ADVAN / MOTOR SPORTS [WTCC 2008]

Wet weather racing with Yokohama ADVANs
WET ADVAN-CES WITH YOKOHAMA

Media information: 10 June 2008

As this summer’s weather becomes more and more unpredictable, with almost as many dry FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) races as there has been wet so far, Yokohama is making sure its ADVAN wet racing tyre provides the ultimate grip possible.The Japanese tyre manufacturer, sole supplier to both WTCC and Formula Master, has introduced a new wet weather tyre for the WTCC this year with improved compound and construction.

The ADVAN 240/610/R17 A006 is confirmed for the entire 2008 and 2009 seasons and incorporates non-aromatic oil in advance of the new 2010 regulations, which reflect European directives that no such oil can be included in tyre compounds.

“Aromatic oil is used throughout the tyre industry,” explains Yokohama Technical Consultant Ian Beveridge. “We know this will change in 2010 and, with the opportunity which arose in creating a new wet weather tyre for the WTCC, we have implemented this change in our compounds already.

“It’s important to be proactive in our development work and this was the perfect chance to see if removing aromatic oils would affect our way of producing tyres or our product’s performance. From the extensive use already completed thanks to the last few WTCC races occurring in wet weather conditions, we can report a positive outcome already; our tyres are as good as ever.”