Avon named tyre supplier to two Italian championships
Following on the heels of news that Avon Tyres will supply tyres to the European and Dutch GT4 series, the British-based Cooper Tire brand has been confirmed as official tyre supplier to the Italian GT and Italian Sportscar Championships for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
The Italian GT championship agreement involves vehicles competing in the GT2, GT3, GT4 and GT Cup categories over seven rounds during the season. The home-grown Ferrari 458 and 430s will be among the main crowd pleasers and will be joined by cars such as the Porsche 997 RSR, Audi R8, Lamborghini Gallardo, Chevrolet Corvette, Mercedes SLS, Aston Martin DBS and BMW Z4. Many of the teams have already sampled Avon rubber following the debut of the company’s fourth generation GT tyre at the recent Gulf 12 Hours race in Abu Dhabi. The Italian teams will run on the same 2012 specification, including the 18 and 19-inch tyre sizes and compounds used in the Middle East.
The Italian Sportscar Championship involves nine races this season, the first of which gets underway at Imola on 15 April. More than 20 cars from prototype manufacturers will take part in the series, including manufacturers such as Osella, Lucchini, Norma, Ligier, Wolf, Radical, Picchio and Tatuus. All teams will continue to run on 13-inch Avon tyres, as they have since the tyre maker’s association with the championship began in 2001.
“We have spent the last seven years developing and finely-honing our GT racing product in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship and have now reached a standard where Avons are the tyre of choice for competitors and series organisers at both domestic and international levels,” commented Paul Coates, general manager for Avon Motorsport.
“We’ve seen a vast expansion in the use of our race products so far in 2012, with our GT tyres being used successfully in events such as the Gulf 12 Hours, British GT, FIA Euro GT4 Cup and Dutch GT Championships,” he added. “We intend to continue development of our products and increase further our involvement in international sports car racing.”
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