Dunlop has completed a successful first test of the new-for-2013 BTCC soft compound tyre at Rockingham.
This season will see the introduction of the new tyre in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with drivers in NGTC-specification cars having the use of one set of soft compound tyres for one of the three races.
Drivers must nominate the race in which they will use the tyres before qualifying and without the knowledge of other drivers’ strategies. The tyre is four steps softer than the regular tyres and was developed in prototype endurance racing.
Testing at Rockingham, one of the most aggressive circuits on the calendar for tyre wear, saw the tyre meet the target of a one-second per lap performance advantage for the first three to four laps, followed by a steady drop-off in performance.
Michael Butler, Dunlop BTCC Team Leader, said: “Rockingham was a successful first test of the new soft compound tyre at one of the most aggressive circuits. We met the objective of lasting the race distance and all the performance parameters set by TOCA.
“We will carry out more testing at other circuits when the weather improves to validate the results further.”
