Goodyear gears up for the next round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship
Four champions put the pedal to the metal in their 160 km/h, 1,500 bhp, 5.3 tonne trucks to deliver spectacular racing and put exclusive tyre supplier Goodyear to the test.
Luxembourg, August 29 2019 – On August 31st and September 1st, the Most circuit in the Czech Republic will be the scene of the 5th round of one of the largest and most impressive challenging racing series in the world; the FIA European Truck Racing Championship (ETRC).
With over 15 years’ experience in truck racing and backed by 368 Formula One Grand Prix wins, Goodyear has a strong history and unbeaten track record in motorsport. At the start of the 2019 season, the tyre manufacturer extended its contract as exclusive tyre supplier for another three years.
The 2019 championship is marked by an intense battle between 18 full-season drivers and leading manufacturers including IVECO, Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and MAN. This year four former European Truck Race Champions are participating, including the current title-holder Jochen Hahn from Altensteig in Germany, who holds five titles and is eager to defend his title.
Racing means thrilling battles; putting drivers, machines and tyres to the test. Truck racing is unique with eighteen trucks competing at speeds of up to 160 Km/h just a few centimetres apart to get the best position into each corner.
A typical tractor unit on the road weighs 40 tonnes (with trailer and full load), has an engine power of about 480 hp, torque of 2,300 Nm and operates on average at 80 to 100 km/h. The race-prepared trucks, based on road-going 4 x 2 tractor units, boast massive 1,500 bhp engines with an average torque of 5,500 Nm, which can power the trucks from 0 – 100 km/h in 5 seconds and 30 – 160 km/h in just 6 seconds.
Given the nature of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship, tyres and strategy are critical, and teams count on the high-quality of our tyres to enhance their performance. With the trucks having acceleration levels similar to a high-speed sports car, powerful engines and brakes at times literally on fire, truck racing is the ultimate test-bed for the development of our premium on-road tyre ranges like the recently-launched innovative, Goodyear KMAX GEN-2 and FUELMAX GEN-2.
Innovation from the track to the road
The championship comprises eight events in different countries and on a diversity of tracks. Each racing weekend is a thrilling spectacle comprising four races plus qualifying and practice sessions. This really puts the tyres to the test in terms of acceleration, braking, handling robustness and tyre heat management.
In 2004, Goodyear set up a dedicated truck racing development programme. The first specially designed Goodyear Truck Race Tyre became a reality and went into production only one year after entering the competition. Since then they have evolved quite considerately including the introduction of the first RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) chips in racing tyres in 2011 to support the FIA officials in monitoring teams’ tyre use to ensure fair play. After intensive testing in truck racing, this connected tyre technology is also incorporated into Goodyear’s current on-road and mixed service tyres. The chip in the tyre helps optimise daily fleet operations and tyre maintenance. It provides a unique identification code for each tyre, facilitating tracking and monitoring throughout the multiple lives of the tyre and is also a deterrent to thieves as these tyres can be traced.
The FIA European Truck Racing Championship brings together a select group of innovative technology partners and highly-talented drivers. We are proud of our long-term involvement in truck racing and of being exclusive tyre supplier as it allows us to test new technologies under challenging and competitive conditions. It also demonstrates the innovative capabilities of our teams to offer superior mobility solutions today and in the future.
Goodyear Truck Racing Range – Technical View
The Goodyear Truck Racing tyres are size 315/70R22.5 and use regular Goodyear tyre carcasses with a special tread adapted to cope with the extreme circuit conditions:
- to reduce the risk of overheating, a special dual layer tread cap is used, the bottom layer featuring a cool-running compound. A similar technology is also incorporated in the latest Goodyear KMAX GEN-2 and FUELMAX GEN-2 ranges.
- the special tread provides very high levels of grip in both dry and wet track conditions as in truck racing only one tyre type is allowed unlike in car racing.
- to cope with the high speed and handling requirements, the lateral rigidity of the tyres has been increased, which enhances their performance for racing. An asymmetric shoulder design and circumferential grooves with a specific racing tread compound provide consistent all-round performance to all drivers and on all tracks.
- the tyre provides an optimised ground contact pressure distribution in straight running and under cornering, and high resistance against deterioration under cornering.
FIA European Truck Racing Championship 2019 Race Programme
Round 1 Misano Adriatico, Italy May 25 - 26
Round 2 Hungaroring, Hungary June 22 - 23
Round 3 Slovakia Ring, Slovakia July 6 – 7
Round 4 Nürburgring, Germany July 20 - 21
Round 5 Most, Czech Republic August 31 - September 1
Round 6 Zolder, Belgium September 14 - 15
Round 7 Le Mans, France September 27 - 29
Round 8 Jarama, Spain October 5 - 6
Latest results and further information about the 2019 FIA European Truck Racing Championship season can be found on the event official website: http://www.fiaetrc.com