Goodyear has developed bespoke original equipment tyres for the new Audi A5 and S5, with saloon and estate models leaving the factory equipped with Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, Eagle F1 Supersport and UltraGrip Performance 3 tyres in 17- to 20-inch sizes. Amongst the approved tyres is an early example of virtual tyre design from Goodyear’s state-of-the-art Simulation Center in Luxembourg.
This year, Goodyear celebrates 45 years of its most recognisable ultra-high-performance tyre line, Goodyear Eagle. The tyre maker credits the latest model to bear the name – Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 – with being one of its best-sellers in Europe and Asia; Goodyear recently introduced this tyre in the Americas as well.
Hardly a mass recall, but worth noting nonetheless. Goodyear is recalling 46 Eagle F1 SuperSport tyres in the dimensions 295/30 ZR22 (103Y) and 315/30 ZR22 (107Y). The tyres, produced by Goodyear in Luxembourg between 18 and 24 March 2024, can be identified by the DOT numbers 1L1K8 JB1R/1224 and 1L1HA JC1R/1224.
Goodyear ran its largest ever 24 Hours of Le Mans operation to demonstrate the long-distance performance of both its slick and wet tyres in the 2024 edition of the iconic endurance race. Mixed conditions throughout the race set the stage for a strategic battle in both the LMP2 and new LMGT3 classes. Goodyear supplied tyres for 39 cars across two classes, almost two-thirds of the entire grid at Le Mans, using 7,500 tyres, serviced by expert tyre fitters working in shifts throughout the race to remove, inspect and replace a set of tyres in as little as three minutes. In the pit lane, a crew of 18 track support engineers worked directly with each team throughout the race to advise on setup and strategy.
Goodyear’s Eagle F1 SuperSport R and SuperSport RS range-topping UUHP tyres have been homologated for the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS supercar. Specially tuned fitments of each tyre will carry the N0 code that indicates Porsche original equipment tyres. Goodyear says the tyres push “the limits of performance from a fully road-legal tyre.” Johannes Moll, managing director OE consumer, Goodyear EMEA said that the tyres “enhance the performance and handling characteristics of the most specialist machinery on the roads today.
Today isn’t 1 April and no legs were pulled during the writing of the above headline. Swiss motoring magazine auto-illustrierte has published a tyre test – and every single protagonist is a Goodyear tyre. Who stood where on the podium is nonetheless interesting.
Goodyear has developed a bespoke version of its ultra-ultra high performance Eagle F1 Supersport tyre for the different versions of the Maserati GranTurismo. The car will be available with a V6 twin-turbo configuration with two different levels of performance. The tyres have been tuned to suit the characteristics of the new Maserati models and carry MGT markings to show that they have been specifically developed for the Italian brand.
Earlier this month, Lotus revealed its latest sports car; the Lotus Emira. According to the company, it “delivers exotic supercar appeal in the sports car segment” and “above all, it looks like a Lotus”, while the design is “beautiful, timeless, memorable and modern.” Of course, what really interests this magazine are the wheels and tyres, and Lotus says that the Emira will have four 20-inch wheels. Standard tyre fitment is the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport, with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 available as an option. Lotus says that both tyres have been specially developed for the Emira by their manufacturers.
Cupra has selected Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport tyres as the original equipment fitment on the most powerful car the Seat high-performance subsidiary has ever made, the Formentor VZ5. It will fit the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport to the Formentor VZ5 in size 255/35R20.
Goodyear’s inaugural FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) campaign in 2020 was the prelude to a new era for the brand in the series. Goodyear is an official championship partner supplying every car in the LMP2 prototype category this season, which begins at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on Saturday 1 May with a six-hour race. In its comeback season to top-level motorsport, its first action at this level in two decades, Goodyear’s tyres were victorious in Shanghai and Bahrain, and achieved a memorable double podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
It has been nearly two years since the Goodyear brand’s reintroduction to motorsport in Europe, and it is fair to say that operating in a pandemic was not part of the plan when this brand strategy was set out. Tyres & Accessories spoke to Ben Crawley, Goodyear motorsport director EMEA, about his experiences of the 2020 season. Goodyear re-entered European motorsport almost two years ago. While the brand on a global level has “never really been out of motorsport,” bearing in mind its six continuous decades of NASCAR in the USA, Crawley tells T&A that the thinking behind Goodyear’s reentry in more global series “fits into a wider brand rejuvenation” strategy. “We know we have this fantastic legacy and history in racing, and we want to be able to use that to reengage and provide some excitement for the brand and how we communicate the brand with consumers.” The motorsport strategy also coincided with Goodyear’s introduction of ultra-ultra-high performance (UUHP) Eagle F1 Supersport tyres, and “the natural synergies that come with high performance tyres for the road and racing.” Beyond the new product range, the “brand rejuvenation strategy includes the Blimp, racing, and broader advertising and marketing partnerships,” Crawley adds. Subscribers can view the video of this interview in the full version of this article.
Goodyear made its WTCR debut in the Race of Belgium at Circuit Zolder. Goodyear is the exclusive tyre supplier to the global touring car series as of this year. 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. The single compound Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport WTCR race tyre will be used by the entire grid at every race.
The Mini Challenge returns this weekend for its second set of races since its Covid-delayed start at Donington Park (1-2 August). The JCW field is linked to the British Touring Car Championship, both as a support series for the first time in 2020 and by virtue of its switch from Dunlop rubber to European sister brand Goodyear, which supplies the BTCC. The move to Goodyear, in the final year of its 2017 penned Dunlop supply deal, signifies the continued realignment of the Goodyear brand within motorsport. Having already returned to the international stage with top-flight series like the FIA World Endurance Championship, Goodyear wants to expand its presence in national series too. The Mini Challenge JCWs run on a variation of Goodyear’s new Eagle F1 SuperSport slick tyre range. The company stresses the strength of this move for the development of competitors looking to make the step up to the headline BTCC series.
Goodyear is looking forward to recommencing the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. The tyre manufacturer’s partner teams, Jota Sport and Jackie Chan DC Racing are currently second and third in the LMP2 standings. The former has finished on the podium in the last four rounds, while Jota took a memorable win at Shanghai in November. They will be joined by an additional Goodyear-shod car from Algarve Pro Racing. The Portuguese team usually competes in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) but will step up to the world stage this weekend.
Goodyear has revealed the bespoke Eagle F1 SuperSport race tyre that will be equipped to all cars in Pure ETCR. The series is the world’s first all-electric multi-brand touring car series. Goodyear is the exclusive tyre supplier and founding partner of the championship.
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