As revealed by Speedcafe today, the series will test a prototype Dunlop tyre at Queensland Raceway next Wednesday, using a car each from Matt Stone Racing and Dick Johnson Racing.
The new compound is thought to be similar in peak lap speed to the current soft tyre, but more durable, marking a potential shift away from the degradation philosophy that’s been in play for some time.
Supercars has since confirmed via its official website that the test will take place, as well as confirming that the tyre regulations could take a drastic turn depending on the performance of this prototype tyre.
According to General Manager of Motorsport Tim Edwards, it is possible that there is just one slick tyre compound on offer next year, rather than having hards, softs and super softs.
Supercars hasn’t run with a single slick compound since 2008.
“We’ve got obviously the three current tyres, super soft, soft and hard, and we have just received the development tyre from Dunlop,” said Edwards.
“We will compare all four. We have put together an extensive test plan for the day, and we’ll evaluate this new tyre as a potential new compound for next year.
“Dunlop has sent some development tyres, based on some criteria that we’ve been discussing. We now need to evaluate it on track and see that it does what we hope it’ll do.
“We will evaluate what their one lap speed is, and then the critical thing for us will be how it behaves on a longer run, what the degradation is, and how robust it is.
“We know our current tyres. With this potential new tyre, it’s an opportunity to do an assessment, and a proper comparison between our three current compounds.
“After development, we’ll make assessments on if we have multiple compounds after that or just one compound.”