Pirelli, Dunlop roll out 'greener' race tyres in US

ERJ staff report (TB)

Daytona Beach, Florida -- Pirelli Competizioni and Dunlop Motorsports both will be offering “greener” race tyres this coming season, having converted their respective race tyre production to more environmentally friendly processes.

Both race tyre suppliers recently disclosed their 2010 specification products are being produced with HAOF (highly aromatic oil-free) processing oils in line with European Union regulations banning the use of aromatic oils, which are suspected carcinogens.

Pirelli's 2010-spec P Zero Racing Slick for the Grand-Am Rolex Series got its first broad-scale test this past week at a two-day Grand-Am test session at Daytona International Speedway's 3.56-mile road course held to help teams prepare for the 24-hour endurance race at the same track Jan. 30-31.

Pirelli is the exclusive supplier of race tyres for the Grand-Am Rolex series, although Pirelli recently stated 2010 will be its last season in this role. Pirelli's race tyres are made at the firm's tyre plant in Izmit, Turkey.

The introduction of the HAOF-based tyres in Grand-Am reflects Pirelli Tire North America Inc.'s strategy to increase the number of “environmentally sustainable” products in its lineup, according to Tom Gravalos, vice president of motorsport, marketing and OE sales. Pirelli's goal is to double the share of such products in its product portfolio to 40 percent by 2011, Mr. Gravelos said.

The teams in the Rolex Series will get another preseason opportunity to try out the 2010-spec race tyres Jan. 8-10 at the “Roar Before the Rolex 24” test session.

In Europe, Dunlop Motorsports - a unit of Goodyear Dunlop U.K. Ltd. - has reformulated the compound for the Sport Maxx race tyre it produces for the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) to accommodate the use of low polycyclic aromatic materials in line with the EU regulations.

Dunlop said the new polymer technology will be used in the firm's ultra-high performance Sport Maxx road tyres.

The 2010-spec tyre also incorporates an aramid overlay in its construction and has a miniature radio frequency identification (RFID) tag embedded inside. The tag - just 1 centimeter in length - enables BTCC officials to track every tyre from production and allocation to each team right back to their return to Dunlop for recycling, Dunlop said.

The new tyre incorporates lessons learned from Dunlop's Le Mans racing activities in 2009, both in Europe and North America, the firm said. It is the result of 18 months of intensive design and materials and construction development by the firm's European Motorsport Operations based at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, England.

The launch of the new tyre coincides with Dunlop's return as title sponsor for the BTCC for the next four years.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)