Goodyear has announced a long-term tire supply agreement with Masters Historic Racing, one of the world’s leading promoters of historic motorsport. The tire supply agreement builds on Masters‘ long-standing relationships with the Goodyear-owned Dunlop and Avon brands, and marks the reintroduction of Goodyear into several premium championships, including events for Formula 1 and 24 Hours of Le Mans cars.
Masters Historic Racing
Masters was formed in 2004 and currently runs nine race series in the UK, Europe and North America. The current race portfolio encompasses a diverse range of races for historically significant cars from 1960s touring cars through to 2010s sports cars. Goodyear will supply tires to the Masters Endurance Legends and Masters GT Trophy series from the beginning of 2024. These tires will be manufactured alongside Goodyear’s contemporary FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series LMP2 and LMGT3 tires. This will ensure the prototypes and GT cars in the Masters portfolio benefit from the same consistency, performance and durability as the current cars.
Historic F1
Goodyear will also become the supplier for the Masters Racing Legends series for 1966 to 1985 Formula 1 cars. With 368 Grand Prix wins, Goodyear is the most successful manufacturer in the history of Formula 1. In an era spanning the eligibility period for the Masters championship, Goodyear dominated F1 against intense competition from other tire manufacturers. The newly developed Goodyear F1 tires will gradually replace the Avon brand in this category. The existing Dunlop-branded range of cross-ply treaded tires for historic Pre-66 GT and touring cars will be expanded to support Masters’ burgeoning grids, highlighting the company’s commitment to the sector. The Dunlop range gives truly authentic performance and aesthetics, complying with the FIA’s Appendix K regulations.
Goodyear comments
David Joy, Technical Leader and Sales Account Manager Historic, Goodyear EMEA, explains the scale of the company’s commitment: “The historic racing market is becoming increasingly diverse, spanning vintage to very recent cars. Across our Goodyear and Dunlop brands we have increased the size of our historic tire portfolio, with an investment in new tire sizes and specifications, to ensure entrants have the most appropriate and authentic period tires for their cars. It is a pleasure to commit to a long-term partnership with Masters, who take a forward-thinking approach to historic motorsport.”
Ron Maydon, President and Founder of Masters Historic Racing: “We are extremely pleased to have the long-term commitment of Goodyear across its range of brands. This new agreement gives confidence in tire supply to our Masters customers and historic racing in general. We are proud to have the most successful tire company in the history of both F1 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a partner.”
Sublime Rex McAfee photo of the Lauda 312 Ferrari; I was at Monaco in’76 and saw Niki and Regga doing their thing in those beautiful cars.