Goodyear completes WTCR debut

Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport WTCR race tyre (Photo: Frédéric Le Floc’h / DPPI)

Goodyear made its WTCR debut in the Race of Belgium at Circuit Zolder. Goodyear is the exclusive tyre supplier to the global touring car series as of this year. Through its close relationship with promoter Eurosport Events, Goodyear is also an Official Series Partner of WTCR, highlighted through initiatives such as the Goodyear #FollowTheLeader campaign. The single compound Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport WTCR race tyre will be used by the entire grid at every race.

Sebastian Trinks, Goodyear event leader for WTCR and Pure ETCR, said: “We were really happy with the performance of the brand-new WTCR tyre, and the teams were too. The tyres kept a high level of performance all race long, allowing some drivers to set their fastest laps towards the end of the race and for others to almost match their performance when, typically, other tyres may have started losing speed.

“It’s important to work closely with every team in the paddock and listen to their feedback but the overwhelming feeling is one of optimism, especially heading to the Nürburgring Nordschleife next, which is one of the most challenging and unique circuits we visit. We’re confident that we can use this successful debut alongside Goodyear’s race-winning experience on the Nordschleife to continue this momentum next time out. It’s going to be a fascinating WTCR season and we’re excited to be a part of it!”

The weekend’s races were seen by fans around the world in the series’ biggest ever broadcast distribution. Eurosport aired the races in 70 countries across Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, and almost 40 broadcasts showed the races live or with highlights across the world. The WTCR season is back in action on 24-26 September for two races on the historic and challenging Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Teams and drivers remarked on the tyre’s durability, with performance remaining stable throughout the two sprint races, which lasted for 13 and 18 laps.

After winning the opening round of the season, Argentinian driver Nestor Girolami praised the new Goodyear tyre: “I think the performance of the Goodyear tyre was really good. We didn’t have any issues in the pre-season, nor here in the race or the long runs. The tyre feels really good. There is not a big drop from the beginning to the end of the race, and that’s the key of the tyre. I’m so happy that I can manage the pace so well and it’s not only the setup, but the sidewall of the tyre is very good for long runs. You can see during the race, all the cars keep their pace. This is better for the fans, for the show, and it’s very good news.”

Tom Coronel has competed in the top level of touring car racing for more than 15 years. He was also complimentary about the new Goodyear tyre: “The tyres were holding a lot stronger than expected because I knew the tyre degradation could be quite aggressive. The Audi suits the Goodyear tyre very well. The last four or five laps in Race 1, I could still push with the tyre and I was improving on lap times. For our race distance, the tyre is magnificent.”

The WTCR became the global series for touring cars in 2018, taking over from the WTCC. It was originally supplied by Yokohama, which had previously supported the WTCC with its Advan UHP brand.