New rubber for Avon Tyres British GT Championship

Avon Tyres has introduced a quicker, more consistent tyre product for this year’s British GT Championship.

The Avon brand, manufactured by Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe Ltd, has unveiled the fourth generation of its GT racing tyre since it took over as sole supplier
and title sponsor of the series in 2006.

Avon Tyres Motorsport technical manager, Mike Lynch, believes the new tyre will be around a second quicker than its predecessor around most circuits on the British GT calendar but, importantly, will also be durable enough for teams to use strategies demanding longer stints.

The new tyre has been extensively developed over the last two years, with Avon Motorsport evolving its previous generation product in endurance series such as the VLN. It was also used and well received by all teams at the inaugural Gulf 12 Hour in Abu Dhabi recently.

Lynch said, “The new tyre has been developed using a wide range of cars so we can be sure that it will suit the range of cars we have in the British GT Championship. It is a more consistent, faster product and will provide a more stable drive so our drivers should feel more comfortable when pushing their sports cars to the limit."

“What we found in testing was that the drop-off in terms of grip was almost entirely insignificant so drivers wishing to use a longer-stint strategy will be able to do so.”

Avon has also prepared a new wet weather tyre for the 2012 season, which Lynch says will be considerably quicker and easier to drive than its predecessor.

The British GT Championship is the UK’s most high-profile sportscar championship and features supercars such as the Ferrari 458, Porsche GT3, BMW Z4 and Lotus Evora GT4.

The new tyres will be used by teams for the first time at the championship launch event in March. The championship kicks off at Oulton Park on April 7-9.

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