The European Truck Racing Championship (FIA European Truck Racing Championship – ETRC) will continue at the Nürburgring from July 17 to 18, 2021. It is the second race of the season with the first run taking place in the Hungaroring in June. Fifteen championship candidates compete for the top spots in the tournament with its seven events and 30 races.
Goodyear Cup Promotes Young Talent
“All drivers at ETRC trust in the high-performance truck racing tyres from Goodyear,” says Maciej Szymanski, Director Marketing Europe of the Commercial Business Unit at Goodyear. Prominent German drivers are the six-time champion Jochen Hahn with his Iveco truck, MAN driver Sascha Lenz, local hero from the vicinity of the Nürburgring or the truck racing driver and logistics entrepreneur René Reinert.
Goodyear has been part of the ETRC universe for around 20 years. The company equips all participating teams with tyres that make the enormous peak torque of 5,500 Newton usable metres. With this force, the trucks can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometres per hour within five seconds.
In addition, Goodyear is continuing its growing commitment to the ETRC. By organising the Goodyear Cup as part of this championship, the company supports young talents and thus promotes the star drivers of tomorrow.
The Goodyear Cup is aimed specifically at participants with less ETRC experience, while drivers such as former champions and the top 8 from the previous season cannot take part. This gives up-and-coming drivers the opportunity to increase their media platform and to compete for their own awards and points.
“Goodyear is at the forefront of international motorsport. We have been involved in the ETRC for a long time and are pleased that we can promote and celebrate aspiring drivers. With the Goodyear Cup we are increasing awareness of future stars, their sponsors and partners,” says Szymanski.
“We are pleased that we can welcome Goodyear again this year as the title sponsor of the Goodyear Cup. Goodyear has long been a valued partner. By extending its commitment to the drivers in the Chrome category, the company is sending a strong signal to support this sport in difficult times,” says Rolf Werner, ETRA Promotion.
With size 315/70 R 22.5, Goodyear truck racing tyres have the same dimensions and a similar carcass as the company’s series tyres. They have been optimised to reduce the risk of overheating. At the same time, the tyres have more lateral stability. Their specially designed tread offers excellent grip properties on both dry and wet tracks. In combination with an asymmetrical shoulder design and circumferential grooves, this results in high tyre performance throughout the race. The 5.1 mm thick grooves enable efficient water drainage. In combination with the stiff construction and a contact area of 89 percent between the tread and asphalt, optimal dry grip, enhanced braking performance and improved traction are achieved.
At Goodyear, truck racing tyres and high-tech tyres for trucks including the successful Kmax Gen-2 and Fuelmax Gen-2 lines, are developed by the same team.
“Our experts share the knowledge they have gained from working on the racetrack and on the road. This will strengthen our market-leading position in the development of truck tyres. When used on the road, Goodyear truck tyres have to provide high mileage, increase the availability of fleets through robustness and wear resistance, and withstand intensive stop-and-go operation in urban areas. Technology based on our ETRC experience flows into our truck tyres. Racing offers our engineers an insight into the behaviour of materials in the event of violent curb hits, high temperatures, hard braking manouevres and high torques,” explains Szymanski.
The European Truck Racing Championship, which is set to take place an the Nürburgring from July 17 to 18, 2021, is the focus of the 35th International ADAC Truck Grand Prix 2021. Twenty race trucks with up to 1,500 hp and prominent drivers like Jochen Hahn, Sascha Lenz and Norbert Kiss will compete for the weekend victory and thus important points in the European Championship standings.
