Goodyear’s second year as the exclusive tyre partner to the LMP2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans delivered unshakable performance, durability, and consistency, says the company.
The 27 cars in the LMP2 class began the race on Goodyear tyres, two more than last year which was the first year Goodyear began its exclusive partnership to the category in the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series. An around the clock operation supplied teams with tyres and provided operational and setup support. This was Goodyear’s biggest Le Mans operation since its 2020 comeback. 2022 also saw the company service the largest number of cars since 1979 when 31 cars started on Goodyear. More than 2,500 tyres were used across practice, qualifying and the race by the LMP2 category. During the race, each set was capable of running for over 600km, or 44 laps. This is equivalent to four fuel stints, saving teams crucial seconds in the pitlane.
Race result: car #38 JOTA victorious in LMP2 class
The #38 car of Roberto Gonzalez, Antonio Felix Da Costa and William Stevens crossed the line to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category. The trio assumed the lead early on and built a commanding lead after starting the race third in class. Second across the line was the #9 Prema Orrlen Team car with drivers Robert Kubica, Louis Deletraz and Lorenzo Colombo, who were followed home by the second #28 JOTA car. Drama hit early for three of the pre-race favourites, with the #22 United Autosport car involved in a collision with both WRT cars at the first corner. From there it was relatively plain sailing for the LMP2 category, with a remarkable 26 classified finishers out of 27 cars that started the race. Goodyear’s involvement at Le Mans continues to strengthen
Mike McGregor, Goodyear Endurance Programme Manager, explained: “The onsite operation at Le Mans demonstrates the level of service we offer the teams. Our team included more than 40 engineers and fitters to the circuit who worked around the clock to deliver tyres on time. “We are delighted with the performance and reliability of our latest single specification slick tyre. While the weather has been perfect for racing throughout the event, we have streamlined our operation significantly by introducing a single-wet weather tyre to replace the intermediate and full wet of previous years. As a result, we have seen a 30% decrease in the number of tyres we have needed to manufacture, and transport compared to last year.” Ben Crawley, Goodyear Motorsport Director EMEA, commented: “Goodyear is proud to be in its second year as the exclusive supplier to the LMP2 class. The event represents one of the toughest challenges of the season. It’s not just the technical challenge of now offering one versatile specification of slick tyre, but also a human challenge for the expert engineers we have on site offering support to every team in the LMP2 category. Goodyear continues to expand its operations in endurance racing. This year’s race was Goodyear’s biggest for 43 years. In the second year of the LMP2 class running exclusively on Goodyear, we thank the teams for their cooperation and incredible achievement of getting 26 of 27 cars to the finish in one of the world’s most demanding races.”
