Balancing GP2 tyres23/07/2010

The balancing act...

Bridgestone balances a total of 704 tyres, both dry and wet specifications, at every round of the GP2 Series. Directly after being fitted to race rims and inflated with dried air, the race tyres are then balanced in the same way  as Bridgestone’s road tyres. This is a critical part of Bridgestone’s tyre preparation. Making sure the tyres are balanced correctly is essential, as the GP2 teams’ car set-up is dependent on the stability of the tyres.

Tin weights are now used instead of lead for the balancing process. This is a more environmentally responsible practice and at the end of each race weekend, Bridgestone collects and recycles the tin weights used in both GP2 and Formula One.

Luiz Razia, from Rapax Team, visited the Bridgestone GP2 fitting area at Silverstone to have a go at successfully balancing a set of Bridgestone’s Potenza racing slicks.

Bridgestone’s GP2 Team Foreman, Malcolm von Berg, talked the Brazilian racer and Virgin Racing F1 Test Driver  through the balancing process.