Al Speyer, motorsports executive director for Firestone Racing, said compound or construction of the Firestone Firehawk racing radials will be different from 2006 for at least eight of the 17 IndyCar Series events.
Additionally, there has been a stagger change for the IPS cars on the ovals.
“We have a new tire for Homestead, basically the same construction as we used last year, but a new compound for improved grip, †Speyer said of the tire that will be used on the 1.5-mile oval that will host the season opener March 24. “Most importantly, we have a new tire for Indianapolis. That tire actually goes back to a construction we used in the time period from 2003 to 2005. But the Indy tire also has a new left-side and right-side compound.
“We also have new tires for Nashville, the concrete track. That’s a new right-side compound for us. â€
Speyer noted that a tire compound/construction for first-time IndyCar Series venues Iowa Speedway (June 24) and Belle Isle (Sept. 2) has not been determined.
“We’ve got several other things under development, †he said. “Iowa has been a challenge for us so far. We’ve been there twice and still not found the tire we want to use there. We’re still looking at the tire we’re going to use at Belle Isle and also thinking about possibly making a change for the tires we have at Chicagoland.
“In a nutshell, at least eight of the 17 races on the 2007 IndyCar Series schedule will have a new tire for that track. We’ve done some work in the Indy Pro Series as well—adjusted the stagger (size of right-side tires is changed to aid in turning) a little bit and changed one of the compounds that we’ll be using to make a little more drivability.
“For the rest of our season, everything will be very similar to what has been seen from Firestone in the past. We’ll continue to be the title sponsor at both the Nashville and Michigan races. We’re very close to working on a major supporting role at an additional IndyCar Series race this year. â€
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