For motor racing enthusiasts, the beginning of a new year is synonymous with the world’s most prestigious racing event – the Dakar Rally. This year, the race took place in Saudi Arabia, with competitors facing challenging terrains, both on sand and on rock, citing a disturbing rise in tyre punctures and failures. We share some of their concerns in our feature story on page 2.
Struggling to find and retain quality staff for your business? Take our interactive poll to have your say. A positive development on this score, however is TEPA’s concerted drive to step up skills training for the tyre sector, which is steadily gaining momentum. This story on page 10.
In other news, we focus on the announcement that Singapore-based Radar Tyres, has signed a strategic multi-year partnership with Cricket South Africa, becoming the Global Partner for the Proteas and Junior Proteas across all major formats. Our story on page 6 provides more detail on this unique partnership and what it will entail.
Enjoy our mix of stories.
Yours in tyres
Liana Shaw
Contents
Feature
- BFGoodrich Under Scrutiny After High Volume of Tyre Punctures at the 2026 Dakar Rally . 2
- Radar Tyres Joins Forces with the Proteas . 6
Interactive Poll
- Have Your Say in Our Latest Poll! . 9
TEPA Training
- Skills Training for the Tyre Sector Well Underway . 10
TEPA Talk
- Turning Section 12H into a Tyre Industry Superpower . 12
Local News
- Skills Crisis and Technology Disruption Confronted at Automechanika Johannesburg CEO Breakfast . 14
- SAGMJ COTY Turns 40, Reveals 2026 Finalists . 16
- Continental Tyre South Africa Certified as a Top Employer for 2026 . 17
- Dunlop Tyres and Isuzu Motors South Africa Partner to Drive Local Enterprise Development in Gqeberha . 18
Retreading
- Optimise Your Fleet’s Tyre Costs . 15
World News. Europe
- Michelin, Sonatus Demonstrate Predictive Tyre Maintenance at CES 2026 . 20
- Trelleborg Tires Wins “Best Agriculture Tire” at the Visão Agro Brazil Awards . 22
- Continental Strives to Make Tyres Even Quieter . 23
- New Audi A6 Fitted with Continental Tyres . 24
- China’s Sinochem Process Solution to End Governance Spat with Pirelli . 25
- Pirelli Launches Third Generation of the Scorpion Tyre, Designed for SUVs . 26
- Nokian Tyres Betula Concept Tire Features Raw Material Made from Residue Birch Bark . 27
World News. Asia
- Co-Creation Activities by Ethiopian Airlines Group and Bridgestone to Support Safe Aircraft Operations with Peace of Mind . 28
- Triangle Tire Plans $462 Million Investment in Cambodia Plant to Supply U.S. Market . 28
