Differing tire strategies played a decisive role in shaping the LMGT3 race at the FIA World Endurance Championship season-opening 6 Hours of Imola. The Italian circuit’s notably smooth surface meant that degradation was low throughout the six-hour race, opening the door for teams to explore a range of different race strategies with their Goodyear Racing Eagle tires.
With tire allocations increased this season under the latest regulations, teams enjoyed greater strategic flexibility, although not all teams elected to use their full allocation.
The majority of teams focused on minimising time in the pit lane through double- and triple-stinting tires, underlining the performance and consistency of the Goodyear Racing Eagle Medium, while a small number of others opted to fit fresher tires more frequently. The performance of the Goodyear Racing Eagle Medium allowed both options to be competitive, and a variety of strategies were in play across the field as a result.
“In the first half of the race, we saw several teams double stinting the unloaded left-hand side, but changing their right-hand side tires at every stop,” explained Stephen Bickley, Goodyear Endurance Programme Manager. “But as the race progressed, some teams began to double-stint both sides. This meant that teams that had only changed the right-hand side at the previous stop were onto their third stint with the left-hand tires. Across the field, we saw some teams stop as little as five times during the race, and some as many as eight, emphasising the range of different strategies teams employed.”
The FIA World Endurance Championship returns for the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on 7-9 May 2026. This weekend, Goodyear Racing Eagle tires have also been in action in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races at Kansas Speedway, and at the opening round of the British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park.
