IRL News - Gearing Up for 200710/10/2006

The IRL IndyCar Series is over for 2006, and Sam Hornish has been crowned champion. But even though it’s just October, testing has already begun for Firestone Racing for 2007.

With the Indy Racing League announcing a calendar that features new courses (Detroit’s Belle Isle street circuit included), the Firestone tires have to be ready for anything – high speed ovals, short track ovals, street and road courses.

For almost 100 years, Firestone hasn’t rested on its racing laurels, and testing will continue through the winter months.

Firestone engineers recruited four IndyCar Series teams and drivers to pound out laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They also conducted a one-day tire test on Oct. 9 at the brand-new Iowa Speedway.

Former IndyCar Series champions Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan joined two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves and Team Ethanol driver Jeff Simmons at the Speedway. Panther Racing’s Vitor Meira drove at the 0.88-mile Iowa Speedway, which will host the IndyCar Series for the first time on June 24, 2007.
 
“We have tested here a lot and run here at Indy a lot,” said Page Mader, general manager of race tire development for Firestone. “We’re doing two things: compound testing and a little construction work on the Penske and Ganassi cars.

“We’re trying to make it better for next year.”
Firestone has a continually expanding inventory of compounds and constructions for the different racetracks that make up the IndyCar Series schedule. Grip and sidewall strength are key components in determining which tire to use at each venue.

At Iowa, according to Mader, information garnered during a compatibility test in summer was applied to a game plan for this test in conjunction with IndyCar Series aerodynamic testing.

“We ran the short oval set-up from Milwaukee and Richmond this year (at the compatibility test),” he said. “It worked very well. We’ll do a little compound test with more grip primarily on the left side. We’re doing a little bit to work to come up with the right specification for Iowa and a complement to maybe try something different at Richmond next year.”

It’s a never-ending chase for speed and durability for the Bridgestone Firestone engineers.