The initiative runs from 1 October to 30 November 2011 inclusive and retailers will automatically collect points based on their purchases of Pirelli tyres during the promotion period.  At the end of the campaign they can exchange these points for Pirelli merchandise, including T-shirts, rally jackets, fleeces, gilets, polo shirts, overalls, caps and mugs.

Points relate to tyre speed rating, so dealers will collect one point for every S or T rated Pirelli tyre they buy, rising to five points for each W/Y/Z rated or 4×4 tyre purchased.

In December Grouptyre will be in touch with an update and customers then have until the end of January 2012 to redeem their points.  Retailers can choose any combination of items up to their total points value.

“There is no prize draw element to this promotion and no need to register to participate, quite simply it’s an opportunity for independent tyre retailers to make the most of their purchases of Pirelli products during October and November and kit out their teams for the winter,” says Grouptyre marketing manager Lucie Dalton.

For further information about the 2011 Grouptyre Pirelli merchandise promotion, click here

Part of the Elite Garages group – which has a turnover of £45m and employs around 200 staff – EG Wholesale stocks an extensive range of high performance and UHP tyres to meet the needs of the high number of prestige marques in the region. It also operates a successful motorsports division specialising in track and rally tyres and offers import/export facilities.

During the last nine months EG Wholesale has invested £2.5m in distribution hubs in Canterbury, Strood, Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth, Eastbourne and, most recently, opened a new centre in Worthing.

The investment in warehousing facilities – some were Elite Garages retail outlets that have been extended to incorporate a wholesale function, while others are purpose-developed wholesale depots – has enabled EG Wholesale to make considerable improvements to its service. Customers can now take advantage of a same day delivery service that is available up to four times a day, while a rapid response ‘on demand’ facility is offered to customers located within a 10-mile radius of EG Wholesale’s network of distribution centres.

Improvements to its overall offering, but especially to delivery, have enabled EG Wholesale to win a number of important new contracts, including four large BMW groups, independent tyre retailers plus independent fast fit centres, all of which have switched to Grouptyre as their supplier because of the high quality service EG Wholesale provides.

“Grouptyre is committed to providing the services of a national distributor coupled with local market expertise, and through our membership of the organisation we have maximised the ‘National Strength, Local Service’ approach to wholesaling across the south of England,” says managing director Richard Whittemore.

The expansion programme has seen EG Wholesale increase its stockholding capability by £1million to £3million which, in turn, has generated increased sales and improved profitability. Meanwhile, the sales team – which also delivers sales and technical training and provides business development support to retail customers – has doubled in size. As part of this growth, Glenn Panton has joined the company as a business development manager and Sean Robinson has been promoted to regional sales manager.

“In the short term our aim is to continue our expansion programme and offer an even greater range of products,” adds Mr Whittemore.

“To achieve this we intend to boost our warehousing capacity by a further 50,000 sq ft to feed our newest wholesale hubs and are planning to develop an additional distribution centre in the middle of our territory, probably around the Maidstone area.”

Find out more about Grouptyre at www.grouptyre.co.uk

“Following the departure of North Eastern Tyre & Exhausts (NETE) after a successful partnership lasting almost 16 years, we are reorganising our distribution infrastructure in line with the continuing development of our core strategy and ‘National Strength, Local Service’ offer to the marketplace” said Grouptyre’s managing director Karl Naylor.

“Tyrespot is a perfect fit because it understands the market and the requirements of our customer base.  From the beginning of June Tyrespot takes on the responsibility for ensuring that Grouptyre customers across the North East and the Scottish Borders receive a reliable service of the high quality they have come to know and expect from us.” 

Established for over 30 years, Tyrespot is headquartered in Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham, and operates it wholesale operation from four locations.  It has a stockholding capability of more than 60,000 tyres – covering the entire spectrum from premium brands to mid range and budget.

Tyrespot will support Grouptyre customers in an area covering North Yorkshire, Teesside, Durham, Tyneside, Northumberland, Dumfries and the Scottish Borders.  The company’s main distribution centre is in Chester-le-Street and it operates satellite warehouses in Darlington, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Heaton in Tyne & Wear.

Under the new arrangements, Grouptyre’s customers will continue to benefit from multiple daily deliveries, while Tyrespot, which employs 96 people and runs a fleet of 32 vans, will also provide an ‘on demand’ delivery service in some parts of the territory.

“This new sub contract supply and service partnership with Grouptyre presents us with an excellent opportunity to maximise our resources to develop valuable incremental business,” said Tyrespot managing director John T Shaw.

“We are committed to reinforcing Grouptyre’s excellent reputation throughout the UK for high standards of customer support, and are confident of maintaining its ‘National Strength, Local Service’ solution because we know the territory well, having serviced it for many years, and already have all the necessary infrastructure in place.”

Grouptyre offers all the services of a national distributor coupled with that all-important local market expertise, which means it is able to satisfy the needs of tyre retailers and garages throughout the UK and Ireland.  With a network of strategically located distribution points, Grouptyre ensures customers receive fast, reliable multiple daily deliveries and an on demand ‘rapid response’ service is also widely available.  Retailers can therefore be confident about obtaining specific patterns and sizes exactly when they need them, which means they can maximise profitability by holding less product stock.

For further information call Grouptyre on 01928 706166 or visit www.grouptyre.co.uk

Andrew, who owns BMW and Mini servicing business Warne Motors of Bury St. Edmunds, and Danny, whose business is Thetford-based tyre and exhaust centre Burrell Way Tyres, won the all expenses paid visit to Italy in the latest Grouptyre/Pirelli promotion. They are supplied by Grouptyre member, We Sell Tyres (Wholesale), whose business development manager Danny Jackson hosted the trip.

After spending their free time shopping and sightseeing in Milan and dining out each evening at a canal side restaurant, the prize-winners were chauffer-driven to Maranello. Their guide met them at the VIP entrance to the Galleria Ferrari factory museum and began the tour with a DVD about the development of Ferrari’s headquarters and a close up view on the F1 Championship-winning cars.

The group then toured the processing plant, where engines for the road cars are manufactured, and went on to the 458 Challenger, 599 and GT production line, where they were amazed at the extensive vegetation, which is used to help with humidity in the temperature-controlled facilities.

A guided tour of the Formula One factory followed, enabling the Grouptyre/Pirelli promotion prize-winners to see where the cars piloted by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are built. Two of the six F1 cars on site were equipped with the latest upgrades, ready to go to the Turkish Grand Prix.

Danny Georgiou, who was joined on the trip by his partner Michelle and bought keyrings and DVDs from the Ferrari Store as mementos, said: “We had a fantastic time – everything about the trip was absolutely brilliant, the hotel, the organisation, the restaurant, everything was excellent.

“We saw some amazing cars, cars you just don’t see every day, and went to parts of the factory that aren’t included on the tours open to the general public. The factory was a real eye-opener. The attention to detail is something else, they really don’t cut any corners, and the buildings are amazing, not what you’d find in a typical engineering facility that’s for sure.”

Andrew Warne, who was accompanied by his wife Karen, was equally enthusiastic, saying:

“It was an excellent trip and one we’ll never forget. The Ferrari factory was so impressive, quite different from others we’ve visited, and the scale of the production there is just amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and were surprised, but delighted, that we were able to visit so much of the facility.”

Grouptyre offers all the services of a national distributor coupled with that all-important local market expertise, which means it is able to satisfy the needs of tyre retailers and garages throughout the UK and Ireland. With a network of strategically located distribution points, Grouptyre ensures customers receive fast, reliable multiple daily deliveries, whilst an on demand ‘rapid response’ service is also widely available. Retailers can therefore be confident of obtaining specific patterns and sizes exactly when they need them, thus enabling them to hold less product stock. For further information call 01928 706166 or visit grouptyre.co.uk

Teams have put in a lot of work over the long winter break, with some impressive cars taking shape in time for the series opener, including Paul Cheshire’s 650bhp G35 Skyline and Maxxis-sponsored Mark Luney’s SATS Cosworth Supra, and there will be no shortage of drivers to throw down the challenge to 2010 champion Phil Morrison.

Round one will see a slightly different format to previous years. The support for and interest in the Maxxis British Drift Championship has grown to such an extent that there will be three driver classes this season – ‘Semi-Pro’, ‘Pro’ and ‘Super-Pro’ – which means 60 drivers will be competing for the spoils.

“The new format is a really exciting development because it means that not only will the drift battles deliver a tremendous spectacle for drift fans, but those smaller and privateer teams, in which driver skill can make such a difference, now stand a much better chance of winning,” says Derek McMartin, managing director of title sponsor Maxxis International UK.

The weekend’s action begins on Good Friday, April 22, with first practice until 1.00pm followed by single run qualifying. There will be an open practice on Saturday, April 23 until 1.00pm before the finals get underway at 2.00pm.

Donington’s Launch Pad is a fast course, ideal for twin car battles, so the organisers of the Maxxis British Drift Championship have ensured maximum seat time for all drivers. The large open space at this venue boasts excellent viewing opportunities for spectators and Maxxis will have a stand out presence at the top of the pit lane, while the Maxxis Babes will also be out in force promoting the brand.

Full details about the Maxxis British Drift Championship are available HERE

The MA-Z1 Drift tyre – as used by Maxxis-sponsored Team Japspeed and reigning European Drift Champion Mark Luney in the SATS Cosworth Supra – is available exclusively from the UK’s leading independent tyre wholesaler Grouptyre. For further information on the MA-Z1 Drift and the full Maxxis high performance range, contact Grouptyre on 01928 706166 or visit www.grouptyre.co.uk or www.maxxis.co.uk

Follow the Maxxis Babes throughout the drift season at www.maxxisbabes.co.uk

Shane Finn, who will be running the team in conjunction with the Japspeed Ireland division, said: “Paul McCallum and the Japspeed UK team have built a truly fantastic machine which we’ve seen compete successfully in Ireland in the past.

“The S15 will remain in its traditional Japspeed black and white livery running the superb MA-Z1 Drift tyres and will be used by Shane O’Sullivan in this year’s ProDrift Series and for displays and events to help promote Japspeed and Maxxis in Ireland.”

Driver Shane O’Sullivan, who has competed for the past three years in a 380bhp Nissan S13, has been nicknamed the ‘dark horse’ of the ProDrift series thanks to his aggressive but consistent driving style. The step up to the Japspeed 470bhp S15 and backing from Maxxis will give him the chance to further improve his driving skills and get on the podium in a championship featuring some of the world’s best drifting talent.

Shane will be in action this weekend (April 16/17) for the five-round ProDrift championship’s season opener at the Ennis Marts, Co. Clare.

The MA-Z1 Drift tyre is available exclusively from Grouptyre, the UK’s leading independent tyre wholesaler. For further information on the Maxxis high performance range contact Grouptyre on 01928 706166 or visit www.maxxis.co.uk or www.grouptyre.co.uk

For the full 2011 ProDrift Series calendar and further information about the championship, visit www.prodriftseries.com

The Norwich Vikings club has been hard at work making improvements to the track over the winter months and for round 3 of the championship the organisers are expecting full MX1, MX2 and MXY2 (youth) classes.

The circuit is easily reached from the A47 trunk road to the west of Norwich and the action will begin with practice at 9.00am and the first race at 12:15pm.

For further information on Maxxis motorcycle tyres visit www.maxxis.co.uk

Full details about the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship are available at www.mxgb.co.uk

Andrew Warne, owner of BMW and Mini servicing specialist Warne Motors, and Danny Georgiou, proprietor of tyre and exhaust centre Burrell Way Tyres, have each won a pair of tickets for the VIP trip, which includes flights to Milan and a tour of the Maranello facility.

Located about 20km south of Modena in northern Italy, Maranello has been Ferrari’s headquarters since the 1940s. In addition to seeing the manufacturing process at first hand, the prize winners will visit the Galleria Ferrari factory museum – which highlights the manufacturer’s automotive heritage and showcases single-seaters, prototypes and Gran Turismo cars alongside displays of trophies and memorabilia – and will have the chance to bring home a souvenir from the Ferrari Store.

Andrew, who set up his business in October 2009, will be joined on the trip by his wife Karen. He says: “When I heard we’d won I didn’t believe it at first. Performance racing is a big interest of mine and although we’ve been to FI races over the years we haven’t had a holiday since we started the business. I’m absolutely delighted and am sure the visit to Maranello will be something really special.”

Danny will be taking his partner Michelle and since both are high performance car enthusiasts they are really looking forward to seeing the Ferrari production line. “This is an unusual experience for me, because I just don’t win competitions as a rule,” says Danny. “It has come as a real surprise and we’re both really excited and looking forward to the guided tour of the Ferrari factory.”

Burrell Way Tyres and Warne Motors were automatically entered into the special prize draw based on the quantity of Pirelli car, van and 4×4 tyres they purchased from their local Grouptyre member between October 1 and November 30, 2010. Both are customers of We Sell Tyres (Wholesale), which operates from distribution centres in Norwich, Nottingham, Northampton and Worksop. It has been supplying Burrell Way Tyres for 10 years, while Warne Motors has been a customer since it was established.

Over the past few years Grouptyre has organised a number of highly successful promotions in association with premium tyre brand Pirelli which have helped build retail sales through the independent sector. This time, in addition to the two top prizes, there were further runner up prizes of tickets for a Pirelli-sponsored track day and Pirelli rally jackets.

“Pirelli enjoys important links with Ferrari – through the Ferrari Challenge racing series and now its role as tyre supplier to Formula One – and we have been able to take advantage of this successful association to create a unique experience for our prize winners,” says Grouptyre’s marketing manager Lucie Dalton.

“Typically, guided tours of the world famous Maranello factory are organised for Ferrari dealers and their customers, so this visit really is something special, which we are sure they will remember for a long time to come.”

Grouptyre takes a ‘National strength, Local service’ approach to satisfying the needs of tyre retailers and garages throughout the UK and Ireland. With more than a million tyres in stock – representing all the major brands plus exclusive value brands – a national, multiple same-day to on-demand delivery service from 35 distribution points and competitive prices, Grouptyre provides a complete ‘one stop’ solution. For further information call 01928 706166 or visit www.grouptyre.co.uk

Available from the end of April, in size 195/50 VR15, the ZR9 features a directional tread pattern design with low void ratio for impressive handling. The large shoulder blocks aid cornering and lateral stability, while the centre V-shaped grooves disperse water efficiently to ensure excellent wet traction.

The well-balanced tread, sidewall, bead design and advanced racing compound meet all the handling and traction requirements for racing, ensuring the new Maxxis ZR9 gives competitive racers the edge.

The ZR9 joins the MA-Z1 Drift, which is based on the road-going MA-Z1 tyre and incorporates a specially developed high temperature silicone rubber compound for long life and the all-important smoke required to score extra points in the sport of drifting. The MA-Z1 Drift’s world class credentials were put beyond doubt in 2009 when Maxxis-sponsored drivers using the tyre scooped the British Drift Championship, the Prodrift Super Series, the Need for Speed European Drift Championship and Formula Drift, the top US drift series.

Maxxis high performance tyres are available exclusively through Grouptyre, the UK’s leading independent tyre wholesaler. For further information contact Grouptyre on 01928 706166 or visit www.maxxis.co.uk and www.grouptyre.co.uk

In the MX1 category, Simpson’s 1-2-1 tally was enough to put him 16 points ahead of his nearest rival, Kristian Whatley, on the day with Stephen Sword in third. Despite a win in the second moto, Tonus’s team mate Jason Dougan could not make it on to the podium, although he effectively leads the championship as Simpson plans to concentrate on the GPs and will not return until the final round in October. Finishing 11th in the first moto, Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasaki’s Gert Krestinov went on to score solid seventh and ninth place finishes, which put him in eighth position overall.

In MX2 Tonus opened the score with wins in the first two motos, but Zach Osborne hit back in the third to climb into second place in the series, while Belgian Wildcard Joel Roelants finished in third overall. Hooper Maxxis Suzuki rider Steven Clarke put some good points together to end the day in eighth overall, as did Bryan Mackenzie of the Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasaki team, who followed up a challenging opening moto by posting two seventh places to finish in overall tenth.

Sunday’s schedule also incorporated the opening round of the MXY2 (Youth) series, which saw Jake Shipton (Bournemouth Pro Circuit Kawasaki) back up his opening race win with a third in the second moto and edge out Ryan Houghton on the HM Plant Red Bull KTM by a single point.

The next round of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship takes place at Lyng in Norfolk on the April 17. Full details are available at www.mxgb.co.uk

For further information on Maxxis motorcycle tyres visit www.maxxis.co.uk