Motorsports and the tires and run them

MANILA, Philippines - Nothing tugs at the heartstrings of automobile enthusiasts more than a connection to something that they aspire for. Such iconic automobile brands as Ferrari and Lamborghini, for example, stand at the pinnacle of people’s aspirations exactly because they represent automotive performance at the highest level. This innate love for all things superlative is not lost on automobile manufacturers and other peripheral industry players. Which is why despite the occasional exorbitant financial requirements, entities such as Formula One keep them attracted.

Despite the recent announcement of Bridgestone regarding the upcoming Formula One season, for example, the renowned tire maker has made its corporate image as a performance tire maker exactly because of its involvement in such high profile motorsports events like F1 and MotoGP. Whether or not Bridgestone decides to stick with its decision to pull out of the 2010 Formula One season, it’s pretty safe to say that their involvement in motorsports has shaped the way people see their products. Consequently, it’s also safe to say that the company has benefitted immensely from the move.

Formula One isn’t the only motorsports outlet that’s out there, however. In fact, motorsports organizations number by the hundreds. And as marketing tools, just like Formula One, they’re mostly effective.

Take for example this current trend – drifting. Its popularity bolstered immensely by big-budget Hollywood productions as well as the occasional local event, drifting has become the new venue for showcasing products for corporate entities like tire makers. Goodyear Philippines, for example, just recently announced its support for the DMF Drift Team, formally spearheaded by the extremely talented David Feliciano.

Feliciano is one of the few fortunate Filipinos to get substantial funding from such a big corporate entity as Goodyear. In fact, by the time this article sees print, Feliciano will have proudly hoisted the Philippine flag – and the Goodyear logo – at the Formula Drift Thailand event, which is ongoing as of presstime. All of DMF Drift Team’s cars will be equipped with Goodyear’s ultra high performance tires such as the Eagle Revspec RS-02, Eagle RS Sport and Eagle F1 Asymmetric, all with proven reputation for excellent grip and control for the best performance in international drift competitions.

On the local front, smaller tire companies have also jumped on the motorsports bandwagon – if only to prove their products’ worth. Take for example Starfire, the new tire brand made by Cooper Tires of China. Local importer Sammy Liuson of Wheel Gallery says that positioning the tire as a performance product needed some sort of motorsports push. Enter the Philippine Touring Car Championship (PTCC) series, which tried out the tires and found themselves so impressed that they agreed to use the Starfire Tires as official tires of the ongoing race series. “It helps that after rigorous testing done by no less than the famed Ramirez clan, the tires proved to be up to par with racers’ expectations,” admits Liuson. And while Starfire has yet to gain the level of trust that the likes of Bridgestone and Goodyear now enjoy, at least it’s gotten off on the right track – the motorsports track.