Continental tyres safely transporting teams and fans at UEFA EURO 2012TM

Continental is an Official Sponsor and the exclusive tyre partner for UEFA EURO 2012TM, and will be equipping the team coaches with its HSR2 premium tyre for the safe and comfortable transport of players during the European Championships.

The safety reserves of coach tyres are an important factor since the squads travel mostly by team coach during the tournament. As tyres are the only connection between the vehicle and the road, Continental is making a major contribution to the safety of the footballers — impressive considering the fact that the contact patch is no bigger than a tablet computer.

In addition, 40 Conti Fan buses will be operating in the four Polish host cities of Warsaw, Poznan, Gdansk and Wroclaw for the duration of the European Championships.

At UEFA EURO 2012TM, eight nations will play their group matches in Poland. Gdansk and Warsaw will stage two quarter final matches and one of the semi-finals. Thousands of football fans from the different countries will cheer on their teams at the stadiums and in the fan zones and the buses will be used to transfer visitors from the fan zones to the stadiums on match days. On days when there are no fixtures, the vehicles will operate in the cities as free buses to supplement public transport services.

The city buses are fitted with a special edition of Continental’s HSU 1 tyre. This version has its own sidewall design featuring footballs and the Continental logo in yellow. The buses will stop at special stops (resembling substitute benches) where hostesses will be available on all match days to assist football fans.

The HSR 2 was specially developed for demanding coach operations in both regional and charter operation. It is fitted on the steering and drive axles of the team coaches. This tyre features excellent handling and ride comfort, is quiet running and is particularly economic.

On city buses, the load capability of the tyres is important as well as safety reserves. Bus tyres for city traffic need to be particularly durable as they often come into contact with kerbs. Also frequent stop/start and constantly changing loads place a burden on the tyres. Service technicians from the Conti360° network will check the tyres every day on site to safeguard passengers and ensure the availability of the vehicles at all times. Furthermore two service vehicles will be on standby at each venue to provide technical assistance whenever necessary.