Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The redesigned chicane at Daytona International Raceway is leading to problems with tire life for some teams at the famed tri-oval.

“I think everyone is,” said Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry when asked if he was having problems with his team’s Michelin tires. “What was fine with the old chicane is borderline with the new one. The speeds in (NASCAR turns) three and four are faster, and it’s creating higher temperatures. We still have a few modifications on the tires to try, but I think we’ve gone through everything they (Michelin) have. They brought three or four new tires here, but I think the new chicane has caused them to throw everything out the window and start over.

“We’ve done 8-10 laps without problems, but after that the problems start. We can get them not to blister and chunk, but then they slide everywhere.”

“The new configuration appears to be hard on tires,” said KWS Motorsports’ Kevin Hunt. “Dunlop has a new dual-compound that appears to be working well, but the standard Dunlop 240-compound that they run everywhere else wouldn’t survive here. It’s okay on a 600, but not on the big bike.

“We think because the tires spend less time at low speed they have less of a chance to cool down, the exit speed of the chicane is higher and it spends more time on the same spot of the tire at the higher speed on the East banking. The higher speed is causing higher tire temperatures. If you get it back to the same temperature it was vulcanized at, it is going to go back to a liquid state.”

“Our only concern is we haven’t had enough track time to do a tire durability test,” said Arclight Suzuki Crew Chief Chuck Warren. “We haven’t had any problems with our tires chunking. The Pirellis don’t chunk. They only blister, and we haven’t had that. But 7-8 laps is the longest we’ve run.”

When asked why they hadn’t entered some of the longer CCS races to do a tire durability test, Warren said, “We feel confident we won’t have a tire problem.”