Goodyear has been chosen as the official tyre supplier and a founding partner for the first all-electric multi-brand touring car series, Pure ETCR.
Goodyear is developing a bespoke tyre for Pure ETCR which will incorporate a combination of different technologies inspired by Goodyear’s latest electric vehicle tyres and the new Eagle F1 SuperSport ultra high-performance (UHP) range. The definitive specification of tyre will be unveiled in the Spring, ahead of the first Pure ETCR event.
A proven motorsport construction will be used, but with a treaded design that means Pure ETCR drivers can use the same tyres in both wet and dry conditions, reducing the number of tyres that need to be taken to each event. This aligns with Goodyear and Pure ETCR’s mission of working together to find sustainable solutions for the future of mobility and motorsport.
Mike Rytokoski, Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, 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.
“We bring a great deal of experience to ETCR in developing tyres for electric vehicles. 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. Our partnership with Pure ETCR is much more than just supplying race tyres. Together, we will use racing to develop technology to thrill the next generation of high-performance drivers.”
Pure ETCR will be promoted by Eurosport Events; the same organisation behind the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup, which Goodyear will also supply in 2020, and will feature high-performance production-based cars representing numerous manufacturers.
The radical event format, which is based around a number of short, action-packed, wheel-to-wheel heats building towards a Grand Final, requires tyres with instant performance. For Goodyear, the focus will be on ensuring the tyres have rapid warm-up times as well as the consistency to be raced hard throughout the event. 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.”
