The celebration of Goodyear’s rich history in motorsport and transportation will feature the appearance of historic branding at the British Touring Car Championship this weekend.
In a few days time, the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship heads to Donington Park for its eighth weekend of the season (26/27 August). The historic circuit, which first hosted a motorsport event in 1931, is a fitting venue to host one of several Goodyear 125th anniversary celebrations across the world.
At Donington, Goodyear is set to highlight its 125th anniversary with a very special rebranding, bringing back the first iteration of its Wingfoot logo. The Wingfoot has since become the inspiration for Goodyear’s Wingfoot Award, given to drivers who demonstrate peerless performance and consistency across a BTCC weekend.
Since The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898, it has played an intrinsic role in the history of motorsport, with the most number of Formula 1 victories, Le Mans wins1, and the longest-standing partner and sponsor in NASCAR history.
In BTCC, Goodyear has been the sole tyre supplier since the 2020 season and, before that, its Dunlop brand exclusively supplied the championship between 2003 and 2019. Both brands have histories in the championship going back to its inception in 1958.
Goodyear Wingfoot a “symbol of performance”
The modern Goodyear branding that adorns the BTCC tyre sidewall and trackside decoration will, for the Donington weekend, be replaced by Goodyear’s first Wingfoot logo, originally designed in 1898.
In April, Goodyear underwent similar retro rebranding for NASCAR’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. In Europe, it paid homage to the nostalgic branding during NLS5 at the Nürburgring and the FIA World Endurance Championship round at Monza.
“We’re excited to see Goodyear look a bit different this weekend,” says Michael Butler, Goodyear BTCC Event Leader. “Changes to the sidewall and trackside branding will bring a strong flavour of Goodyear’s heritage to the circuit. We’re immensely proud of our legacy and the Wingfoot has always been a symbol of performance in motorsport, which reflects Goodyear’s time spent at the very top of the sport. When it comes to BTCC, we are proud to have been part of the championship’s long history.”
Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, added: “We are delighted that Goodyear has selected the BTCC race weekend at Donington Park to activate its 125th anniversary in the UK. The relationship between the BTCC and Goodyear Group – both on-track and off-track – is stronger than ever and is now in its third decade, making it one of the most enduring collaborations in motorsport history.”
(1) Including Goodyear brands Dunlop and Avon.
