Avon signed as sole Brit F1 Sidecar tyre supplier

Avon Tyres has announced that it will be the sole tyre supplier to the 2011 Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar championship following the first two rounds of the 2011 season, in which teams will be allowed to use up remaining stock. The eight-round series started on the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and will conclude on 1 October, with four of the eight races alongside the UK’s premier two-wheeled series – the MCE Insurance-backed British Superbike Championship – shown live on Eurosport and ITV 4. The Avon series will also feature in an hour-long highlights show of all eight rounds during a prime-time slot on Eurosport.

Avon Tyres’ Motorsport sales manager Steve Smith says: “The British F1 Sidecar Championship is a high-octane, adrenalin-fuelled series which promises to be better than ever in 2011. Avon Tyres Motorsport is delighted to be chosen as the sole tyre supplier for the most exciting motorsport race series in Britain, if not the world.”

Avon says F1 sidecar racing provides a unique set of challenges for its Motorsport design team. The tyres use a cross-ply construction – a feature that allows the vehicles to corner in a controlled slide – and are closer in appearance to car tyres. The 14-inch tyres are entirely bespoke, with all three tyres (front, rear and chair) featuring different sizes and compounds, determined by the differing loads and forces they contend with during a top-flight race. Although manufactured specifically for F1 sidecars, the front and chair tyres have been successfully used for car racing in the past.

With around 10 crews in with a chance of the title, the action promises to be hot. Title favourites are brothers Ben and Tom Birchall, who took second place in the British series last year, despite an injury-hit season. Others in the hunt for the title include Barry James and Jamie Winn, Scott Laurie and James Neave, and Andy Peach and Charlie Richardson. At the first round at Brands Hatch over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, both races were won by three-time world champion Tim Reeves and his passenger Gregory Cluze. The series returns to Brands Hatch for the second round on 21-22 May, running on the more challenging GP circuit.

Avon said that It is hoped the series will be reunited with the British Superbike Championship full-time from 2012.

2011 Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship Calendar

24-25 April: Brands Hatch, Indy (BSB)
21-22 May: Brands Hatch, GP (BMCRC)
18-19 June: Knockhill, (BSB)
9-10 July: Snetterton, 300 (BMCRC)
13-14 August: Cadwell Park (BMCRC)
10-11 September: Donington Park (BSB)
24-25 September: Silverstone GP (BSB)
1-2 October: Mondello Park (Masters)