On Thursday, August 27th, a press conference is scheduled at the NASCAR Plaza Lobby in Charlotte, NC announcing the formation of a private consortium of automotive and motorsports companies to address tire safety, wear and energy efficiency issues. The consortium plans to build a world class tire testing facility in the Charlotte region. Humpy Wheeler will start off the press conference and introduce Jim Cuttino, Ph.D., a veteran automotive and motorsports engineer and director of the North Carolina Motorsports and Automotive Research Center at UNC Charlotte, followed by Ronnie Bryant, president of Charlotte Regional Partnership.(Branstorm PR)(8-27-2009)
UPDATE: Camber Ridge, LLC announced that it is forming a consortium of automotive and motorsports companies to create a first-of-its-kind tire testing facility in the Charlotte Region. Veteran automotive and motorsports engineer, James Cuttino, Ph.D., director of the North Carolina Motorsports and Automotive Research Center at UNC Charlotte and president of Camber Ridge, is taking a leave of absence from the University to lead the corporately-funded effort. Camber Ridge has invited representatives from all the major auto and tire manufacturing companies to participate in this groundbreaking initiative. The effort was created in response to a federal mandate that says all cars produced beginning in 2011 must have Electronic Stability Control (ESC) devices, which automatically apply brakes to one side of the car to prevent loss of control or rollover. The exact location of the facility, which will also conduct research in collaboration with local universities, has yet to be decided as the Consortium continues talks with area economic developers. However, the timeline calls for it to be up and running by early 2012.(Branstorm PR)(8-27-2009)
