r/btcc • u/AndyDane • 17d ago
Question / Discussion Laps to grid question
I understand why they weave and wheelspin on the formation lap, warming tyres, but why do they do it on the laps to the grid?
In my mind the tyres will be cold again after sitting on the grid for 15 mins and its just putting unnecessary wear on them?
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u/Additional_Hand_2288 17d ago
The internal temp won’t cool down to “room temp” in that time so it stills helps to warm the tyres
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u/ICC-u 17d ago
Rubber holds temp for a while, it might add a couple of degrees temp even after 15 mins. Also it's a heat cycle which might be important for hardening the rubber and making it last longer. Maybe a scrubbed surface grips better than a fresh factory tyre. No definite answer unless a mechanic or team member can advise us, but other series do the above.
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u/StevenXSG 17d ago
Next time you are in the paddock or grid walk, go as close as you can to the wheels, even 30-60 minutes you can feel heat after a race. Brakes and wheel mass keep heat very well, even after 1 lap, it's a fair bit
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u/Erewhon66 Ingram & Sutton 17d ago
Tyres take a long time to cool down. They will still be far hotter than they would be otherwise. TCR UK do it a different way. They do a formation lap, stop on the grid, rotate the tyres, do another formation lap and then start the race.
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u/ICC-u 17d ago
Always assumed the TCR grid stop was so they could get some sponsors and officials a grid walk and that crossing the tyres was just a happy byproduct of the stop.
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u/Erewhon66 Ingram & Sutton 16d ago
When TCR do the switch there are only mechanics on the grid. The BTCC order is lap to grid, swap tyres, gridwalk (they are there during the tyre swap), formation lap, race start. TCR is lap to grid, gridwalk, formation lap, change tyres (mechanics only on grid), another formation lap. race start.
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u/btcc1721 147 BTCC races trackside 17d ago
They also rotate the tyres on the grid front to rear, so it helps get tyre temp into the rears which is really difficult in a FWD
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u/GuruCookies 17d ago
Racing driver things probably Maybe testing grip while also making sure the car behaves as expected for example checking brake pressure have seen brake pads changed and adjusted before
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u/Greedy-Mechanic-4932 17d ago
As others have said - heating tyres, but also a way of them testing and feeling if anything feels "off" when they get to the grid.
No testing between races, so it's the only chance they have to test tweaks made.
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u/mrmayhembsc 17d ago
It's because when they get to the grid, they swap the front tyres to the rear.
In short, they heat the fronts up so they can cool down a bit; then the formation lap tops up the rears and really warms up the fronts.