Continental, the official sponsor and exclusive tyre partner for UEFA EURO 2012, will be equipping the team buses with its HSR 2 premium bus tyre for safe and comfortable transport of players during the Euros. The safety reserves of the bus tyres are an important factor since the squads travel mostly on their team buses during tournaments.
As the tyres form the sole connection between the vehicle and the road, Continental is making a major contribution to the safety of the footballers. This is indeed impressive considering the fact that the contact patch is no bigger than a tablet computer.
In addition, 40 ContiBuses 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 2012, 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 different countries will cheer on their teams at the stadiums and in the fan zones. The buses will be used to transfer visitors from the fan zones to the stadia on match days. On days when there are no fixtures, the vehicles will operate in the cities as free buses to boost public transport services.
The city buses are fitted with the EURO 2012 edition of Continental’s HSU 1 tyre. This version has its own special sidewall design featuring footballs and the Continental logo in yellow. The buses will stop at special bus stops (resembling substitute benches) where hostesses will be available on all match days to assist football fans.
The HSR 2 was specially conceived for demanding assignments on buses in combined regional and charter operation. It is fitted on the steering and drive axles of the team buses. This tyre features excellent handling and ride comfort.
On the city buses, the load capability of the tyres also counts, in addition to safety aspects. Bus tyres for city traffic need to be particularly durable as they often come into contact with curb stones. Also frequent starting and braking 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.