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 LAKEVILLE,
IN (April 11) -- Spring has arrived and that means the racing season
is getting underway across the country. But before any racing takes
place, many tests are needed to assure Hoosier tires are ready for the
competition. A recent break in the wet and sometimes cold spring
weather afforded us the opportunity to do some comprehensive testing
at local New Paris Speedway.
THE TRACK: NEW PARIS SPEEDWAY
New Paris Speedway is a 1/4-mile asphalt track located about 25
miles northeast of Hoosier Racing Tire. THE
DRIVER: DENNY NYARI
Veteran driver Denny Nyari drove the test car used in today's tire
test. He was accompanied by several members of his race team who set
the car up to his recommendations. Nyari is a highly respected local driver who has been assisting
Hoosier in its asphalt testing for many years. A good test driver
must concentrate on maintaining the same line every lap and provide
feedback after completing the designated number of circuits. This is
easier said than done because racers almost instinctively will try to
adjust their driving style to get their race car around the track as fast as
they can. But when testing, the goal is to develop a consistent line
around the track and report the "feel" and characteristics
of each set of tires to the engineers conducting the
test. THE STAFF:
Irish Saunders - Product Manager
Ken Kolter, Jon Huffman, Marc March - Engineers
Jason Perkins - Tire Transportation and Track Service
Safety Personnel THE TEST:
Today we were conducting tests to develop more tread compounds
that may potentially improve the consistency and repeatability of
tire-rule compounds. The test begins with the test car being outfitted
with scuffs and Nyari making several laps around the 1/4-mile track to
get the car properly set up for the test. Once the test begins, there
is no adjusting the set-up on the car. Once the driver and the
engineers are satisfied with the handling of the car, the actual test
begins. The first set of test tires are bolted on and the car sent out
for a specified number of laps. Once the set number of laps are
completed Nyari is waved in and the real action begins. Once the car
comes to a stop, all four tires are checked for temperature and other
characteristics are checked and recorded. Nyari is also questioned
about his opinion of how the tires felt and performed. Once all the
information is gathered on the first set of test tires, the next set
is bolted on and Nyari sent out again to repeat the same warm up and
test laps as on the first set. The process continues until all sets
are tested and results recorded. Once this is completed, sets that
appear to have potential are remounted for longer runs on the track.
The results are brought back to the tech center where they are
evaluated and discussed in depth. Sometimes additional tests are
necessary and plans are made to perform additional testing either at the same facility
or elsewhere.
THE RESULTS:
The test was successful in that valuable information was gathered which
may be applied to future tire technology. Spec tires are
designed and built to provide consistency and
repeatability at the track with an emphasis on durability, while open tire venues
require more attention to speed. Regardless of the application, the
Hoosier team is prepared to meet the challenge today and into the
future.
Additional images of the 4-11-2002 test at New Paris
Speedway. |
