SEPTEMBER 12, 2001

Goodyear heading for the IRL

HAVING apparently given up its plans to get back into Formula 1, Goodyear is now planning to enter the Indy Racing League, hoping to take over the role of exclusive tire supplier from Firestone in 2003. The Akron, Ohio-based tire company is also hoping to supply tires for the newly-announced Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series, which will support the IRL next year.

Goodyear says that it has decided that it does not want to get involved in a competitive situation with a rival tire company because of the problems there are in controlling the costs of research and development and so has concluded that the best thing to do is to supply series which use control tires.

The most attractive thing about IRL is of course the Indianapolis 500 which remains the most significant motor racing event in the United States.