Avon Tyres has been an established brand name in the national and international motorsport scene for over 60 years, currently supplying tires to over 150 race championships around the world.
Avon’s line-up of championships supplied in 2017 ranges from the full Caterham Motorsport ladder, through historic Group C Racing, Classic Endurance Racing, hillclimb, rallycross, single seater and saloon car championships to the new 2017 SYR Musso Pick Up Racing Challenge, which debuts in the UK in May.
Caterham Motorsport Ladder
The Avon-supported Caterham championships in the UK feature healthy grid sizes and fantastically close racing. Avon remains the title sponsor this year of the Roadsport Championship, which is for drivers fresh from the Caterham Academy starter series.
The Avon ZZR tire is supplied to the Avon Tyres Caterham Seven 420R Championship, for which the Melksham-based manufacturer has reclaimed its title sponsorship. Avon’s ZZR tire has been developed specifically for Caterham racing, with the ZZR used in the rest of the Caterham championship ladder, including the 270R, 310R, and Supersport Championship.
Group C/Classic Endurance Racing
In Group C Racing, Avon provides both slick and wet race tires. The Group C championship covers cars from the golden era of sports car racing in the ’80s and ’90s, and these are some of the most up-to-date and sophisticated cars in historic motorsport. Added to this is Avon’s involvement in Classic Endurance Racing, which showcases cars from 1966 to 1979, the peak of endurance racing’s popularity.
Hillclimb and Rallycross
At grass roots level, Avon has supported the popular MSA British Hillclimb Championship since 2012. Avon’s hillclimb tires have been specially designed to accommodate the relatively short run distances and the need for the tires to reach their operating temperature quickly.
Avon Tyres also boasts more than 20 years’ involvement in rallycross, and is currently the single tire supplier to the French National Rallycross Championship as well as supplying championships throughout Scandinavia.
Formula Ford Kent 1600
For young racing drivers just starting their single-seater career, Avon is a long-standing partner to the BRSCC organised Formula Ford Kent 1600 Championships. As the exclusive tire supplier in all races in the national series, Avon has been the tire of choice since 1994. Further afield, Avon is the official tire partner to the Formula Ford and Formula Ford 1600 championships in New Zealand.
ZZR supplied to Lotus and Mazda championships
Racing enthusiasts are also supplied with the Avon ZZR tire, together with full race wets, in the Lotus Cup UK series. Avon’s ZZR tire is the official tire supplied to competitors in the LOTRDC Lotus Cup Europe and the BRSCC Mazda MX-5 SuperCup.
“At Avon, we are extremely proud of our rich motorsport heritage and successful results across many disciplines. Avon’s motorsport tires undergo constant development by our dedicated Avon Tyres Motorsport division technical department, at our manufacturing facility in Melksham and at the race track,” explained Paul Coates, general manager – Motorsport, Avon Tyres. “We strongly believe in working with series that develop race-craft in the best young drivers. It’s perfect for bringing on engineers and giving people a sound starting point to build on for their racing careers. 2017 is the first year of the UK-based and Avon supported SsangYong Musso Pick Up Racing Challenge, which extends even further our broad knowledge of racing tire applications and adds yet another string to our bow. This category is aimed at aspiring racing drivers looking for a cost effective race programme.”
