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Category: Latest News

Created on Wednesday, 27 May 2015 10:37

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Nuts & Bolts

Who’s Racing:

Tudor United SportsCar Challenge (P, PC & GTD) – May 30, 2015

Track:

Detroit Belle Isle – 2.360-mile, 13-turn temporary road course

Length:

 Tudor Championship – 1:30 hour endurance race

Tire Sets:

Tudor Championship -P

WHICH TIRE ARE THEY USING:

**Continental Tire has designated, Golds, as the dry tire to be raced at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2015. If teams move to wet tires, the P and PC classes will move to, Blacks, while the GTD class will stay on, Golds.

P     Golds – the same tire compound used at Daytona and Watkins Glen.

Delta Wing     Blacks – because it’s the only car on this configuration, it will race on, Blacks, year round. PC        Golds – the same tire compound used at Daytona and Watkins Glen. GTD        Golds – the same tire compound used at Daytona and Watkins Glen. CTSCC     This tire compound will be used at all other tracks this year.

Pit Window:

A fuel stint for the P class is approximately 22 laps. Look for teams to double stint on a set of tires during the 24-hour event (day and/or night) depending on pit strategy, track position, and other variables. In 2014, Ryan Dalziel quadruple stinted a set of tires Sunday morning in the No. 1 ESM machine. These are just approximations and does not account for fuel mileage, weather or caution flag laps.

Track Characteristics:

Since it’s repaving in late 2010, Daytona International Speedway has a smooth surface. This produces relatively little wear and because of the low wear, produces relatively high tread temperatures. There are also relatively “high loads” the tires must endure due to the high banked corners and vehicle speeds that are unique to this track.

FYI

• People Helping People - Continental Tire will bring 85 people to the Rolex 24 at Daytona to help process tires. During an average race weekend Continental’s staff is approximately 20-25.
• By The Numbers - It takes 17 trailers to transport the roughly 10,000 tires to the Rolex 24 at Daytona. This is about four times the number of tires for any other race weekend. With rain in the forecast, Continental is ready with an extra trailer of rain tires should they need them.
• How Many? - Continental will use three processing lines to mount and dismount tires throughout the week. From start to finish, the Continental Tire trackside services crew can dismount, mount, and balance a tire in approximately two minutes. The team expects to process over 5,000 tires over the course of the race week activities.
• Speeding Ticket - At peak demand, the Continental Tire trackside service crew will process 200+ tires per hour.
• Track vs. Street – Race tires are not designed for high mileage however, they are designed to be subjected to greater forces than that of street tires. In fact, a set of race tires will last approximately 300 miles while an average set of street tires should last approximately 50,000 - 60,000 miles. Race tires are also designed to run under a very specific set of circumstances while street tires are designed to run in a wide range of environmental conditions (dry, wet, snow, heat, cold). It’s also worth noting, one TUSC team will use more sets of tires in one race weekend than the average person will purchase in a lifetime.
• Around The World - Over the last four years, P, PC and GTD cars have completed 125,500 laps on Continental tires at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. That’s 446,780 total race miles which amounts to 17.94 times around the Earth’s equator.
• From New York to LA - In contrast, the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge has completed 19,005 over the last four Daytona races for a total of 67,658 race miles on Continental tires. That’s 2.71 times around the Earth’s equator.
• Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head – With impending rain, teams may move to a wet tire versus a slick. Aside from the visible grooves, a wet tire is designed for maximum grip in wet conditions and has a completely different tread and carcass than the slick. It’s a softer compound that is designed to reach a temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit while a slick tire can reach a temperature of 250 degrees Fahrenheit. The wear of a wet tire is significantly accelerated in dry conditions, which is why you see drivers intentionally drive through puddles during that awkward, it’s not raining and it’s not dry, time. The puddles help drivers cool the tires off and work their maximum capabilities while trying to get within their pit window.

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