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CONTACT:
Country PR contact.
Jens Voelmicke
Phone (+352) 8199 2010
E-mail: jens_voelmicke@goodyear.com
FIA Approves New Goodyear Truck Racing Tires
Brussels, April 20, 2006 – The FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), motorsport’s governing
body, has approved a special new Goodyear race tire for the 2006 European Truck Racing Championship.
This tire, called simply Goodyear Truck Racing, has been specially designed, developed and
manufactured to offer the best possible performance to truck race participants.
Until this season, Goodyear supplied mainly Regional RHS 315/70R22.5 steer tires to truck racers but
engineers sought a more suitable solution. To meet the unique demands of performance and safety that
truck racing demands, a development project was carried out. This set out to develop a tire with optimized
construction, tread compound and pattern, adapted for the heat, speed and other extreme conditions
found on the circuit, whilst at the same time having good wear attributes and the best grip in all conditions.
“Having studied the needs for a truck racing tire and specific rain conditions, we decided to develop a
special tire. The resulting product is based on an existing carcass but with a special compound, tread
pattern and features to reinforce it as well as to take the high temperatures encountered," said Jürgen
Spielmann, Director Truck Tires Technology for Goodyear Europe. "We have been working with truck
racing experts and we have conducted a lot of tests to produce a product, which we believe is best in
class. The new Goodyear Truck Racing tire is the result of a lot of hard work. "
The Goodyear Truck Racing tire is built with the same carcass as the Goodyear Regional RHS
315/70R22.5. The components of the carcass, including the compounds and the main reinforcements, are
the same as the road tire. It is optimized to enhance safety and performance, mainly to reduce the risk of
overheating and increase lateral rigidity. Additionally, a special tread compound is used with a pattern that
improves ground contact. The tread has a safety sub-layer which helps reduce overheating and protects
the structure of the tire against accidental damage or excessive wear. Being a moulded tire, buffing to
reduce the tread depth, which wastes energy and material and is therefore harmful to the environment, is
not required. The tire meets the quality standards adopted for the entire range of Goodyear products and
conforms to the European CEE 54 standards.
The tread design of the Goodyear Truck Racing tire has an asymmetrical profile and pattern which
provides the best pressure contact distribution, mechanical resistance and performance. The tread
features a rounded shoulder which is positioned on the outside when fitted to the front axle. This design
gives good lateral grip in dusty and damp conditions. The opposite shoulder is square, which reinforces
stability and a pattern that optimizes traction and braking. The tires are regroovable.
Goodyear Truck Racing tires will be supplied by FEDIMA France, who will provide service at each round of
the championship as well as at other truck races in Europe. A special price for the tire has been agreed at
€ 340 (plus tax) with a disposal charge of € 11 (plus tax).
The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company is the world’s largest supplier of racing tires. The company
supplies more than 500,000 race tires annually for race series on every continent. Racing is an important
activity for the company as many lessons learned on the racetrack have improved and accelerated the
development of road tires. This technology transfer has led to many significant innovations related to
construction, materials and tread design as well as playing a role in the development of engineers.
About Goodyear
Goodyear is the world’s largest tire company. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, the company manufactures tires, engineered rubber
products and chemicals in more than 90 facilities in 28 countries. It has marketing operations in almost every country around the
world. Goodyear employs more than 80,000 people worldwide.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company's range of tires for commercial vehicles, buses and coaches includes more than 400 different
tires covering in excess of 55 sizes. Many of the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturers fit tires from Goodyear as
standard, including Volvo, Renault, Scania, DAF, MAN, Daimler Chrysler and Iveco. Goodyear also supplies tires to all major trailer
manufacturers.
With Fleet First, which includes the TruckForce service network, ServiceLine 24h roadside assistance, Mobility, FleetOnlineSolutions
Internet management system and Next Tread, Goodyear provides the broadest range of dedicated services in the industry.
For more information on Goodyear and its products, visit www.goodyear.com.