– Goodyear appointed exclusive tyre supplier and official partner to WTCR
– World’s top level of touring car racing to begin 2020 season at Zolder
– Goodyear develops highly versatile single slick tyre specification
Another exciting international motorsports program for Goodyear starts this weekend, with the first round of the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup. Goodyear has been appointed exclusive tyre supplier to this prestigious series, adding another top-level global racing championship to its portfolio.
The WTCR season starts with the Race of Belgium, comprising two races at Circuit Zolder, on 12-13 September to kick off a condensed and rescheduled 2020 calendar that will now focus on Europe. Typically, the WTCR season includes races around the world, which Goodyear can look forward to next year as part of its long-term contract as exclusive tyre supplier and an official partner.
After Zolder, WTCR teams will visit the Nürburgring, Germany, for races on the challenging 25.4 km Nordschleife, then Slovakiaring, Slovakia; Hungaroring, Hungary; Aragón, Spain; and Adria, Italy. The first two events will consist of two races each, before an increase to three races each weekend from the Slovakiaring onwards. All six events will take place in a two-month period, culminating on 14-15 November at Adria.
All WTCR teams will use a single specification of slick Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport race tyres in dry conditions, and have access to a further single wet specification. The decision to use just one versatile slick tyre, rather than a number of compounds, is important to Goodyear’s partnership with WTCR and series promoter Eurosport Events. WTCR races are flat-out sprints, with no mid-race tyre changes.
Sebastian Trinks, Sales Account Manager, is Goodyear’s event leader for WTCR and PURE ETCR, the all-electric touring car series also promoted by Eurosport Events. Trinks explains the reasoning behind the single tyre specification: « It’s important to make everything cost-effective and accessible, so Goodyear has put a lot of effort into creating a highly versatile tyre compound that can cope with a wide range of conditions and car types. Having just one tyre specification, plus the wet-weather compound, significantly reduces costs and freight volumes, which is of paramount importance for a globe-trotting series like WTCR.
« To create the versatile compound that we have here, we had to keep in mind the changing conditions of WTCR tracks. While there are no longer any street circuits on the 2020 calendar, we’re expecting them to return in future seasons. The streets of Marrakesh, Vila Real or Macau are completely different to race tracks like Zolder or Aragón, and the Nürburgring poses a completely different set of challenges, too. There is also a lot of variety in the cars used in WTCR. With seven manufacturers represented – Hyundai, Honda, CUPRA, Lynk & Co, Audi, Renault and Alfa Romeo – we needed to design a tyre that allows every team and driver to maximise the performance of their car. »
Each team will have 16 slick tyres at Zolder and 12 at the Nürburgring. This allocation is increased to 16 again for the remaining rounds with three races each. From the Nürburgring onwards, they can also carry over tyres from previous rounds if desired.
In addition to its position as exclusive tyre supplier, Goodyear is also a proud Official Partner of WTCR. This highlights the importance of this program to Goodyear, placing it as a key pillar in the company’s international racing return. Beginning this year, Goodyear is also the exclusive tyre supplier to PURE ETCR and the British Touring Car Championship, bringing three of the world’s leading touring car series into its remit.
The road-going versions of the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport range were launched recently and include fitments to suit the street versions of many of the WTCR cars, underlining Goodyear’s increased focus on the ultra high performance (UHP) and ultra ultra high performance (UUHP) car market.
James Bailey,