With a record 15 events, including three new venues for the series and a trio of contests on superspeedways, the 2002 Indy Racing League season is going to demand much from the Firestone Racing program.
From the cool temperatures of early March through the blazing heat of July and on into September, the Firestone team will supply tyres to every car in every event. The Firestone program also has the challenge of having the right compounds and constructions at each venue, ensuring the Firehawk racing radials perform reliably and consistently lap after lap. According to Al Speyer, Executive Director of Bridgestone/Firestone Motorsports, nothing is taken for granted when so much is at stake in every competition.
''With updated chassis/engine packages this year, the dynamics of the cars evolve, requiring fine-tuning in our tyres,'' Speyer said. ''Even at those tracks where we have raced before, we have to evaluate differences in the cars between this year and last, and then provide tyres that will give drivers the durability and performance characteristics they need on race day. When you combine that with the logistics of having the right tyres in the right places for 15 events plus additional practice and testing sessions, you have a major challenge. It's a task we embrace because it allows us to show the strength of our tyres and our people.''
The Firestone Firehawks take on a grueling regimen every race weekend. To start with, at race speeds the downforce created by the IRL cars' wings and chassis can quadruple the weight the tyres must carry. As cars speed up to and past 200 mph, the centrifugal force of the components, combined with lateral forces in the curves, requires enormous strength in the sidewalls. And on some courses, the track temperature and friction generated where rubber meets the road can cause tread to become hotter than the temperature of boiling water (212 degrees Fahrenheit).
''The Firehawks have to be thin enough to allow heat build-up to dissipate, but thick enough to shoulder the enormous stress placed on them during practice, qualifying and race sessions,'' Speyer said. ''It's a balancing act, really, with the Firestone race tyre development engineers and chemists constantly looking at new technologies, new materials and new methods of construction. We're proud of our performance record in the Indy Racing League, providing tyres that have allowed the series to offer such impressive racing since its inception in 1996.''
In the course of those six seasons, Firestone tyres have competed in every IRL event, continuing a legacy of performance that started in 1909 when company founder Harvey Firestone saw the value of motorsports and went auto racing for the first time. More than nine decades later, in the 2001 IRL competition at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Firestone Racing program earned its 52nd Indy 500 victory - a record of wins unmatched by all other tyre companies competing at the Brickyard combined.
The
Indianapolis 500 is one of three IRL events this year on superspeedway tracks ranging from 2.0 to 2.5 miles. The shortest track encountered by Firestone-equipped IRL drivers in 2002 is Richmond, measuring approximately three-quarters of a mile. Track banking varies from none (straightaway at Indy) to 24 degrees (curves at Texas Motor Speedway). Ambient temperatures are expected to range from the low 50s to over 100 degrees, while track temperatures may range from the 50-degree mark to over the 120-degree mark. Track surfaces include a variety of types of asphalt and concrete.
''We look at all these variables when we make a determination about the best compound and construction Firehawk tyre to bring to an event,'' Speyer said. ''While we can't control the weather, we are involved with how a team may set up its car for a race weekend. Our engineers work closely with teams on tyre management issues, monitoring pressure levels and tread temperatures during practice, qualifying and race sessions. For safety reasons, there are minimum and maximum hot inflation levels for the tyres, and the IRL can penalise a team should it fail to be within recommended guidelines.''
For races 200 miles or less, each car is provided seven sets of Firestone Firehawks; for longer competitions the IRL determines how many sets of tyres a car may receive. The tyres are approved and given an external code by IRL officials at the track. Each tyre also caries a computer barcode assigned to it by Firestone Racing, so engineers can track its performance. The tyres are carefully mounted and balanced by Performance Tyre Service Company, with each team supplying its own wheels. Since the tyres are leased, not purchased by the teams, they are returned to Firestone at the end of every competition.
