Fort Mill, SC., October 4, 2016 — The international technology company Continental today announced the acquisition of Lakeville, IN-based Hoosier Racing Tire Corp., a manufacturer of specialty tires for racing applications.
“This acquisition showcases the consequent execution of our long-term growth strategy Vision 2025, characterized by strategic planning and systematic implementation of technological progress. The acquisition of Hoosier Racing Tire …
Jeez, I didn't think they'd take that survey seriously when I said "I love your tires, but you don't make a serious autocross tire".
Will we see a Hoosier 'street' tire? I hope so.
Hopefully this isn't a 'thanks for the brand name' acquisition where they'll dump the actual Hoosier products and just slap the name on whatever they feel like selling.
Hasn't Hoosier been making some of the racing tires for Continental over the last few years? I think Hoosier has some actual skill and production ability that is valuable. Probably more so than the name actually.
No doubt Hoosier has valuable skill, technology, and production abilities. They wouldn't be where they are without it. But keep in mind it wasn't just Continental Tire that acquired Hoosier, it was Continental Corporate, the giant global corporation.
http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/start/com/en/index_en.html
Sometimes they lose sight of the fun stuff.
Just to tone down my posts a bit: I'm sure it'll be fine, and possibly even improve Hoosier tire. But a brand acquisition is a real thing too.
Like any other large corporate acquisition of a highly regarded niche brand, this makes me nervous. If done correctly, it will be a symbiotic relationship that offers some new shared resources, and where the niche brand is given significant autonomy to keep up their reputation without cheapening the brand. If done incorrectly, the corporation will micromanage and/or cheapen the niche brand, and essentially gut its reputation in an attempt to create short-term shareholder gains. Even if it starts out as the former, all too often the prospect of the latter is too tempting for short-sighted corporate management to ignore. So here's hoping that this is simply the beginning of more good things to come of this than bad!
Hoosier could also tap into much larger manufacturing and sourcing resources, allowing the A6 to drop to a $125 tire instead of a $225 tire.
As a friend said on FB:
Hoosiers are expensive.
Continentals are expensive.
What does this mean for the average autocrosser long term?
I don't think the Hoosier name carries all that much weight. I could be wrong, but I think people generally run Hoosiers because they're the best at what they do, not because it is a Hoosier.
I gotta figure that they're not just buying a name.
mazdeuce wrote: Will we see a Hoosier 'street' tire? I hope so.
Oh god. I would run Hoosier a daily just for the name.
In reply to mndsm:
mndsm wrote:mazdeuce wrote: Will we see a Hoosier 'street' tire? I hope so.Oh god. I would run Hoosier a daily just for the name.
You don't?
mtn wrote: I don't think the Hoosier name carries all that much weight. I could be wrong, but I think people generally run Hoosiers because they're the best at what they do, not because it is a Hoosier. I gotta figure that they're not just buying a name.
Furthermore it's a name that your average appliance driver has probably never heard of.
Maybe they will ruin Hoosiers, which I'll turn to a good thing. If they aren't the fastest tire anymore I can justify buying cheaper R-comps knowing I won't be demolished by a competitor on A7's.
NEALSMO wrote: Maybe they will ruin Hoosiers, which I'll turn to a good thing. If they aren't the fastest tire anymore I can justify buying cheaper R-comps knowing I won't be demolished by a competitor on A7's.
Yeah, even though most of us are in it just for the shear joy of track driving and racing, it does still suck a little to know that in the end you ARE going to get beat by money rather than ability...
I know a club racing sanctioning body that just lost a sponsor as the chairperson didn't even give continental the opportunity to bido on sponsorship for a spec racing class that was newly developed in 2015 and started in 2016.
This makes perfect sense. Continental's competition road racing tires have been made by Hoosier for years. They are just cutting out the extra costs associated with buying them.
The rumor I hear is they are going to try and go after the NASCAR bid as Goodyear's contract is up next year...
In reply to DukeOfUndersteer:
Trivia: who was the last NASCAR Cup series driver to win a race on a non-Goodyear tire, and what brand of tire was it?
Some old guy, probably on a Firestone, I'd imagine.
I'm pretty sure it was Geoff Bodine.
Wall-e wrote: I'm pretty sure it was Geoff Bodine.
Ding ding. Winner.
Not Firestone, Hoosier!
WildScotsRacing wrote:NEALSMO wrote: Maybe they will ruin Hoosiers, which I'll turn to a good thing. If they aren't the fastest tire anymore I can justify buying cheaper R-comps knowing I won't be demolished by a competitor on A7's.Yeah, even though most of us are in it just for the shear joy of track driving and racing, it does still suck a little to know that in the end you ARE going to get beat by money rather than ability...
Do you have personal experience going faster on Hoosiers? A lot of people claimed they were worth a second a lap at my local track. I tried a set of A6's & didn't go any faster than on the much cheaper Hankooks. Maybe a question of driving style, but I just didn't come away all that impressed.
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