BTCC secures extended deal with tyre firm Goodyear
Five-year tyre supply and title sponsorship deal will boost tin-top championship during hybrid power switch
The British Touring Car Championship will continue to use Goodyear Tyres until at least 2026, with the tyre company also retaining the title sponsorship rights for the UK’s biggest motorsport championship.
The new deal will extend Goodyear Tyres’s involvement with the BTCC to 24 years. Dunlop originally became the championship’s control tyre supplier in 2003, before the branding was switched to sister firm Goodyear last season.
Goodyear has also extended its deal to hold title sponsorship rights to the BTCC, extending an arrangement that has been in place since 2005. Since 2019, the title sponsorship rights have been ‘loaned’ to Kwik Fit, which will continue in that role this season.
The deal means that BTCC, which is backed by Autocar, will have a secure title sponsor and tyre provider for the next five years, during which time it will introduce hybrid powertrains.
Series boss Alan Gow said: “The BTCC having a strong technical tyre partner is a key component of our success. As well, being the first major touring car championship to confirm its pathway for introducing hybrid technology, Goodyear is a hugely significant part of it.
“Goodyear has been an incredibly proactive and engaged partner of the BTCC for so many years and their ongoing commitment will help the championship continue to thrive into the future.”
The BTCC rules have made tyres a key factor in recent years, with the requirement at most circuits for drivers to use softer tyres for one of the three races each weekend often a major factor in shuffling the order.
Ben Crawley, Goodyear Europe’s motorsport boss, said the firm was already developing BTCC tyres for the switch to hybrid power. He said: “New demands will be put onto the tyres and we are able to bring a lot of knowledge and expertise to the programme thanks to our experience working with leading OEMs where we are shod on some of their hybrid and electric vehicles.”
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