THERE will be a visible change that comes with the new Hoosier tyres debuting in the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship next month.
As previously reported, the softer compound rubber will begin being used in competition from Round 4 at Sydney Motorsport Park on July 28-30.
In addition to a new construction and compound for all tyres, the fronts will also be 2.5 inches larger in diameter.
Garry Rogers Motorsport technical guru Stefan Millard explained what the changes are set to bring on the racetrack.
“The feedback from testing has been that the new tyre will be more predictable and controllable when the rear gets loose, as it tends to do on these cars,” said Millard.
“It also improves braking feel, locking margins and generally we want to make the cars more accessible for new and inexperienced drivers to the category.”
It’s the latest S5000 modification with such a motivation, following wholesale tweaks trialled last September and introduced in time for the 2022 Tasman Series.
The new tyres are expected to take far less time to get up to optimal temperature too.
That should particularly affect qualifying, S5000 cars having traditionally gone faster and faster during a stint as opposed to the first lap being critical in other categories.
“It will be a quicker tyre to switch on than the existing specification and by the end of the out lap you should be able to push at 100 percent,” Millard said.
“It should produce its peak speed earlier rather than taking a few laps to build up.
“We’ve been working with Hoosier for some time now to develop this tyre and the initial feedback has been really positive. We’re all looking forward to getting them on the cars in Sydney later this year and seeing what they can do.
“The goal from the outset has been to make the cars a little more accessible while still being a ‘driver’s car’, and we think this will tick the box.”
At the midway point of the season, Joey Mawson holds a 77-point series lead over Cooper Webster.
