-sponsored Formula Drift driver is changing race styles as he tackles the tough 25 Hours of Thunderhill in northern California on ADVAN庐 ENV-R2鈩� tires. The 10th running of the mega-sports car endurance contest 鈥� which has 75 entrees 鈥� takes place December 8-9 at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California.
McQuarrie will pilot 鈥� with co-drivers Memo Gidley, Pierre Ehert and Anthony Ward 鈥� in the Motorsport Solutions/Ehret Family Winery Porsche 911 at Thunderhill. The Porsche will run on the orange oil-infused ENV-R2 tires. Yokohama is also the tire of choice for the KMG team鈥檚 BMW M3 (fitted with ADVAN A005庐 tires) in the NASA (National Auto Sport Association) contest.
鈥淭he Yokohama ENV-R2 is the perfect tire for us to run in the long, demanding 25 Hours of Thunderhill,鈥� said McQuarrie, who鈥檚 going from drifting to the punishing rigors of endurance racing. 鈥淭he tire is fast and performs very well, but more importantly, it鈥檚 very consistent. Consistency is so important in endurance racing because you have multiple drivers in the car performing in a variety of conditions throughout the race. Consistency is more important than pace, but we鈥檒l have both with the Yokohama ENV-R2.鈥�
McQuarrie, who uses Yokohama in drifting, said the 25 Hours of Thunderhill presents different challenges. 鈥淚n Formula D, you have to be inch perfect or your event could be over. That takes 100 percent focus for a very short period of time. In endurance racing, it鈥檚 not about being perfect but more about minimizing any mistakes over the 25 hours and being easy on the car.鈥�
The tires in both disciplines are equally important, McQuarrie said. 鈥淚n drifting and endurance racing you are looking for grip and consistency from the tires, but that is where the similarities stop. In drifting the rear tires are often going two to three times the car鈥檚 actual rolling speed, so they don鈥檛 last long. Drifting is all about side bite and forward bite at big angle and the AD08s gives me all of that.
鈥淵ou want the endurance tire to last as long as possible but be able to do the same lap time from start to finish of a stint. And having a tire with the ability to do a double stint has big advantages and the ENV-R2 fulfills all of those categories for us.
鈥淭he AD08 I use on my Formula D car is a DOT-treaded tire that anyone can buy off-the-shelf at a local retailer. The ENV-R2 is a racing slick designed only for track use, but the two tires share similar Yokohama technologies that give me grip and consistency, whether I'm drifting or racing.鈥�
Ken Kurtz, KMG team leader/driver, agreed on the importance of the tires in racing. 鈥淭he A005s defy logic. It鈥檚 a racing slick, which means it has amazing grip, but the surprise is the exceptional wear characteristics 鈥� the secret to success in endurance racing. Less tire changes (fewer pit stops) equals a better chance of winning. With the A005 you have the best of both worlds: world-class grip and longevity. I鈥檝e won multiple championships with the A005, and whether we鈥檙e using them in sprint races or endurance races, they provide the winning edge. The A005 is our secret weapon at Thunderhill.鈥�
Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology and innovation. The company鈥檚 complete product line includes the all-new AVID Ascend庐 鈥� the first mass-market tire using Yokohama鈥檚 breakthrough orange oil technology 鈥� as well as tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama鈥檚 extensive product line, visit .
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