Goodyear has announced that it will be returning to the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The American tyre manufacturer will be developing a range of new tyres for the WEC. The new tyres are set to make their debut at the season opening 4 Hours of Silverstone in September.
Goodyear has a long and illustrious history in motorsport. 14 Le Mans wins are achieved using Goodyear tyres, as well as an unprecented 368 Grand Prix wins in Formula 1.
"The nature of the races (varying from 4 hours to 24 hours) mean tyre choice and strategy are critical and it provides a motivating challenge for our technology team in our European innovation centers ahead of exploring other racing opportunities for the brand.”, said Ben Crawley, Goodyear's Motorsport Director.
"Motorsport continues to be one of the most popular global sports," Crawley continued. "It is an ideal platform for us to engage with consumers around the heritage, passion, innovation and technology that make up Goodyear’s story in racing."
"We will focus on sportscar racing at first, before applying learnings to other categories of racing, which could be within the endurance arena or in other racing series."
WEC CEO Gérard Neveu added: “Goodyear is a name which is synonymous with the heritage, passion and development of technology traditionally associated with endurance racing. We are delighted that Goodyear has chosen the WEC for its return to top level, international racing, and we look forward to seeing the increased competition between the tyre manufacturers as well as between our entrants."
