Mieko Davidson, Reiko Fuwa and Tomo Tani for their efforts.

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BKT has opened a 10,000 sq ft distribution facility in Sankagiri, Tamil Nadu, as the Indian tyre maker seeks to strengthen its position in the commercial vehicle radial segment in a key freight corridor.

The site, operated by authorised distributor Sri Jayanthi Roadways, is intended to improve product availability across eight markets — Salem, Sankagiri, Namakkal, Erode, Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Karur — while enabling closer engagement with fleet operators and dealers.

Tamil Nadu is one of India’s largest industrial and logistics centres, with extensive road infrastructure and high freight movement. The company said these factors make the state a strategic market for commercial vehicle tyres.

Sankagiri, a major trucking hub linking Salem, Coimbatore and Kerala, has been selected to support distribution across southern India. The facility is expected to serve as a point of contact for fleet operators and channel partners, strengthening the group’s regional presence.

The opening was accompanied by a partner event attended by dealers, fleet operators and regional transport representatives. A flag-off ceremony for seven commercial vehicles fitted with BKT tyres was also held.

Representatives present included Satish Sharma, Senior President and Director for Business Development and Strategy at BKT, and Amitkumar Agarwal, National Sales Head for Commercial Vehicle Radial Tyres at BKT. Local industry figures, including N R S (a) N Kandhasamy of the Sankagiri Lorry Owners Association and P Shanmugam of the Sankagiri Taluk Bus Owners Association, also attended.

Agarwal said: “Tamil Nadu is one of BKT Tyres priority growth markets for the commercial vehicle tyre segment, given its strong transport ecosystem, developed infrastructure and mature fleet operator base. As we continue to expand our on-highway business in India, strengthening our presence in key freight and logistics hubs is critical to building closer relationships with customers and improving access to our products.

“Sankagiri's strategic location and deep-rooted transport community make it an important market for our growth ambitions in the region. Through our partnership with Sri Jayanthi Roadways, which brings over four decades of industry experience, we are creating a stronger platform to serve fleet operators, transporters and channel partners. This facility is an important step in our commitment to building a robust distribution network and expanding BKT Tyres commercial vehicle tyre footprint across South India.”

The move comes as the company expands its commercial vehicle radial portfolio in India, targeting demand from the country’s transport sector.

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Dunlop will continue as the exclusive tyre supplier to the FIM Endurance World Cup Superstock and FIM Production World Trophy classes through the end of the 2029 season. The three-year extension with Endurance Moto Promoter, promoter of the FIM Endurance World Championship, preserves a role Dunlop has filled in Superstock since 2022 and in Production since that category's 2025 debut.

The agreement also maintains Dunlop's position as an Official Partner of the FIM EWC, a relationship that began in 2016. Teams across both classes will keep using the Dunlop KR slick range, receiving consistent performance, reliability and technical support whatever their size. Since 2022, the manufacturer has aided the steady progress of both grids in performance and competitive depth.

In the Formula EWC, where tyre choice stays open to all manufacturers, Dunlop will keep collaborating closely with several leading teams. It remains the most successful tyre brand in Championship history. The 2027 season opens with the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans, France, from 8 to 11 April 2027.

Wim Van Achter, Motorcycle Motorsport Manager EMEA, Dunlop Motorcycle Europe, said, “We are honoured to continue our partnership with the FIM Endurance World Championship and EMP as the exclusive tyre supplier for the Superstock and Production classes. EWC is a valuable arena for the active development of Dunlop’s KR racing tyres, which are available on the market for racers and track day riders. This partnership represents a stamp of approval for our tyres and a further incentive to continue developing the next generation of the Dunlop KR racing range in one of the most competitive racing environments.”

Claude Michy, President, Endurance Moto Promoter, said, “We are delighted to continue the longstanding partnership between the FIM EWC World Championship and Dunlop as the sole tyre manufacturer for the Superstock and Production classes. Endurance racing is a discipline that demands performance but also great consistency and complete trust between the teams and their technical partners. Dunlop has unique expertise and experience in this field and has always demonstrated its ability to meet the particularly high standards of the FIM EWC World Championship. This renewal reflects the quality of our collaboration and our shared commitment to keep promoting the championship. Above all, the main goal is to continue supporting the Superstock and Production teams as well as possible, thanks to a new allocation system.”

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Hankook Tire has earned 11 podium placements in the 2026 WhatTyre Awards, marking its sixth straight year of recognition at the UK-focused honours. The awards, run by a specialist tyre news and comparison platform, spotlight leading products available to British motorists and rely on a scoring algorithm to rank top performers across the market.

The company’s 2026 haul includes three category victories, two Highly Recommended mentions and six Commended awards, reflecting the breadth of its portfolio and its emphasis on performance, safety and innovation. Its Ventus evo tyre retained the Performance of the Year title for a second consecutive year, with design features including an AI-assisted mixing process, extra-rigid sidewalls and tread blocks and low rolling resistance.

The Ventus evo’s latest honour follows strong showings in the 2026 Auto Bild summer tyre test, where it competed against 50 rival products, and the Auto Bild Allrad tyre test, which featured nine competing tyres. Hankook’s electric vehicle range also drew attention, with the iON evo named Electric Car Tyre of the Year for a third straight year after wins in 2024 and 2025, while the iON FlexClimate received a Commended award in the same category.

Recognition extended across SUV, summer, all-season, winter and super-sport segments. The iON evo SUV won SUV Tyre of the Year, the Ventus Prime4 was Highly Recommended in the Summer Tyre of the Year category, and the iON FlexClimate SUV earned Highly Recommended status among all-season SUV tyres. Commended awards went to the Ventus S1 evo Z in the super-sport category and the Kinergy 4S2 among all-season tyres.

Winter products also featured, with the Winter icept RS3 commended in the Winter Tyre of the Year category and both the Winter icept evo3 and Winter i*cept evo3 X recognised among winter performance tyres. The 11 awards across multiple segments underscore the strength and diversity of Hankook’s UK range, from sports and premium summer tyres to dedicated EV, SUV, all-season and winter solutions.

Complete list of winning tyres from Hankook:

1. Winner – Performance Tyre of the Year: Hankook Ventus evo
2. Winner – SUV Tyre of the Year: Hankook iON evo SUV
3. Winner – Electric Car Tyre of the Year: Hankook iON evo
4. Highly Recommended – Summer Tyre of the Year: Hankook Ventus Prime4
5. Highly Recommended – All-Season SUV Tyre of the Year: Hankook iON FlexClimate SUV
6. Commended – Super-sport Tyre of the Year: Hankook Ventus S1 evo Z
7. Commended – All- Season Tyre of the Year: Hankook Kinergy 4S2
8. Commended – Winter Tyre of the Year: Hankook Winter i*cept RS3
9. Commended – Winter Performance Tyre of the Year: Hankook Winter i*cept evo3
10. Commended – Winter Performance Tyre of the Year: Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X
11. Commended – Electric Car Tyre of the Year: Hankook iON FlexClimate

Chris Anthony, Managing Director at Tyres & Accessories, Tyrepress and WhatTyre, said, “With 11 tyres winning, being highly recommended or commended in the 2026 WhatTyre Tyre of the Year awards, Hankook is arguably the most successful tyre manufacturing this time round. With hundreds of thousands of tyres in our database and multiple tyre manufacturers competing, that result is a significant achievement – that fact that Hankook's recognition takes place across range of categories that includes everything from all-season SUV tyres to super-sport tyres only serves to underline the point.”

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