Anyone who strolled up and down the three-level paddock at Spa-Francorchamps during the 24 Hours will surely have noticed the great hustle and bustle in the central paddock, in the area reserved for the fitting and disassembly of Pirelli tyres.
The Milanese tyre manufacturer had its hands full in the centenary edition of the race held at the Ardennes circuit, as the sole supplier not only to the GT World Challenge Europe/Intercontinental GT Challenge, but also to series such as GT2, GT4 and McLaren Trophy Europe, the latter with 19, 57 and 13 entries respectively.
For the main GT3 championship alone, 66 cars were present, each with 30 sets of P Zero DHF slicks, plus an unlimited number of Cinturato WHA, which played a leading role in the crazy weather we experienced in Belgium during the race.
But how do you manage to satisfy the needs of all the teams in the span of such a tight 24h? On Sunday morning, taking advantage of one of the numerous neutralizations we had during the competition, we went for a tour to have a look around the coso-called ‘Pirelli fitting area’outside of which there could not be missed fans ready to ask for a tire to take home as a souvenir.
Pirelli Fitting Area at Spa
Photo by: Francesco Corghi
For some years now, Pirelli has implemented a very practical and interesting system that allows the 153 men on site, coming from offices in three different continents (belonging to different company functions, from the most technical areas to the marketing and commercial divisions) to be able to manage the situations that arise, without running into the classic ‘supermarket queues’ between those who arrive to request the tyres and those who have to collect them.
The first step that the team staff take is in front of a screen that is very reminiscent of those found in some fast-food restaurants, where you can select the tires by first clicking on the car number and then on the session for which the tires are needed.
Here you will find signs reminding you of the opening and closing times of the point (which of course for the 24h is open from Saturday morning, continuously arriving at the time of the checkered flag) and how many sets are available according to the regulations, also calculating those that can be reused in subsequent events and a small instruction sheet for the touch screen system.
The second step takes place in the disassembly and dismantling chain: each team brings the trolley with its respective used tires, which are removed from the rims (obviously different for each car) and replaced with the new ones requested in the order.
Pirelli Fitting Area at Spa
Photo by: Francesco Corghi
Once this operation is completed, which involves inflating to the maximum expected pressure, the rim with the new P Zero DHF or Cinturato WHA is taken to the machine to calibrate the assembly well, thus entering the final phase of preparation and delivery of the requested sets.
As we said before, the system has allowed the elimination of queues and each team, through an internal system, can monitor the progress of the operations, without their mechanics having to wait for several minutes to collect the products.
Let’s consider that every moment can be more or less hectic and during peak hours about 5 tires are mounted every minute.
Pirelli Fitting Area at Spa
Photo by: Francesco Corghi
A screen displays the numbers of the cars that have applied, under which a colored stripe appears; red indicates that the operation has just begun, yellow that it is in the central preparation phase, while once it turns green it means that the order is ready and can be collected.
Once this very last phase is reached, the team receives the notification and can send its staff to collect the requested tires, which are obviously counted in full, so as to be able to understand how many remain available as per the regulations.
It is also worth noting that this edition of the 24 Hours of Spa was the last for the Pirelli Cinturato WHA, which from next year will be replaced by the updated WHB version (equipped with a new design and greater tread stiffness to further broaden the range of use of the tyre in the transition from wet to dry conditions), already brought to their debut in the DTM and ADAC GT Masters.
Pirelli Fitting Area at Spa
Photo by: Francesco Corghi
“Congratulations to the Comtoyou Racing team, which took victory in the hundredth edition of the Spa 24 Hours, but also to AF Corse, which managed to recover after an unfortunate setback that took first place,” said Matteo Braga, Pirelli’s Head of Track Activities.
“The top ten positions in the standings feature seven different brands with minimal gaps for such a long race. This Belgian classic once again proved to be one of the most hard-fought and unpredictable in motorsport.”
“Our tyres managed to deliver maximum performance to all nine entered manufacturers, remaining consistent across the stints and ensuring full reliability, despite lap times dropping significantly with the new asphalt and weather conditions being very changeable.”
“The Cinturato WHA has also proven effective in transition conditions between dry and wet, offering riders the peace of mind to give their best even in difficult track conditions.”
Pirelli Fitting Area at Spa
Photo by: Francesco Corghi
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