Nokian Tyres Fastest on Ice: New World Record 331,61 km/h!

NOKIA, Finland, March 8, 2011 - The new world record for fastest car on ice was set by Nokian Tyres' test
driver Janne Laitinen who drove 331,610 km/h (206,05 mph) on the Gulf of
Bothnia in Oulu, Finland. The record was broken on March 6th on a
14-kilometre ice track in freezing conditions. The world's leading winter
tyre manufacturer equipped the record-breaking car with Nokian Hakkapeliitta
7 studded tyres (255/35R20 97 T XL).

(Logo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20110308/441616 )

Extreme speeds emphasise the role of top-quality tyres; they are the
vehicle's only contact point with the driving surface. When driving at
exceptionally high speeds on slippery ice, the tyres must provide maximal
grip, excellent structural durability and handling properties that are in
line with the car's high power.

The acceleration formula is demanding. When a car moves at a speed of 331
km/h, the car covers over 92 metres in one second. The tyres are under
immense pressure at these high speeds, and their diameter can increase by
15-20 mm. As the air resistance increases, more traction is needed in order
to pick up speed.

Testing at high speeds in demanding conditions forms an important part
of our winter tyre development. Testing our boundaries can teach us new
things, which can then be reflected in all of our products, explains Matti
Morri, Nokian Tyres' Technical Customer Service Manager.

The Guinness World Records organisation outlines detailed rules for ice
driving world records. The time for the one-kilometre distance is taken for
driving in both directions of the track, and the world record time is the
average of these two results. The vehicle takes a flying start. The ice has
to be natural and it may not be roughed up or treated with any chemicals. The
tyres must be commercially available and approved for road traffic in the
country in which the record attempt takes place.

Inventor of the winter tyre is master of extreme conditions

Nokian Tyres developed the world's first winter tyre for raw, subzero
conditions back in 1934. Two years later, it introduced the Hakkapeliitta,
designed for northern winters and today one of the world's best-known winter
tyre brands. The world's northernmost tyre manufacturer tests and develops
new additions, customised for different uses, for its winter tyre family at
its own test facilities in Ivalo, 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.

Nokian Tyres is the only tyre manufacturer in the world that focuses on
products and services that facilitate safe transportation in Nordic
conditions. The company's innovative passenger car, van and heavy-duty
machinery tyres are mainly marketed in areas that have snow, forest and
changing seasons that make driving conditions demanding. The company's net
sales for 2010 totalled approximately EUR 1,058 million, and it had 3,500
employees.

Read more: www.nokiantyres.com/fastest-on-ice

Video and photos: www.nokiantyres.com/FastestOnIce

Further information:

www.nokiantyres.com

Nokian Tyres plc: Technical Customer Service Manager, Matti Morri, tel. +358-10-401-7621, matti.morri at nokiantyres.com; Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Antti-Jussi Tähtinen, tel. +358-10-401-7940; antti-jussi.tahtinen at nokiantyres.com