The benefits of this are multiple. First of all, they don’t need to offer the full range of sizes to stake their claim as a racing tyre manufacturer. And I need to stress I’m talking about road car racing, not F1 racers, as those tyres are basically rocket science at this point. Many Chinese factories seem to have launched their racing tyre range for a very specific purpose, as they only have a few sizes, and sometimes very odd ones. For example, I saw a factory with just three different sizes for their racing tyre pattern, and one of them was 255/55R18. Just in case you want to rock your BMW X5 on the racing track, maybe? I can’t help but giggle at the image of drifting SUVs. Secondly, they don’t even need to be very good at it, or to be able to make very innovative products. It’s much easier to develop a product for a very specific purpose and just make it ‘good enough’, without engaging in the top five percent where all the heavy investment and R&D is needed to churn out those milliseconds that make all the difference for the top performers. Actually, when catering to the segment that just wants to burn tyres – drifters, for example – the usually all-important grip factor suddenly becomes negligible. And offering a budget option is attractive to those burning tyres on their own bill.

Design wise also racing tyres are very different from regular car tyres, in that they’re basically slicks with a flashy looking single lightning groove from close to the centre to the edge. Hard to make that design truly unique, but that also means that nobody can be blamed when designing something a bit too similar to something already on the market. Function before looks in this case, I’m sure. And in terms of rubber compounds, there are usually two or three different ones, depending on specific client needs, and they’re made to order. The hardest compounds are naturally for the drifters, and the softer ones for track racing.

But, in spite of the designs being simple, compounds not challenging to make, and the fact that the size range doesn’t need to be extensive, launching a racing tyre range still somehow reflects positively on all the regular passenger car tyres in the manufacturer’s range. As if the fact that they can design and produce tyres for high-performance racing machines also means that their standard range offers better handling or on-road performance to vehicles run by weekend warriors or others who might drive a station wagon, but really are race car drivers at heart.

That is, of course, if the Chinese budget manufacturers used this in their global marketing strategy – and in most cases, had one to begin with. The days where Chinese tyres could be sold on price alone are over, as output has far exceeded demand, but it’s striking to see how few have actually invested in their future market shares. For the layman, trying to name five major Chinese tyre manufacturers (or any of their brands) would be a tall order. Trying to name any that produce racing tyres would be even harder. Even for those inside the industry, very few know how many produce racing tyres or other specialised tyre products, because they often produce for a single client and don’t use this in active marketing. And no, a ‘sales manager’ posting a picture on LinkedIn doesn’t count. The brands and tyre manufacturers in China that will prevail are those able to build a global marketing strategy and naturally possess the skills to stay at the front of product development and gradually move out of the ultra-budget segment. The rest will learn the hardship of selling cheap tyres on price alone when China isn’t cheap anymore. (TT)

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Tyrecycle Chief Executive Officer Jim Fairweather has called for mandatory market-based regulation and increased government procurement ahead of his appearance at a parliamentary inquiry into Australia’s tyre industry. His formal submission to the Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation and Science sets an uncompromising objective of eliminating tyre dumping nationwide. Fairweather argues that collection schemes alone are insufficient without creating genuine demand for recycled materials.

The inquiry, conducted by the Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation and Science, was adopted on 5 November 2025, following referrals from the Ministers for Industry and Science. Its mandate includes investigating industry challenges and opportunities within a circular economy framework. Fairweather has identified significant market failures, noting that a large portion of Australia’s tyre waste remains buried or abandoned. He argues that extended producer responsibility schemes do not automatically create markets, as effective disposal methods do not necessarily follow collection efforts.

A central focus of Tyrecycle’s submission is the disparity between tyre sectors. While passenger and truck tyres achieve a 96 percent collection rate, off the road or mining tyres represent nearly 30 percent of total waste by weight, yet the recovery rate stood at just 13 percent in 2023 and 2024. Fairweather insists that national waste targets cannot be reached without addressing off the road tyres; he has labelled the practice of landfilling and in pit disposal at mines as a major regulatory barrier.

To bridge this gap, Tyrecycle has proposed targeted landfill bans to redirect mining and agricultural tyres towards recyclers. The company also calls for increased government procurement of crumb rubber for road construction, noting that mandating higher recycled content in asphalt specifications could expand the domestic market fivefold. Australia’s road sector already consumes about 30,000 tonnes of crumb rubber annually, while Tyrecycle is advancing a pipeline of over 100,000 tonnes per year in domestic tyre derived fuel.

Tyrecycle, which processes roughly 20 million equivalent passenger units annually or about 40 percent of Australia’s collected waste tyres, has invested more than 50 million dollars in capital upgrades. This includes 12.8-million-dollar push into the off the road market in Port Hedland, along with developments in Rockingham, Newcastle and Erskine Park. Fairweather is also urging the federal government to allocate more budget for enforcing export regulations to combat rogue operators who export non-compliant materials. He presented Tyrecycle’s formal submission to the parliamentary inquiry in March, framing the circular economy as a shared responsibility requiring accountability from all waste generators.

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Linglong Tire is set to make a major appearance at THE TIRE COLOGNE, the world’s leading tire trade fair, taking place from 9 to 11 June 2026. Located in Hall 7 at booths C-050 to D-059, the company will present its group brands Crosswind, Leao and Green Max alongside its main brand.

Making its European debut at the fair is the new Linglong UHP tyre, the Sport Master II, which is designed as the successor to the existing Sport Master model and is expected to reach retail markets in spring 2027. In addition to this launch, the company will exhibit leading passenger car profiles from its Masters series, a sustainable concept tyre and fresh off-the-road patterns. The truck segment will see four new tread designs premiere in Cologne, including a trailer tyre engineered for reduced rolling resistance on long-haul routes and two brand-new bus tyres intended for city buses and coaches.

The exhibition includes Linglong’s latest original equipment tyres, while the Green Max brand is being introduced as an independent brand for the European market. Visitors will also see new car and truck profiles from the Crosswind and Leao brands, now produced exclusively in Europe, including the first appearance of the Crosswind Dura Peak Van tyre.

Beyond product displays, Linglong’s presence emphasises personal customer engagement at its booth and lounge, where the European and international sales team looks forward to welcoming global visitors for discussions. Organised by Koelnmesse and the German Tyre Trade Association, the fair features around 350 exhibitors from 32 countries and expects roughly 15,000 trade visitors from over 110 nations.

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Pirelli has announced a more aggressive tyre strategy for the second appearance of the FIM Superbike World Championship round at Balaton Park in Hungary. Following a conservative approach in 2025 due to a lack of track data, the manufacturer now introduces the supersoft SCX compound for the first time to WorldSBK riders. Last year’s lineup featured the SC0 and the E0125 development tyre, which has since become the current SC0 for 2026.

For the long races this season, riders will have access to the supersoft SCX alongside the soft SC0 rear tyres. The extrasoft SCQ, the softest rear compound, returns for free practice, qualifying, and the Superpole Race. Front tyre options include soft SC1 and medium SC2, while DIABLO Wet intermediates and DIABLO Rain tyres are available for wet conditions.

In the WorldSSP category, the same SC1 and SC2 front and SCX with SC0 rear compounds from 2025 remain. The WorldWCR women’s championship will also compete, using Pirelli DIABLO Superbike tyres with the SC1 compound on both axles.

Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Motorcycle Racing Director, said, “The data collected last year showed that Balaton Park is a track with low tyre-wear values. For this reason, we decided to make the softest range solutions available to WorldSBK riders, including the supersoft SCX in the allocation, which was not present last year. Riders will, in any case, also be able to count on the soft SC0 which, in 2025 as the E0125 specification, was the race reference. This could be a valid alternative, especially in the event of lower temperatures.

“For the first time this season, the extrasoft SCQ returns to centre stage for qualifying and the Superpole Race. Last year, this solution was used only in qualifying due to unfavourable weather conditions in the Superpole Race, so it will be interesting to see whether anyone uses it in the short race this year. All solutions, as well as the soft SC1 and medium SC2 fronts, are range products– i.e. they can be purchased by any motorcyclist worldwide and used both in competitions at any level and for track days.”

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CTJ Janssen GmbH, a freight forwarding company based in Grevenbroich, Germany, has integrated retreaded truck tyres as a core element of its operational and sustainability strategy. The family-owned business relies on Continental’s ContiRe hot-retreaded tyres alongside the ContiLifeCycle tyre return programme. Olaf Meyers, Managing Director of CTJ Janssen, reports that this approach delivers high mileage and significant cost savings compared to new tyres while also reducing carbon emissions.

Founded in 1985 and now led by the second generation since 2008, CTJ Janssen specialises in national and international transport of general cargo, hazardous materials and chemical products. The company also offers warehouse logistics and value-added services. With a fleet of over 500 tractor-trailers, it ranks as one of the larger regional providers and is pursuing a holistic sustainability plan that includes alternative fuels. This year, the entire fleet switched to HVO 100 synthetic diesel made from residual and waste materials, saving more than 30,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually compared to fossil diesel. Combined with tyre retreading, the firm calculates potential savings of over 90 percent relative to conventional diesel operation.

The ContiLifeCycle system focuses on tyre reuse and extended service life, helping fleet operators optimise total cost of ownership. Based on circular economy principles, the concept includes new tyres, casing management and retreading. Used tyres are inspected, stripped of worn treads and fitted with new patterns, allowing up to approximately 70 percent of materials to be reused. Continental offers both cold-retreaded ContiTread and hot-retreaded ContiRe tyres.

For CTJ Janssen, retreaded tyres serve as a cost-effective alternative to new tyres without compromising safety, reliability or performance. Meyers views tyres as a critical factor in decarbonising the fleet, reinforcing the company’s commitment to reducing its environmental footprint while maintaining operational efficiency.

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