Goodyear reflects on successful WTCR debut

• Positive weekend as WTCR season gets underway at Zolder, Belgium
• Goodyear Racing team works closely with teams
• Drivers praise “magnificent” new Goodyear tyre

Goodyear is celebrating a positive start to its WTCR - FIA World Touring Car Cup programme after a successful debut Race of Belgium to kick off the season last weekend. Teams and drivers were overwhelmingly impressed by the new Goodyear tyre, and the Goodyear Racing team is pleased with the beginning of this exciting new partnership at Circuit Zolder.

Beginning this season, Goodyear is the exclusive tyre supplier to WTCR, the top level of global touring car racing. 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.

Every car in the field uses the same single compound of Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport WTCR race tyre, and the exact same compound will be available at every race. 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.

The opening round was won by Nestor Girolami, racing a Honda Civic Type R TCR entered by ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport, while the second round saw a podium lockout for the Chinese-Swedish manufacturer Lynk & Co, headed by Yann Ehrlacher in first place for Cyan Racing Lynk & Co. Ehrlacher is the Goodyear #FollowTheLeader after the Race of Belgium, as the Frenchman leads the standings with 43 points, and he was presented with a unique yellow Goodyear #FollowTheLeader jacket which will be worn by points leaders after each race weekend.

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 over 15 years and 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.”

Sebastian Trinks, Goodyear Event Leader for WTCR and PURE ETCR, is delighted with the successful debut weekend: “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 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.