Firestone release tire specs for Toronto

FIRESTONE FIREHAWK FAST FACTS
IZOD IndyCar Series - Honda Indy Toronto
Streets of Exhibition Place - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
July 6-8, 2012 - Round 10 of 15

Firestone tire

Photo by: Kenneth May

Race Distance: 148.75 miles/239.389 kilometers (85 laps around the 1.75-mile/2.816-km, 11-turn temporary street circuit).

Firestone Firehawk Race Tires Supplied:
- Primary (black-sidewall) dry-condition slicks: 692, each entry receives five sets (20 total tires);
- Alternate (red-sidewall) dry-condition slicks: 366, each entry receives three sets (12 total tires);
- Wet-condition (rain) tires with grooved tread pattern: 468, each entry has five sets of Firestone's new rain tire available this weekend.

The Firestone primary and alternate tire specifications for Toronto remain the same as those used earlier this season on street circuits at St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Brazil and Detroit. The specs feature updated tread compounds for 2012 applied to the same Firehawk street-course tire construction used throughout 2011. Firestone Racing has available this weekend the new-for-2012 rain tire specification that debuted last month in Detroit. The tread pattern design of the new rain tire is inspired by the Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500 passenger-car tire.

The alternate tire program, a staple of the IZOD IndyCar Series since 2009, mandates a second tire specification at a road- or street-course race weekend using the same tire construction as the primary specification, but with a softer tread compound to provide more grip and faster lap times while trading off compound durability in exchange for those shorter-term advantages. Firestone's alternate tires are easily identified by their bright red sidewalls.

Per series regulations, all cars must use at least one set of primary tires and one new alternate set during the race, each for a minimum of two green-flag laps. Otherwise, teams are free to use their tire allotment as they see fit, though each car is limited to one set of tires (team choice of primary or alternate) for each qualifying segment.

From Al Speyer, Executive Director, Firestone Racing: "We have seen some incredibly exciting races so far this season on all types of tracks, and we expect more of the same this weekend in Toronto. Last year's race here was action-packed in its own right. IZOD IndyCar Series drivers have plenty of experience on the 2012 street course primary and alternate tire specifications that will be employed this weekend. No matter what happens on the streets of Exhibition Place, including the return of 'push to pass,' the Firestone Firehawk tires will be ready to tackle the challenge. Recently we have been credited with helping promote passing this season, and we are pleased that our efforts are being acknowledged. But it's truly a combination of factors including Firestone tires and Dallara, Chevrolet, Honda and Lotus engines, not to mention the talented IZOD IndyCar Series drivers who continually push to the limit."

Firestone Racing History of Note - (Almost) Perfect Record: Since Firestone Racing's return to Indy car racing, our tires have won on the streets of Toronto all but once - when Michael Andretti won on a competitor's tire in 1995, the first year of our comeback. That's a total of 15 victories (the race had a one-year hiatus in 2008).