BFGoodrich has been working hard to claw back into the off-road community and they have been on the right track. Their performance at Baja last year was phenomenal, with no punctures for anyone running their tires. That’s the kind of performance that speaks for itself. We got to see how their KO2 tires held up during the Red Bull Frozen Rush in Maine, and we got some more seat time with their street-going variant in the woods nearby, except instead of a snowy trail run we were greeted with a muddy, rutty course that proved to be a worthwhile challenge. But BFGoodrich isn’t about to rest on their laurels and wait for the next opening to just appear, so hot on the heels of Frozen Rush comes the news that they have become the official tire supplier for the Red Bull Global Rallycross series in a multi-year deal, starting in 2016. The benefit to this? Global Rallycross is wildly popular, and is a brutal racing series. It’s FIA sanctioned, yet it isn’t uncommon to see cars trading paint…or worse. Any tire strapped onto a GRC car has been sentenced to a punishing life, and if the tire can’t hack it, drivers lose out and fans see that. Then again, if the tires perform as well as BFGoodrich has seen lately, that shouldn’t be an issue.
Los Angeles, CA – (January 25, 2016) – Red Bull Global Rallycross and BFGoodrich Tires are pleased to announce a multi-year agreement that will see BFGoodrich become the official tire supplier for the Red Bull GRC series. The agreement will commence immediately in preparation of the opening race of the 2016 Red Bull GRC season, and covers both the Supercar and GRC Lites classes.
“We are extremely excited to partner with BFGoodrich as our exclusive tire supplier in Red Bull GRC competition,” said Red Bull Global Rallycross CEO Colin Dyne. “BFGoodrich’s legacy, both in and out of motorsport, is second to none, and we look forward to working with them as one of our most integral partners beginning with this season.”
Groupe Michelin’s commitment to worldwide motorsport with its two global brands, MICHELIN and BFGoodrich, is unparalleled by any other tire company. Teams competing with Michelin tires have taken every 24 Hours of Le Mans overall victory since 1998, as well as the past five World Rally Championships with drivers Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier.
Similarly, the BFGoodrich Tires brand has delivered more championships in world-class desert racing than any other tire manufacturer over the past four decades, most recently dominating North American desert racing with 20 overall wins in the last two years’ 22 most-celebrated races on the continent. Only BFGoodrich owns 27 overall wins in the famous Baja 1000, more wins in the iconic race than those of all other tiremakers combined.
“The BFGoodrich brand is a critical part of the Groupe Michelin’s success in motorsports. The brand is key in how we use competition both to engage our consumers and to develop new products,” said Scott Clark, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Michelin North America. “BFGoodrich’s heritage of four decades in racing on a wide variety of surfaces and terrain demonstrates the ability to bring advanced tire technology to racing disciplines like the Red Bull Global Rallycross. In addition, BFGoodrich Tires shares many of the brand attributes and consumer interaction efforts that the Red Bull brand boasts. BFGoodrich Tires’ involvement in the GRC series is a natural extension of the brand’s global partnership with Red Bull.”
Further announcements about the 2016 Red Bull Global Rallycross season will be made in the coming weeks. Fans can keep up with all of the latest news and announcements at www.redbullglobalrallycross.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @RedBullGRC.
