2013 signalled the first year of a multi-year agreement between the Australian GT Championship and control tyre supplier Pirelli through distributor Trofeo Motorsport, bringing the local series in line with the leading GT3 championships around the world.

During their maiden season together the records have tumbled at almost every venue of the six round season, the final round of the championship at the new Highlands Motorsport Park providing the biggest test for the Pirelli DH compound ahead of the 2014 Bathurst 12-Hour, with the established lap record broken by almost eight seconds!

With the 2013 championship season now committed to the history annuls, for Trofeo it’s now onto the 2014 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour in which Pirelli return, not just as a tyre supplier, but as a major partner to the popular GT endurance event.

“2013 has been an exceptional year for us, with both Australian GT and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge,” Trofeo Motorsport’s Jim Manolios admitted.

“The performance of the tyre has been incredible all year, testament to all the effort Pirelli have put into global GT competition over recent years, from the testing Blancpain Endurance Series to the FIA GT Series.

“We also saw at the final round of the Australian Championship at Highlands that the tyre was more than capable of running for up to three hours without teams needing to make a change. That’s fantastic news for the teams because of the outstanding durability over longer races – something which will have a big impact on the result at Bathurst because the Pirelli teams will require less stops for tyres.

“Additionally, Bathurst has just been resealed with the same material used at Highlands Motorsport Park and Phillip Island, two venues that have suited the Pirelli tyre perfectly, whilst other tyre manufacturers have struggled [V8 Supercars recently saw significant tyre issues for their control tyre supplier during the penultimate round of their championship]. We expect that if the weather stays fine at Bathurst, the 12-Hour will be a Pirelli whitewash, especially now the venue has been resurfaced.”

Whilst the performance of the Pirelli DH tyre has been faultless all season, perhaps the biggest surprise for teams that have used the Pirelli for the first time this year is it’s durability, and lack of drop off. Lap records have been shattered at every standalone venue the GT cars have attended this season (both qualifying and race records), but interestingly, many of those new benchmarks have been set late in the life of the tyre.

“Outside of the control-tyre events, we’ve also seen significant sales growth in events like the State Series, and significantly, the recent Island Magic event at Phillip Island,” Trofeo Motorsport’s Tyre Manager Chris Montgomery confirmed. “For the Sports Car class we supplied 20 of a possible 23 competitors with Pirelli tyres, many for the first time, and all were converts by the end of the weekend.

“The big secret is the durability. The newer Blancpain tyre that we’ve been using since mid-year has been especially durable, and it is getting closer in performance to some of the softer compounds. When a team can use just one set and be competitive from lap one, all the way to the end of a one-hour race and still have good tyres on the car, they know they’re gotten a good product.

“With Bathurst now resealed with the same compound of bitumen as both Phillip Island and Highlands in New Zealand, we know we have the perfect tyre for the 12-Hour, and by the increased interest over recent weeks from competitors, they know it too.

“We have already placed orders for the 12-Hour and many of those tyres are in the country already, with more arriving over Christmas. We will have some spares for drivers that make a last minute switch, but we can’t guarantee for everyone that may or may not make a last minute change when they see for themselves just how different the track surface will be. So the trick for them will be to get in early and ensure that they’re ready to go in advance, because if they make a last minute decision, it could cost them more than just the wrong tyre compound.”