Brabham Automotive, which developed the BT62R, the off-track version of the Brabham BT62, which reached dizzying speeds, faced a similar situation. With a price tag of $ 1 million and 710 PS horsepower, the BT62 finished its first endurance race with Goodyear tires in first place.
If you're creating a supercar that pushes the boundaries and is suitable for off-track use, you need a tire that can tackle this challenge.
Brabham Automotive's trust in Goodyear is based not only on the victory of these two brands in November 2019, but also on decades of collaboration in Formula 1. Sir Jack Brabham made his mark in history by winning the Formula 1966 World Championship in 1 with his own production Brabham-Repco, which he used with Goodyear tires.
Sir Jack's son David Brabham, who brought the BT2019 to victory in the first race he participated in 62, is also the sports director of Brabham Automotive. Drivers and owners of the BT62 and BT62R models keep this passion alive and contribute to preserving this legacy.
Goodyear R&D Partner Helmut Fehl sums up the expectations of a BT62R owner as follows: “The Brabham BT62R driver expects top performance from everything in his vehicle, and this includes tires. The priority lies in performance on the racetrack. The driving performance and the feel provided by the driver's tires are of paramount importance.
Providing a tire that will meet the expectations of a racing-spirit machine like the BT62R is no ordinary task, especially when the vehicle is suitable for off-track use. But Goodyear is ready for this mission. The Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport RS, the latest member of Goodyear's Ultra Ultra High Performance (UUHP) product family, met all expectations.
Goodyear tested these tires on highways and ring roads as well as on the track floor, especially on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. During this rigorous test of nearly two years, it has been proven that the tire fully meets Brabham Automotive's expectations.
Vehicles such as the Brabham BT62R require special tires, as the combination of mechanical and aerodynamic handling creates enormous lateral G-force. Stating that it is extremely important to balance this with the comfort required for road driving, Fehl says: “While 80% of hypercar owners focus on track performance, the Eagle F1 SuperSport RS is the perfect choice for drivers who drive these vehicles on the track.
Pushing the limits of performance, the BT62R has very similar needs to racing cars thanks to its aerodynamic characteristics, but owners of this model need a tire that is suitable for driving on the track or for daily use.
How does the Eagle F1 SuperSport RS manage to meet these performance needs? Fehl: “This tire, which uses different materials inside and outside, combines race-proven tire materials with advanced technology. Using the same Race Pro materials as our racing tires, it's hard to think of a tire that provides more grip than that. ” Developing tires suitable for both track and daily driving is a challenge. Tires must meet wet grip, noise, rolling resistance and other requirements to meet legal requirements for daily use.
Roman Görl, Senior Technical Project Manager for Goodyear OE Consumer Tires, explains how this tire can respond to all these needs: “In addition to proven materials on tracks, an extremely smart tread pattern with Bridge Assist Technology adds bridges to the first channel to ensure block stability and bending resistance. The tread pattern also has fewer grooves and lower tread depths compared to other tires in the UUHP range. This prevents tooth blocks from playing under excessive load, allowing a softer and sticky material to be used. This provides a more precise driving experience and helps prevent the tire from generating excessive heat. The Powerline Top Layer technology, which prevents the teeth on the tire from deforming at high speeds, also provides a stable drive at high speeds.
Expressing that the problem is not just producing a tire suitable for a single car, Görl says: “The Eagle F1 SuperSport RS is the highest performance product among Goodyear's road tires for the European market. This is exactly the tire that owners of extreme vehicles like the Brabham BT62R want. Perfect for cars that need to reach very high speeds on the track and aim for top performance, this product is the best tire for supercars focused on track performance by manufacturers such as Brabham. In addition, the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport RS is the perfect choice for drivers who expect top performance from tires that comply with the legal requirements of passenger car tires.
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