Goodyear continues to gain increasing preference in the motorsports world as it is chosen as Official Tyre Supplier. Following its appointment by the FIA as tyre-supplier for the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) and British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), the international governing body has now also made Goodyear the official tyre supplier to the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) category of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and European Le Mans Series (ELMS).
A multi-season contract between the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the FIA World Endurance Championship and Goodyear was agreed following ACO’s decision to appoint a single tyre supplier for this highly competitive Le Mans Prototype class.
The contract, to supply all the WEC teams in the LMP2 class, begins with the 8-round 2020/2021 season which starts at Silverstone in September, before continuing across four continents around the world. its climax will be the 24 hours of Le Mans in June 2021, a race which Goodyear-equipped cars have won outright on 14 occasions.
“Goodyear has a long and remarkable history in motorsport. In addition to our unbeaten record in Formula One with 368 Grand Prix wins, we have 14 overall wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This partnership allows us to showcase our technology, durability and performance in the most famous endurance race in the world. We are proud to have been chosen for this challenge,” said Mike Rytokoski, Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, Consumer EMEA at Goodyear.
The LMP2 official tyre partnership with ELMS, the world’s leading continental endurance racing series, will begin in April 2021. In ELMS, the LMP2 category is the top tier of a multi-class championship that races at six of Europe’s top circuits.
The partnership means that all LMP2 entrants in the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans, including cars from outside of WEC and ELMS, will benefit from the latest developments in Goodyear Racing tyres. In addition, Goodyear will also increase its brand visibility on and off the track to support its launch of the latest range of Eagle F1 SuperSport tyres, featuring motorsport-derived technology.
With the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday period this month, long-distance travel likely to be done by many people. In conjunction with this, Goodyear Malaysia is reminding road-users to be safe on the roads by encouraging the replacement of worn-out tyres through a campaign in January and February.
Up to RM1,688 of petrol
The campaign will allow customers who purchase a pair of tyres that are part of Goodyear’s Worry-Free Assurance (WFA) programme to win petrol giftcards worth up to RM1,688. All customers need to do is register their newly purchased tyres and complete a slogan. Every entry ending with the numbers 8, 88 and 888 will stand a chance to win RM68, RM168 and RM1,688 worth of petrol giftcards, respectively.
Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance SUV
The Goodyear WFA programme covers the following tyres – Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5, Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3, Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2, Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 SUV, Eagle F1 Asymmetric SUV AT, Eagle Asymmetric 2 SUV, Eagle EfficientGrip, EfficientGrip Performance, EfficientGrip Performance SUV, EfficientGrip SUV, Assurance TripleMax 2, Wrangler TripleMax, and Optilife.
Alex Ng, Managing Director of Goodyear Malaysia said: “We have always been strong advocates of road safety and every festive period, we encourage consumers to make the necessary preparation for the long drive. Tyres are the most important aspect because it is the only thing that separates the road and the car. With good tyres, the chances of being affected by hazards become significantly lower, which is why Goodyear is once again encouraging drivers to opt for tyres covered under our Worry-Free Assurance programme to ensure peace of mind while driving. Through this Chinese New Year campaign, we are able to minimise road safety risks and, at the same time, give them an opportunity to win some great prizes.”
The WFA Programme
Goodyear’s WFA programme was developed and implemented to advocate tyre health and road safety while driving. Through WFA, Goodyear offers free replacement tyres within 6 months if there is damage to the tyres as a result of road hazards such as punctures, cuts, bulges and other impacts during the course of normal driving. In addition to that, WFA also provides a 5-year limited warranty on tyres for any manufacturing defects.
Following the announcement of Pirelli as the sole tyre-supplier for the World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2021, the FIA has also announced that Goodyear’s tender for supplying tyres to the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup has been accepted. The tyremaker will be the official tyre supplier for the series over the next 3 years, covering the 2020-2022 seasons.
The 2020 WTCR season has 10 races on three continents including races in Morocco, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, Portugal, Spain, China, South Korea and Macau, with Malaysia hosting the finale. The events are triple-header races, resulting in a 30-round highly competitive race calendar.
Eagle F1 SuperSport racing tyres
Goodyear will supply its latest generation of Eagle F1 SuperSport racing tyres in both slick and wet specifications, beginning with the 2020 WTCR season opener in Marrakech in April.
The WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup is promoted by Discovery-owned Eurosport Events and administered by the FIA. Its high appeal to spectators is because the cars are racing versions of high-performance production models from brands such as Alfa Romeo, Audi, Cupra, Honda, Hyundai and Lynk & Co.
“Goodyear has a long and successful history in motorsport and we are very proud it has chosen the WTCR as an international racing flagship. Discovery and Goodyear will be very active together all year long to reconnect that iconic brand into the racing community with quality content and a full range of very creative activations. We have no doubt that Goodyear will be a first-class partner on the technical and marketing fronts of WTCR,” said François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, the WTCR promoter.
Long history in top-level motorsport
Goodyear has a long history in top-level motorsport, winning 368 Formula One GPs, more than any other tyre manufacturer. The FIA WTCR contract rekindles memories of Goodyear’s race-winning heritage in the European Touring Car Championship, a forerunner of WTCR, in the 1970s and 1980s. In recent years, Goodyear has been the sole supplier of tyres to NASCAR and announced its comeback into global motorsport earlier this year, supplying tyres to the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series.
“We are excited to be joining Eurosport and the FIA by becoming the official tyre supplier for the FIA WTCR. This complements our recent comeback into global motorsport through the FIA World Endurance Championship. It allows Goodyear to connect with fans in a wide range of countries, and also prove the performance of our Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport range of racing tyres,” said Mike Rytokoski, Vice-President & Chief Marketing Officer, Goodyear Consumer Europe.
Over the past decade, the car market has become more fragmented with new segments appearing and then sub-segments within those segments. The premium luxury sector has started to sell SUVs while lower segments are trying to become more premium. And then there’s the gradual entry of electric vehicles that will accelerate during the next decade.
For tyremakers, this diverse landscape presents many new challenges in developing tyres. SUVs, for example, are not like what they were 30 years ago when they required tyres that were more for off-road use; today’s SUVs like the latest Aston Martin DBX are as quick as sportscars and driven on highways more than jungle tracks. The same can be said of tyres for pick-up trucks – many owners buy such vehicles for daily commutes rather than as workhorses, so comfort is more important than durability.
High performance is still expected of tyres even as demands in other aspects increase.
But one thing which has not gone out of fashion is high-performance tyres and while there are specific expectations of comfort, quality, safety and longevity, many motorists still want their tyres to deliver high performance in terms of grip and handling.
For Goodyear, with a long history of leadership in the industry, high-performance tyres are something that it knows all about. After all, Goodyear tyres were used in Formula 1 for over 30 years and the 361 wins – plus 25 drivers’ titles and 26 manufacturers’ titles – won by cars running on Goodyear tyres is something which can’t be beaten.
Goodyear was involved in F1 as a tyre supplier up till 1997.
Although the company stopped being a tyre-supplier for Formula 1 after 1998, it has been active in motorsports, especially in North America. More recently, it announced a return to international motorsport by becoming involved in endurance racing.
In Malaysia, Goodyear has also been associated with motorsports and Goodyear Malaysia was among the local companies that gave strong support to the Batu Tiga Racing Circuit to help promote motorsports in the country. In more recent times, the company has helped promote drift events and also interacted with owners’ clubs as a way of engaging consumers and understanding their needs.
Goodyear Malaysia has also supported Malaysian motorsports and even sponsored a drift event in the middle of Kuala Lumpur.
“Racing is in our DNA. Throughout the years, Goodyear has been involved in many races such as NASCAR, Le Mans and the British Touring Car Championship. Therefore, it is inevitable that we will once again align ourselves with high-speed motorsports. We continue to innovate to bring cutting-edge technology and differentiated features to our tyres. The most important aspect is that motorsports allows us to test our capabilities and push our limits so that we can eventually achieve excellent technology transfer and utilise development experience from the tracks to the road,“ said Alex Ng, MD of Goodyear Malaysia.
Expansion of the Eagle F1 family
To cater to those who want ultra high-performance (UHP) tyres, the company has been offering the Eagle F1 family which has found a strong following among enthusiasts. The family of tyres consists of the SuperSport RS, SuperSport R, SuperSport and is now joined by the new Asymmetric 5 and the Asymmetric 3 SUV. Besides the addition of the two new tyres, the company will also add one more new tyre during the second quarter of 2020.
The Eagle F1 SuperSport was developed for better grip and handling on the road. Within the innovative U-shaped compound, there are specialised ‘power zones‘ which create pockets of control for superior wet and dry handling.
The tyre also has a tread deformation protector which helps in maintaining its shape, allowing better footprint preservation for high-speed stability, especially during hard cornering. To increase grip during cornering, there is a closed outside pattern while a stiffer sidewall design improves handling and stability.
Wet grip vital
Malaysian motorists obviously have high expectations when it comes to wet grip since our roads are often drenched with water from heavy rainfall. With the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5, much attention has been given to giving the best braking performance on wet roads.
The specialised tread design and Impulse Control Compound Technology (which uses a highly refined silica compound), allow the tyre to endure the force of high-speed braking, shortening the braking distance. This compound also allows a patch extension through Goodyear’s ActiveBraking Technology, which allows the tyre to slightly expand when braking to create more grip using its walls.
But even in dry conditions, the tyre is said to excel in performance. Its Power Cushion Technology (stiff coupling of carcass and pattern) generates full transmission of power to the road. This is particularly important as many of today’s high-performance cars generate great amounts of torque from low speeds, putting a lot of demand on grip right from the moment the car takes off.
Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 SUV
High performance for SUV tyres too
For SUVs, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 SUV is designed to offer the important requirements for highway driving with the addition of extra strength for those occasions when driving off-road. In the past, SUV tyres were heavy and didn’t do fuel consumption any good but the Asymmetric 3 SUV has lower rolling resistance to reduce consumption. Its specialised Grip Booster compound increases the tyre’s stickiness with the road surface, allowing it to be comfortable while maintaining handling when travelling at higher speeds.
It may be hard to believe but the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) started as far back as 1958 – 61 years ago – and only Formula 1 and America’s NASCAR series have longer histories. It’s a rave series that has gone from strength to strength, becoming an event that major manufacturers must have a presence in.
It appears that Goodyear also see the BTCC as being important and has announces a return to UK motorsport by becoming the new sole tyre supplier to the championship from 2020. The decision comes with a view to enhancing Goodyear’s brand within the motorsport and ultra-ultra-high-performance (UUHP) segments.
2019 witnessed Goodyear’s return to these segments with the launch of its Eagle F1 SuperSport range of road tyres and successful return to European and International sportscar racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Platform for demonstrating tyre technologies
Goodyear has chosen the BTCC for the second step of its racing comeback as it provides a strong platform for demonstrating tyre technologies on a wide range of saloon cars as well as providing the right marketing platform to reach high-performance car enthusiasts within the UK.
“The recent launch of Goodyear’s Eagle F1 SuperSport range and relaunch into motorsport shows how the brand is applying itself to a broader range of initiatives within the ultra-high-performance automotive sector,” said Motorsport Director at Goodyear, Ben Crawley.
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
“The BTCC is one of the best-loved, most famous motor racing championships in the world and it will provide a great opportunity for Goodyear to get close to the hearts and minds of motorsport enthusiasts. We are thrilled to be partnered with the championship from 2020,” he added. ”The decision to become the sole tyre supplier to BTCC forms part of a broader strategic marketing plan for the company.”
As tyre supplier, Goodyear will meet the current regulations by supplying tyres with the size of 265/660 R18. Three tyre compounds (Soft, Hard and a specific compound used at Thruxton only) – Prime and Option will be available to teams.
Over the weekend, the opening round of the 2019/2020 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the Silverstone Circuit in England marked Goodyear’s global racing comeback. For the new season and its racing partner, the company had developed 4 all-new tyre specifications to start the 8-round WEC season.
Three top WEC teams (Jota Sport, Jackie Chan DC Racing and High Class Racing) will race on Goodyear tyres in the highly competitive LMP2 class for high-downforce prototype cars. At Silverstone, this was the only WEC class to feature open tyre competition, providing the perfect showcase to benchmark Goodyear’s latest technology.
Jota Sport is one of the three teams Goodyear is supporting in the WEC
All-new approach for ultimate dry performance
The WEC regulations allow tyre manufacturers to supply a range of up to 3 dry-weather tyre specifications to racing teams for the season and Goodyear has chosen their first two specifications after an extensive 12,000 kms of testing at 7 circuits.
At Silverstone, Goodyear offered their A (softest compound) and C (medium compound) specification tyres to the three teams. These both feature brand-new constructions designed to offer driveability and consistency across the varied season of WEC circuits.
“With races lasting between 4 and 24 hours, our focus was to develop a range that had the versatility and performance to cope with varying temperatures, stint length between pit-stops and cater for the needs of a wide range of driving styles,” explained Mike McGregor, Manager Race Sales, Testing & Track Support.
With the first three races (at Silverstone, Shanghai and Fuji) being in temperate climates, Goodyear will initially focus on working closely with the teams to optimise the A and C around their cars. They then will consider introducing their third specification at the Bahrain (December 14th) or Sao Paulo (February 1st) rounds.
Commenting on the conditions at Silverstone, McGregor said the new track surface had been expected to have a major impact on race strategy: “Testing had shown that earlier resurfacing had created a very high grip circuit that put heavy loads through the tyres. We also noticed the surface took longer to ‘rubber in’ after rainfall which was one of the reasons we had chosen softer compounds to give drivers the confidence to push hard on new tyres after a pit-stop,” he explained.
Due to the resurfacing, the FIA relaxed the regulations to allow teams to use an additional set of tyres during the event. This change turned the 4-hour race into a series of flat-out sprints between pit-stops, which is another reason that Goodyear had chosen an aggressive tyre selection strategy.
Wet focus – new technologies introduced
An English summer race means that wet performance is likely to be a talking point. Goodyear’s LMP2 wet features a dramatic new tread pattern with curved grooves in the shoulder to dispel water at high speed but with a large continuous centre rib to retain stability and grip under heavy cornering loads. This design is inspired by Goodyear’s latest Eagle F1 SuperSport range for ultra high-performance road cars.
The intermediate tyre actually features the same construction as the A-spec dry tyre to enhance its grip changing wet to dry conditions. This versatility allows the teams to optimise stint lengths between pit-stops.
Goodyear’s testing encompassed 7 different circuits with the goal of testing in as many different wet conditions as possible. In addition to the circuits of Silverstone, Donington and Rockingham in England, Goodyear also headed to Northern Ireland to Bishopscourt before testing at Portimao (Portugal), Motorland (Spain) and Sebring (USA). “We’ve tested in wet conditions that have varied between 4 degrees C. to 35 degrees C., giving us a deep understanding of what’s needed to win in the wet,” said McGregor.
Starting off with a strong pace
Jackie Chan DC Racing finished the LMP2 class in 4th position, followed by Jota Sport in 5th and High Class Racing in 7th. “The pace of the race shows the benefits of a tyre war. The battle at the front produced lap times that were over 3 seconds a lap faster than the 2018 race and all 3 cars used a mix of our A, C and intermediate tyres during the 4 hours. We are pleased to have returned in such a competitive arena and have shown strong pace as well as learning a lot for the future. It bodes well for the rest of the WEC season,” said Ben Crawley, Director of Racing.
Teams from the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) recently took the track for the pre-season ‘Prologue’ at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain. This event is a prelude to the start of a new championship season and this year, the public test session saw the return of Goodyear to international motorsport competition.
The tyre company has announced its global racing comeback earlier, confirming that it will develop tyres for the 2019/2020 WEC season which begins at Silverstone on September 1. Goodyear has a proud history in motorsport. In addition to 14 wins in the Le Mans 24 hours, Goodyear tyres were on the racing cars that won 368 Formula One GPs – a record that stands unbeaten.
Goodyear was involved in F1 as a tyre supplier up till 1997.
New tyres for Le Mans Prototypes
Goodyear has been developing a new range of tyres for Le Mans Prototypes for over a year at their innovation centres in Germany) and Luxembourg. The first phase of this development plan is to introduce 5 new specifications of tyre for the highly-competitive LMP2 class in WEC.
This class, for 600-bhp prototypes, is one of the most demanding in WEC as it features a battle between tyre manufacturers. At the Prologue, the Jota Sport, Jackie Chan DC Racing, High Class Racing and TDS teams will try Goodyear’s latest development tyres. The WEC regulations allow tyre manufacturers to supply a range of 3 dry weather, one intermediate and one wet weather tyre to racing teams.
Goodyear will use the Prologue, followed by a 3-day private test session, to evaluate different tyre options. They will then reveal their 2019/2020 WEC tyre range at the Silverstone season-opener.
“The nature of the races (varying from 4 hours to 24 hours) mean tyre choice and strategy are critical and it provides a motivating challenge for our technology team in our European innovation centres ahead of exploring other racing opportunities for the brand.”
Ben Crawley – Director Goodyear Racing EMEA
To deliver high performance to teams
“For the Goodyear comeback, we are aiming high to deliver performance for our teams. The 2018/2019 WEC season featured an intense battle between the tyre manufacturers. Our priority has been to offer driveability and consistency that provides the teams with a significant step forward. These test sessions will allow us to evaluate the all-new range options against the competition before we define our range at Silverstone,” said Ben Crawley, Director Goodyear Racing EMEA, explaining the objectives.
“For the forthcoming season, Goodyear will focus on delivering success in LMP2 whilst evaluating other racing options for 2020 and beyond. These could be in other WEC classes or in other international racing categories,” he added.
The 2019/20 WEC season will feature 8 races on circuits of varying lengths, concluding at Le Mans in June 2020. The season also includes two 4-hour races (Silverstone and Shanghai), three 6-Hour races (Fuji, Sao Paulo and Spa-Francorchamps) and two 8-hour races (Bahrain and Sebring). The Toyota GAZOO Racing team won the 2018/2019 season.
The Toyota GAZOO Racing team won the 2018/2019 season and will contest again in the new championship season.
Global warning is inevitable with how irresponsible parties are treating our Mother Earth but luckily, there are some of us out there who are willing to go above and beyond to reduce their carbon footprints. Goodyear Malaysia recently did their part by installing 6,680 solar panels at their corporate office and production plant in Shah Alam, Selangor. (more…)
Goodyear Malaysia has kindly donated tyres to Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 20, Shah Alam as part of the school’s recreational activities and workshop training. Committed to taking care of the environment and community, the donation was carried out to impart the knowledge to the students on the importance of recycling and its effects. (more…)
Goodyear Malaysia is currently running its Ramadhan and Hari Raya Consumer Promotion where customers can enjoy a set of brand-new Goodyear tyres at discounted prices. The offer is said to promote road safety with the hopes of reducing the overall number of accidents during this upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
The Ramadhan and Raya – Goodyear Win a Car campaign will also give the opportunity for fellow customers to win a brand-new Honda City and 10 years’ worth of tyre supplies from Bridgestone Malaysia. (more…)
