KUALA LUMPUR: Goodyear is confirmed to be the official tyre supplier for the electric touring car racing, Pure ETCR.
With that, the tyre company will be developing a bespoke tyre for the racing series which will incorporate a combination of different technologies inspired by Goodyear’s latest electric vehicle tyres as well as the new Eagle F1 SuperSport ultra high-performance (UHP range).
Further specification will be revealed in Spring, prior to the first Pure ETCR event.
Goodyear said that a proper and proven motorsport blend will be used, but with a treaded design which means Pure ETCR teams will be able to use the same tyres in both dry and wet conditions.
This reduces the number of tyres needed to be taken to each event, thus aligning with Goodyear and Pure ETCR’s missions of working together to find sustainable solutions for the future of mobility and motorsport.
Mike Rytokoski, vice president and chief marketing officer of Goodyear Europe said: “Goodyear is a leader in electric vehicle tyre development. In Europe, half of our original equipment tyre developments are for EVs and hybrids.
“High-performance road electric vehicles have very different needs to their petrol or diesel equivalents. They are heavier and have more torque, delivered immediately.
“Goodyear has developed tyres that can cope with this instant power delivery, delivering high grip and traction hand-in-hand with low rolling resistance to increase range and efficiency,” he said.
Rytokoski added that the partnership with Pure ETCR goes beyond supplying race tyres, but also to develop the technology to thrill the next generation of high-performance drivers.
Pure ETCR will be organised by Eurosport Events, the same organisation behind FIA WTCR (World Touring Car Cup) which Goodyear also supplies in 2020, and will feature high-performance production-based cars from various manufacturers.
The race format will be based on a number of short, action-packed door-to-door racing building towards Grand Final.
Goodyear’s focus is to ensure the tyres have rapid warm-up times as well as performance consistency to endure the race.
This means the drivers can go flat out from the very beginning of a race, without the need for the costly tyre-warming equipment seen in other championships.
François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, Pure ETCR promoter, said: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Goodyear to Pure ETCR as a founding partner of the series. Goodyear has a unique racing legacy and is all about performance and innovation; a perfect partner for our new modern electric racing flagship.
"This venture perfectly complements our partnership with Goodyear in WTCR, which we also expect to be highly successful. With a bespoke high-performance, all-weather design, fewer tyres need to be produced for Pure ETCR and this aligns perfectly with our sustainability commitments.
'We have no doubt that Goodyear will be a first-class partner on the technical and marketing fronts of Pure ETCR, a great platform to activate Goodyear #backtoracing.”