One of the UK’s leading mid-range tyre brands, Davanti Tyres, based in the north of England, is making a move into motorsports this season with the launch of their new Protoura Race tyre.
Part of Davanti’s performance tyre range, the Protoura Race tyre has been designed and engineered to provide unbeatable capability on the racetrack. This year will see the tyre being pushed to its limits at a number of events.
New this season is the launch of the Davanti Tyres Race Team, who will be competing in the inaugural 2025 Swift Sport Challenge. Professional racing driver Adam Blair and Ray Collier, chief engineer at TREAD Ltd, will be competing in the series as they put the Davanti Protoura Race tyre to its ultimate test.
In keeping with Swift Sport Challenge’s low-cost racing model, Davanti have ensured that the Protoura Race is an affordable high-performance tyre and as a result, have selected it as the control tyre of the championship. It will also be the tyre’s first real-world racing experience.
Adam Blair explains what this means for the Davanti Tyres Race Team:
“The tyre is well tested, but we’re very interested in incremental progress. The Protoura Race is already slightly ahead of its main competitor, and I think being used by all cars in the championship will give Davanti more data to increase the gap even further over time.”
Whilst both drivers are focussed on working to make the Davanti team as fast as possible, they are also looking forward to helping newer drivers to the series get up to speed, with Ray Collier adding:
“During the pre-season track day, we shared our vehicle setup and valuable items like tyre pressures with all the competitors. This has never been done before, but it’s more rewarding to me to see newcomers make their first steps in a racing career with Davanti. Helping novice drivers to enjoy the experience by removing the unknowns is more rewarding to us than winning a trophy.”
In addition, Davanti Tyres has entered a brand-new technical and commercial partnership with the MINI Challenge Clubsport this year in a three-year contract that will run until 2027.
The Protoura Race tyre will be the new control tyre for the championship, supplied and fitted by BMTR Motorsport. Davanti Tyres decals will also feature on all race cars taking part in the championship, strengthening the company’s brand visibility at race weekends with the iconic Davanti orange.
The race tyre’s key design features have seen it gain Motorsport UK List 1B approval and include:
- Directional tread pattern, providing predictable control in all weather conditions.
- Enhanced carcass strength to provide direct feedback to the driver and provide better control under the high cornering forces that are experienced on racetracks.
- A new compound with added grip for greater braking and accelerating power.
- As semi-slick tread design alongside road legal status which allows the tyre to be driven to and from the track.
The Protoura Race tyre has proved successful in some of the most demanding, controlled testing scenarios, which have included being put through its paces at Spain’s Calafat Circuit and at Silverstone.
Davanti Tyres’ CEO, Peter Cross, comments:
“It’s an exciting time for Davanti Tyres as we utilise our first-ever track tyre, the Protoura Race, for a number of leading motorsport events. Now we have a semi-slick track tyre, our performance range offers more options for our specialist retailers and motorists. We can’t wait to see it out on the track across 2025 as we enter a new era of motorsport.”
The new Protoura Race tyre will be available in sizes 13” to 18”. For more information, please visit: www.davanti-tyres.com/protoura-race and to check out the other tyres available in the Davanti performance range, please visit: www.davanti-tyres.com.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is a UK-based motoring and travel journalist and editor, a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers and former saloon car racing driver.
Photographs courtesy of Davanti Tyres
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