Testing Protoura Race

Developing a racing tyre was uncharted territory for Davanti, so it was always going to be a challenge bringing Protoura Race to the market, but one that Davanti was more than ready for. And its journey from design to final testing was anything but ordinary.

When the initial development of Protoura Race began, the goal was clear: to create a semi-slick, road-legal tyre, allowing drivers to take it from the road onto the track. This posed a big challenge for Davanti, as the tyre had to present excellent racing capabilities in a competitive racing environment against slick tyres from other competitor brands. Not only that, it also had to be accepted into the racing community.

Ray Collier, Managing Director and Chief Engineer of TREAD Ltd, played a pivotal role in the testing and development process. Reflecting on the early development stages, he said:

“One thing we knew the tyre had to be was race ready and road legal, meaning we had to go to the MSA [Motor Sports Association] to get the tyre into the ‘Blue Book’.”

Stage 1 – Controlled testing

Once the initial tyre design had been brought to life, Protoura Race was put to the test in varying conditions at the Davanti European Development Centre at IDIADA, Spain.

The high-performance vehicles used to push Race to its limits in a series of wet and dry tests were a Golf GTI TCR racing car, along with a Golf 8 and a Golf 7 GTI. Additional durability testing was also carried out at the Calafat Racing Circuit to prove the tyre’s resilience.

Stage 2 – Live racing

After Protoura Race proved itself capable of reaching the chequered flag in a controlled environment, it was time for a live race.

Ray entered into the 24hr Classic Sports Car Race at Anglesey circuit, setting out to prove Protoura Race deserved its place on the grid in the Golf GTI TCR. But motorsport has its turbulent moments, and due to some technical issues with the vehicle, Ray was forced to retire early from the race and Protoura Race’s track debut was postponed.

“As ever with motorsport, nothing ever goes easy. Looking back at Anglesey, something really simple – a 3 euro part that I’d never had fail before – an O-ring in the rear damper, failed. That sprayed oil onto the rear brakes just at the same time the rear calliper seized, so not only did we lose the cornering stability, I also lost the brakes.”

Undeterred, the second attempt at getting Protoura Race out on the track proved to be much more successful. The tyre finally had its true live racing debut at the Cadwell Park circuit against slick tyres and high-powered engines, but it rose to the challenge, coming third in the race.

Ray said: “It was a battle royale, club racing at its best.”

The learnings from this first race translated into some tweaks to the compound to improve the product, ahead of Race’s final test before launching the tyre to market.

Stage 3 – The final test

A few months on from Cadwell Circuit, Protoura Race once again took to the grid in a live race at Silverstone Circuit for what would be its final test.

Competing in the Golf GTI TCR at the 750 Motor Club’s Six Hour Birkett Relay Race, Ray took to the track, pushing Protoura Race to its limit while looking for positive signs of stability, consistency and enjoyable racing feedback. “You need to trust the car, you need to trust the tyres, you need to trust the braking,” he said.

Protoura Race didn’t disappoint, coming in 13th out of 70 teams – an impressive result for a new tyre to the grid. Even from cold, it demonstrated stability and good braking performance, and then once the tyre warmed up, the feedback, turning and traction were all positive. It proved to be consistent and very durable.

Ray commented: “Given the punishment the tyres took, that was really good. They were consistent all the way through, really easy to tighten the line mid-curve which is really important, and it’s very good under braking. I don’t think many people are going to push them that hard, so I’m really happy.

“It’s testament to the tyre and the tyre’s performance. Not only did they work in all conditions, but they proved to be really durable.”

You can watch Protoura Race’s testing journey below.

For more information about Protoura Race, contact your local Davanti dealer.