SUPERCARS BACK TO 2016 TYRE FOR BATHURST AND NEW ZEALAND

Dunlop will revert to 2016 spec tyre for Bathurst and Pukekohe – Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

In an effort to avoid a repeat of the tyre failures at Phillip Island (as reported in Auto Action 1709), Supercars will revert to Dunlop’s 2016 construction hard compound tyres for Bathurst and Pukekohe.

Dunlop developed two new tyre options for the 2017 season, a Soft and a Super Soft. With the more durable of the two compounds designed for high tyre load circuits like Phillip Island, Bathurst and Pukekohe.

However, after several catastrophic tyre failures at Phillip Island, which were believed to be caused by aggressive camber settings which resulted in a high build-up of heat in the sidewall.

One of several tyre failures at Phillip Island – Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

Phillip Island hasn’t been the only venue with tyre failures, with a couple more failures at the most recent round at Hidden Valley in Darwin. Again, believed to be due to aggressive camber settings as teams chase speed on the on the grippier tyres.

Dunlop have already resumed production on the 2016 tyre, still used in the Dunlop Super 2 series, to have additional tyres ready for Bathurst and Pukekohe.

It’s also believed that Dunlop are working on a modified version of the 2017 construction tyres, to be tested at Phillip Island in September.

We’ll have more details in an upcoming issue of Auto Action Magazine. In the meantime, make sure you follow us on social media – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates.