Goodyear and Le Mans: Winning in the Virtual and Real Worlds

As an official partner to Le Mans Virtual Series, Goodyear extends its relationship with the promoters of the world’s most famous endurance race into the digital sphere. With 14 overall wins to its name, Goodyear has a long and storied history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. More recently, the tyre brand’s appointment as the exclusive tyre of LMP2 at Le Mans, and also in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and European Le Mans Series (ELMS), makes it a key partner of the prestigious event. Expanding this relationship into the virtual sphere is the next step on a Le Mans journey that began in 1965, when Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt won for Ferrari.

This legacy has been continued in recent years since Goodyear’s return to Le Mans in 2020. In the 2021 edition, Goodyear supplied tyres to every LMP2 team, just as it does in each round of the WEC and ELMS championships as part of its role as an official partner to Le Mans organising body the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). Now, the step into the computer-generated world with 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual and the Le Mans Virtual Series is the latest chapter in Goodyear’s history at the Circuit de la Sarthe in north-west France.

“Goodyear enjoys a long association and partnership with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and we were delighted to return to the race in 2020,” says Ben Crawley, Goodyear’s Motorsport Director. “Since then, our involvement has increased even further, supporting 26 cars in the 2021 edition.  The Le Mans Virtual Series is a fascinating complement to the real race that carries the same spirit of endurance racing as seen in WEC and ELMS, so we are thrilled to be a part of it. Esports is growing, the industry is booming, and the technology is incredible. Whether on the real race track or the virtual one, global motorsport events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans give Goodyear a platform to reach millions of fans around the world. …

Source: Goodyear