/ MRF rally tyres now available in Australia and NZ

The FIA championship-winning range of MRF competition rally tyres are now available on the Australian and New Zealand markets, offering competitors a range of 13”, 14” and 15” rally tyres.

MRF Competition Tyres’ sole Australian and New Zealand importer, Mentor Tyres, based in Melbourne, are excited to introduce the new range of rally tyres to the market.

MRF have achieved years of competition success throughout the region, winning the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) seven times, including the 2015 championship with one round to go.

Mentor Tyres CEO, Vivek Ponnusamy, has been working closely with the MRF factory in India, with the first shipment of tyres due to arrive in Australia at the end of October.

Ponnusamy is a professional co-driver with 27 years of experience, and the winner of the 2013 APRC 2WD title with Malaysian Karamjit Singh. They also won the 2012 Malaysian Rally Championship.

MRF’s range of gravel rally tyres will arrive in Australia in time for the final events of the current season, including the Begonia Rally and Alpine Rally, where the company’s range of tyres will be available to competitors.

The launch of MRF Tyres onto the Australian market will also see the company heavily involved in event and individual sponsorships. MRF Tyres will be the naming rights sponsor for the next round of the Victorian Rally Championship, the MRF Tyres Akademos Rally, to be held on October 18.

“Mentor Tyres are excited to be part of the MRF Tyres global family, and representing MRF competition tyres in Australia and New Zealand is a great privilege and a valuable opportunity to supply one of the world’s best competition tyres at a very competitive price for this part of world,” Ponnusamy said.

“Mentor Tyres works very closely with the Export and R&D department at MRF Tyres to improve the quality and performance of the tyres to suit the local conditions. MRF always considers driver’s feedback as the main priority in the development of their tyres.”

MRF offers a range of 13″, 14″ and 15″ gravel rally tyres.Mentor Tyres now have five Australian distributors (Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia) to provide sales and on-event support for local competitors.

“There will be an MRF Tyres truck at every state and club event to support the competitors. Our motto is to support and develop the club and state drivers,” Ponnusamy added.

“We are in the process of setting up an ecommerce website for quick order processing and delivery of tyres.

“MRF Tyres are highly affordable (as an introductory price) and the competitors get to use the same compound and quality tyres used by Team MRF at APRC events – a huge advantage for local competitors.

“We have huge plans for Australia and New Zealand starting in 2016. As cost and personalised service is a major factor in competing in rallies, MRF will support the competitors via both subsidised tyre prices and sponsorships.”

MRF Tyres has 35 plus years of success in all forms of motorsports and drivers such as Chris Atkinson, Esapekka Lappi, Pontus Tidemand, Jan Kopecky and Gaurav Gill have all taken major victories in FIA sanctioned rallies using the tyres.

MRF’s range of gravel rally tyres includes the following sizes, in a range of compounds for 2015 and new sizes coming up for 2016:

▪ 185/70 R 13 ZGM
▪ 185/60 R 14 ZDM3
▪ 195/65 R 15 ZDM2
▪ 205/65 R 15 ZG2

Established in 1946 and exported to 65 countries worldwide, MRF Tyres also make tyres for circuit racing, go-karting and motorcross.

For more information on the MRF Competition Tyres range, visit their website at www.mentortyres.com (new ecommerce website coming soon), call Vivek Ponnusamy on 0424 246 611, or email vivek@mentortyres.com

ABOUT MRF TYRES

MRF Tyres (www.mrftyres.com) has been making rally tyres for more than 30 years, as well as making tyres for racing, go-karts and motorcycling. They are one of the Asia’s biggest tyre manufacturers and have more than half the market share in passenger and commercial tyres.

MRF have dedicated Rally and Racing teams (www.mrfracing.in) which are used for further developments. The product development team is always with them to note the changes and improve the performance.

This dedication and passion has lead to six Asia-Pacific Rally Championship titles and numerous national championship event victories. Leading Australian drivers have used the tyres in international events and performed very well, including former WRC star, Chris Atkinson.

The rally tyres are available in 13, 14 and 15 inch, with various compounds. Most drivers prefer the medium compound tyre as their first choice. There are also options for various tyre cuts to suit the conditions.