WEC: Will Stevens first winner of Goodyear Wingfoot award

Will Stevens is the inaugural winner of the Goodyear Wingfoot award, an accolade the tyre maker introduced to “recognise sustained performance and endurance” in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Goodyear is the exclusive tyre partner to the intensely competitive LMP2 category, and all drivers from the class are eligible for the award.

The tyre maker confers the Goodyear Wingfoot Award on the driver who achieves the fastest consecutive stint average during each race in the seven-round calendar. The award thus celebrates the art of maximising performance across multiple stints. A stint is defined as the period on track between pit stops. In WEC, multiple stints on the same set of tyres are possible, a feat Goodyear considers confirmation of the “consistency and durability” of its LMP2 tyre.

Goodyear presents the award after each race to the fastest driver over a double stint. For the 24 Hours of Le Mans, round four of WEC, the fastest driver over a triple stint will receive the award.

Hertz Team JOTA driver Will Stevens won the inaugural award for 2023 at the 1000 Miles of Sebring with an average lap time of 1:53.044 over a double stint. This relentless pace was within 1.8 seconds of the fastest single lap by the winning car, underlining both the durable Goodyear performance and the former F1 driver’s consistency.

Will Stevens is the first Goodyear Wingfoot awardee (Image: Goodyear)

Recognition of consistent performance

Goodyear awards a set of tyres to the winning driver’s team at each round of the championship. All teams are entered into the Goodyear Wingfoot Award championship which uses the same points system as WEC to determine the winner over the course of the season. To support the development of future talent, the overall season winner will receive three sets of Goodyear LMP2 tyres for use at the end-of-season rookie test.

“Goodyear and WEC created this award to recognise drivers who consistently deliver maximum performance and speed over a long period – highlighting the endurance factor which is crucial to success in sportscar racing,” states Ben Crawley, Goodyear EMEA motorsport director. “Goodyear’s on-track success inspires the latest range of its ultra-high performance road tyres, including the Asymmetric 6 and SuperSport which are renowned for performance and durability. This award highlights the relevance of WEC for more sustainable tyre development.”

Origins of the Wingfoot

The idea of speed inspired Goodyear’s selection of the Wingfoot symbol soon after the company was founded 125 years ago. Goodyear’s Wingfoot symbol is derived from the famous god of mythology known to the ancient Romans as Mercury, and to the Greeks as Hermes. Mercury was known as a swift messenger for all the gods of mythology, making it a perfect fit to Goodyear’s ethos of performance.