U.K. rubber firm to launch racing tire business

WESTBURY, England—British rubber compounder SPC Rubber Group is branching into the tire business with the launch of Nova Motorsport, a global motorsport brand targeting the premium competition and specialist tire sectors.

By concentrating exclusively on the motorsport and specialist tire sectors, Nova Motorsport will look to leverage its specialized knowledge and expertise to create tires to deliver success in "ultra-demanding" racing conditions, according to Paul Hallas, SPC Rubber's managing director.

To get the project off the ground, SPC Rubber has assembled a team of rubber-industry research and development veterans, headed by Paul Coates, who previously was head of Avon Motorsport for over a decade.

Nova declined to say where the tires will be made or comment on the scale of investment it's making to launch this business.

"Our strategy is inspired by the opportunity to flip the motorsport tire business marketing model on its head by focusing solely on low-volume racing and specialist tires as the core of our commercial offering," Hallas said.

"With an impressive team of motorsport and tire industry experts already on board, we will introduce several exciting products in the premium competition and specialist tire market this year. Supported by our established parent company, SPC, and new business partners internationally, we look forward to growing the Nova Motorsport team, business and brand globally."

SPC Rubber plans to launch the brand at Retromobile—The Classic Car Show, in Paris, Jan. 31-Feb. 4.

Among the markets targeted by Nova Motorsports are vintage-racing series, hill-climbs, rallycross, etc., all areas formerly served by the Avon brand, which became a Goodyear brand in 2021 via its acquisition of Cooper Tire & Rubber, which in turn acquired Avon Rubber in 1997.

Goodyear closed the Avon tire factory in Melksham, England, in late 2023 and disclosed plans to phase out the Avon motorsports program. Goodyear recently struck a long-term supply agreement with Masters Historic Racing (MHR), a leading promoter of historic motorsports around the world, building on MHR's long-standing relationships with the Dunlop and Avon brands.

"Many of the world's tire manufacturers look upon the low-volume racing and specialist tire sector as a marketing tool for their broader business," Coates said.

"For Nova Motorsport, this is our only business. This gives us the flexibility, focus and dedication to deliver exceptional products with performance, quality, and customer service at the core of everything we do."

The newly assembled team's expertise will enable Nova Motorsport to tailor its tire offerings to meet the specific needs of diverse racing categories, SPC Rubber said, noting it's committed to substantial investments in research and development to ensure Nova Motorsports "remains firmly at the forefront of tire technology for competition cars and high-performance vehicles."

Founded in 2001 in Whitby, England, SPC Rubber added the Westbury factory in 2008 by acquisition, and later consolidated the Whitby operations into the Westbury facilities.

It acquired IACP JEVSA in Barcelona, Spain, in 2013, expanding its presence into continental Europe, and opened a color-compounding site in Maerdy, South Wales, in 2017.