[DeTomaso] DeTomaso Digest, Vol 36, Issue 25- BFG R-1'S

[Mad Dog Antenucci]

Bob,
   
  There are several issues with ORR Tire Tech....In general they do not like any race tire for ORR unless they come with inner-liners for four major reasons;
   
  1.  History/Data of disproportionate tire failures of race and dot-legal race tires like Hoosiers compared against high performance treaded street tires like Goodyear F1, Michelin Pilots and BFG G-force tires which are all Y speed (186 mph) tires. 
   
  2.  We very seldom have had rain on course but I have been at one ORR (Pony Express in '04 or '05) where it rained hard on course....guys who did not have back up rain tires or treaded Y or Z rated tires just could not run due to the water on the road...and they did not get their money back.
   
  3.   Individuals show up with race or dot-race tires that have been raced at one or more track events where wear on inside or outside eges is a concern or they show up with tires that are age dated beyound 3 years. 
   
  Jason was not the only guy with Hoosier race tires that got bumped down in tech speed. Same thing happened to others and the reason cited was wear to tires due to track time use. 
   
  4.  Race tire soft compounds are considered too soft for an open road course and the hard compounds don't adequately warm up since most of the ORR turns are sweepers (Mexico and Nebraska being the exceptions) 
   
   
  I spoke to Eric Petterson who is head of Tech on this subject again and his attitude is much the same as it was in the past. He'd prefer everyone but the Unlimited drivers to use a W, Y or Z speed rated treaded high performance tire depending on the driver and vehicles tech speed.  
   
  Silver State Tire Tech position is pretty consistent with other ORR organizers and that is If you insist on running a dot legal race tire like Hoosier, Kumho or R-1's then it should be new and it should be heat cycled. As I recall YOU showed up with new Kumho dot legal race tires correct? While there was no positive test data on the Kumho's in ORR neither was there any negative test data! ;-]>  
   
  In all most 40 ORR's I've only used dot legal race tires (Hoosier R3's, Goodyear GS-CS or BFG R1's) half a dozen times but I ALWAYS used "NEW heat cycled race tires" every time that I used them and have not had a problem with  tire Tech. Ten years ago I used a set of Goodyear track race tires and wheels without inner-liners and during Tech I was asked if they had inner-liners and not knowing what inner-liners were at the time I answered,
  "ah yea, they have inner-liners" and I passed tech. ;-]>
   
  Mad Dawg Antenucci
  Team Pantera Racing
  

RCBSONS1 at aol.com wrote:
      Dawg,
  I was wondering if the questioning of the safety
  of Dot road race tires from the ORR personnel is
  mostly because of the type of tire or because of a known
  problem they have had.  Example of Jason Hoosiers
  questioning vs my Kumos... if the tire is not treaded
  but Dot they seem to look at them more.  Are they
  more concerned with they type of tires or just some
  past history of a particlular brand.
  Maybe you could ask in September if the new R1's
  with no history are a concern.  My Kumos are now
  almost a year old so time to change as the rubber
  is getting hard.... which for racing does not work
   
  Bob Benson
   
  Bob



    
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Mad Dawg Antenucci 
Team Pantera Racing 
  The 1st & still the only vintage race team in open road racing 
www.teampanteraracing.com