Rally Poland Opens Under Cloud of Tragedy Following Driver's Death
- By TT News
- June 13, 2025
Photo Credit: FIA European Rally
The 2025 Rally of Poland commenced amid an atmosphere of mourning following the tragic death of Italian motorsport driver Matteo Doretto in a racing accident.
The 81st edition of Europe's second-oldest rally competition, taking place across the challenging gravel roads of the Masurian Lakes region from June 13-15, has been overshadowed by the loss of the rising Italian talent.
"His loss is a tragedy that deeply saddens us," said Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli Rally Activity Manager. "On behalf of Pirelli, I would like to extend our most heartfelt and sincere condolences to his family and friends."
Despite the sombre mood, 63 crews took to the start line for what remains one of the European Rally Championship's most demanding events. Notable competitors include Jon Armstrong driving a Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta, alongside Jos Verstappen and Andrea Mabellini, both piloting Skoda Fabias fitted with Pirelli tyres.
The rally features 14 special stages covering 190.40 timed kilometres across terrain known for its technical difficulty. The Masurian Lakes route presents drivers with uneven, often sandy roads where grip proves elusive even for experienced competitors.
"It's a very difficult and high speed rally, where attention to detail is very important," commented Testoni. "With every car passage the terrain gets rougher, forming deep ruts that can challenge even the most experienced drivers."
Weather conditions are forecast to remain dry, though organisers caution that conditions can change rapidly on such challenging terrain.
The rally serves as the third round of this season's ERC Fiesta Rally3 trophy, for which Pirelli provides exclusive tyre supply. Competing crews have access to three variants from Pirelli's Scorpion gravel range: the K4A hard compound, the K6A soft compound designated as the prime choice for this event, and the K8B supersoft option.
Regulations permit each crew to utilise 16 tyres total, including those selected for qualifying sessions. Trophy category vehicles will run on Scorpion 175/70-15 specifications in both K4 hard and K6 soft compounds.
Rally Poland's reputation for difficulty stems from its unique surface characteristics, where the sandy base becomes increasingly rutted as more vehicles traverse each stage. The deteriorating conditions throughout the weekend create an additional strategic element as crews must balance speed with mechanical preservation.
The event's location in the Masurian Lakes region, known for its natural beauty, provides a stark contrast to the intense competition unfolding on its roads. The rally has maintained its position as a crucial championship round despite the technical challenges it presents to both drivers and machinery.
Apollo Tyres Commits INR 35 bln To Expansion Despite Raw Material Inflation And Europe Restructuring
- By Sharad Matade
- May 19, 2026
Apollo Tyres plans to invest INR 35 billion in FY2026-27, with nearly 80 percent of the capital expenditure earmarked for growth and capacity expansion projects across India and Europe, as the tyre maker seeks to meet strong demand despite escalating raw material costs and geopolitical disruption.
Most of the planned investment will be directed towards expanding truck and passenger car tyre capacity in India, while the remainder will support passenger car tyre expansion at the company’s Hungary plant.
Apollo Tyres said capacity utilisation across both India and Europe had reached about 90 percent, with demand remaining strong in replacement and original equipment markets. The company added that April volumes had continued to show strong momentum despite recent price increases.
The company reported consolidated revenue of INR 73.4 billion for the fourth quarter, up more than 14 percent year on year, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation margin improved to 14.6 percent from 13 per cent a year earlier.
Revenue from Indian operations rose 14.3 percent to INR 52.4 billion during the quarter, supported by high-teen volume growth in both replacement and original equipment segments.
Neeraj Kanwar, Vice-Chairman And Managing Director, said geopolitical developments in West Asia continued to create uncertainty and volatility across raw material, energy and logistics costs.
The company expects raw material costs to rise by mid- to high-teens sequentially during the current quarter, led by a sharp increase in natural rubber prices. Apollo Tyres said natural rubber prices had risen to about INR 250 per kg from around INR 200 per kg during the fourth quarter.
To mitigate the pressure, Apollo Tyres has announced price increases of 6-8 percent across product categories in India during the current quarter and indicated that further increases may be necessary.
Gaurav Kumar, Chief Financial Officer, said the inflationary environment remained highly volatile.
“Mid to high teens is the current reality,” Kumar said. “We’ve taken about half the price increase that is needed.”
The company said it was also implementing cost-control measures across operations, including reductions in discretionary spending, as it sought to protect margins from higher commodity and logistics costs.
Apollo Tyres continues to restructure its European manufacturing operations as part of efforts to improve profitability. The company said the closure of its Enschede plant in the Netherlands remained on schedule, with production expected to cease by June 30.
Management said the decision was driven by persistently weak European market conditions, elevated energy costs and unusually high wage inflation in western Europe.
Apollo Tyres has taken a non-cash write-off of EUR 43 million related to the plant closure and expects total restructuring-related cash outflow, including social plan payments and legal costs, to exceed EUR 55m.
The company said the restructuring should begin improving European margins during the second half of FY2026-27 as production shifts towards lower-cost facilities in Hungary and India.
Apollo Tyres added that India and Europe would remain priority markets for future capacity allocation decisions, although export demand in some overseas markets had softened amid broader macroeconomic uncertainty.
Linglong Appoints Pradeep Karat to Lead OTR Sales in ME & Africa
- By TT News
- May 19, 2026
Linglong Tire has appointed Pradeep Karat as Sales Director OTR for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, effective from the beginning of May 2026.
Karat will oversee strategy and sales for the company’s specialty tyres division across the MEA region and report to Jeffrey Hughes, director EMEA. He will work with product and marketing teams to expand the group’s presence in the off-the-road (OTR) tyre segment, develop strategic partnerships and support growth in new markets.
Before joining Linglong, Karat worked at Hankook Tire, where he most recently served as senior manager for truck tyre sales in the Middle East and Africa.
Over a career spanning more than 30 years, he has held sales and marketing management roles at tyre manufacturers including Bridgestone, Goodyear and Continental.
“I am very pleased to be part of the Linglong team with immediate effect and to start as Linglong Sales Director Middle East Africa. I will do everything I can to use my experience and expertise to successfully advance Linglong in the MEA region,” said Karat.
Linglong said Karat would focus on strengthening the company’s position in India and key African markets. He will also work closely with Sherif Degheidy, who joined the company in February.
“I have worked with Pradeep in the Middle East in the past and am very pleased that he is now joining Linglong to help us continue to grow our off-highway business,” Hughes said.
“He brings extensive knowledge of the region, knows how to find new distributors and build strong partnerships. Pradeep will seek to expand Linglong's presence in India as well as in key African markets.”
Karat holds a master’s degree in marketing and economics and speaks Arabic, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam, in addition to English. He will be based in Dubai.
CAMSO Construction Names Stefan Bartella As Area Sales Manager For DACH Region
- By TT News
- May 18, 2026
CAMSO Construction has announced the appointment of Stefan Bartella as Area Sales Manager for the DACH region. Bartella brings solid sales experience and a deep understanding of regional market dynamics to the role. Company officials stated that his expertise will support the organisation’s continued growth in the area. The appointment reflects CAMSO Construction’s commitment to strengthening its commercial team in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Bartella’s knowledge of local customer needs and market trends is expected to drive further business development and reinforce the company’s position across the DACH territories.
The company statement read: “We’re pleased to welcome Stefan Bartella to CAMSO Construction as Area Sales Manager for the DACH region. With solid experience in sales and a strong understanding of regional market dynamics, he brings valuable expertise that will support our continued growth. Welcome aboard, Stefan!”
Nokian Tyres Names Industry Veteran Glenn Arbaugh As Head Of R&D For North America
- By TT News
- May 16, 2026
Nokian Tyres has appointed Glenn Arbaugh as the new Head of Research and Development for North America, marking a strategic move to strengthen product innovation for drivers in the United States and Canada. He will lead the region’s R&D efforts from the company’s manufacturing and research hub in Dayton, Tennessee.
Bringing nearly 35 years of global tyre industry experience in technical leadership, product engineering and design, Arbaugh will oversee next-generation tyre development while enhancing product quality and manufacturing standards at the Dayton Factory. His role supports close collaboration between the North American R&D team and Nokian’s global research operations in Finland.
Since opening in 2019, the Dayton Factory has dedicated all production to the North American market and earned recognition as the first tire plant worldwide to achieve LEED v4 Silver certification. Nokian Tyres, inventor of the winter tyre, continues to offer premium all-season, all-weather and light truck tyres across the region.
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