SUPERCARS TRIES SUPER-SOFT TYRES
By Bruce Williams
Date posted: 16 November 2020
Supercars tries super-soft tyres – Photo: InSyde Media
Supercars will trial a super-soft tyre compound at Queensland Raceway today.
By MARK FOGARTY
The stickier rubber could be added next year to liven up racing at tracks where tyre degradation is low.
Will Davison, making his DJR return debut, and Jamie Whincup will test a special batch of super-soft tyres at QR to help decide if they will be used in 2021 .
AUTO ACTION first revealed the possible option of a third super-soft compound tyre before the Bathurst 1000 last month.
We outlined that a batch of new 2016-spec super-soft rubber had been made by Dunlop’s racing division in Japan for a test this month.
Davison and Whincup will today (Monday) each have three sets of the experimental tyres to trial.
A shipment of 60 arrived in Brisbane, with the remaining 36 held for further testing if necessary.
First trialled in 2016, the super-soft version of the Dunlop control tyre is designed for high grip over a limited life.
Supercars didn’t go ahead with the third option in ’17, but is now revisiting the idea to spice up the racing next year.
It would be in addition to the existing hard- and soft-compound tyres.
If adopted, the super-softs would be available at low tyre degradation tracks – namely, Symmons Plains, Hidden Valley, Winton and Sandown.
The construction is the same, with the grippier tread compound achieved by a different chemical composition.
The aim is for a tyre that produces high grip for 70-100 km, depending on the track surface and driving style, before losing performance. The existing soft tyre has an operating window of 120-150 km.
Davison’s DJR Mustang and Whincup’s Triple Eight Commodore are expected to use the prototype super-softs over 20-25 laps each in back-to-back test runs against the soft rubber.
The cars will be instrumented to record grip and wear data.
The testing will be conducted by Supercars technical staff, with the results kept secret from the teams.
Driver feedback will also noted.
The tests can be repeated if more data is required.
Dunlop Motorsport technicians will not be attending because the Queensland border is still closed to Victorians.
Operations manager Kevin Fitzsimons and his small crew spent 106 nights away before returning to Melbourne after the Bathurst 1000.
The 24 super-soft test tyres – 12 for each car – were delivered direct to homologation teams DJR and Triple Eight after arriving in Brisbane by ship from Japan, where Dunlop’s Supercars tyres are made.
If the super-softs perform as expected, the variation will almost certainly be adopted next year in addition to the existing compounds.
Meanwhile, Dunlop is looking ahead to possible changes to the construction of the control tyres for Gen3 in 2022.
The current rubber is due to be tried on the Gen3 prototype car when it begins initial trials in the first quarter of next year.
Testing will evaluate if the tyres need to be modified because of the new-gen cars’ reduced aerodynamic downforce and slightly lighter weight.
For more of the latest Supercars news pick up the current issue of Auto Action. Also make sure you follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or our weekly email newsletter for all the latest updates between issues.
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