Madeleine Winer is Editor of Tire Review magazine. She joined the Tire Review staff as a senior editor in 2017. Before joining the tire industry, she worked as a producer and reporter at the Louisville Courier Journal. She is a graduate of Kent State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and speaks Spanish fluently.
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Smoke filled the air as professional drivers whipped around the curves of an autocross course at the BMW Performance Driving School, pushing Continental’s ExtremeContact Sport 02 tire to its limits. The company’s newest UHP summer tire is geared toward enthusiasts, and to demonstrate just how well the tire performs both on track and street, Continental invited its dealers, members of the media and social media influencers to a ride-and-drive event where they were able to put the tire through its paces on a variety of different courses at the Thermal Club, a private motorsports country club in Palm Desert, North Carolina.
During the ride-and-drive event, attendees tested the 02’s responsiveness, grip and speed throughout multiple courses on various BMW models, including:
-Driving a John Cooper Works Mini Cooper on a wet/dry lap course testing out the ExtemeContact Sport 02 against a competitor
-Doing timed runs on an autocross course in a BMW on the 02s in a BMW M240xi
-A wet/dry course comparing the 02 vs. Continental’s ExtremeContact DWS06, its all-season UHP tire, on BMW M2s
-A lead/follow course on a race track on multiple performance vehicles outfitted with 02s
-A skid pad to test the 02’s wet traction in a BMW M3
-Hot laps with instructors in a BMW M3
Take a look at some of the highlights from the ride-and-drive below!
Travis Roffler, director of marketing, kicked off events at the BMW Performance Driving School, instructing dealers and others in attendance to push the tire to its limits.A BMW M240xi outfitted with Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 tires takes to the timed autocross course amid the mountainous backdrop of The Thermal Club.
A BMW M3 drifts around a skid pad showcasing the ExtemeContact Sport 02’s wet traction capabilities.
Take a look at the high-speed action from the professional drivers at the BMW Performance Driving School, pushing the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 to the limits.BMW Performance Driving School instructions give directions to participants on the course they’ll drive using JCW Mini Coopers outfitted with Continental ExtemeContact Sport 02s and a competitor’s tire.The JCW Mini Coopers lined up for a wet/dry handling evaluation.A BMW M2 begins the autocross course, which was set up for participants to feel the difference between wet/dry handling Conti’s 02 and DWS06 Plus A/S UHP tire, at the BMW Performance Racing School.An aerial view of the autocross course at the BMW Performance Racing School. At the end of the day of tire testing, professional drivers, who are instructors at the BMW Performance Driving School, took participants on a hot lap around the autocross course whipping up smoke and leaving tiny rubber particles in their path. Even the water bottles at the BMW Racing School are all about high speed.Rutledge Wood (left), an auto racing analyst and TV show host of the History Channel’s “Top Gear,” and Ryan Eversley, an American professional car racing driver, played host at Continental’s Monday Night Football event, in which the company gave out prizes during the Washington Commanders win against the Philadelphia Eagles, 31-21.
Sumitomo Rubber North America (SRNA), a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, has promoted Eduardo Chariarse to field engineer manager. According to SRNA, Chariarse has extensive experience in his field, working as a commercial truck field engineer in the tire industry for the past 21 years. Joining SRNA in 2021 as a field engineer, he has been responsible for the coordination, implementation, and reporting of tire evaluations, troubleshooting, and providing technical support to fleets, dealers and the sales team.
