The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s Goodyear Dunlop (EMEA) group opened its new winter tyre testing facility, deemed the “Arctic Center,” in Ivalo, Finland, on Dec. 8. The track is leased from Action Park, a company that specializes in winter go-kart experiences and other winter driving programs. Goodyear will hold exclusive access to the track for the foreseeable future, according to the tyremaker.
The Arctic Center is located approximately 186 miles north of the Arctic Circle in North Eastern Finland. According to Goodyear, Arctic Center’s location in a valley provides a micro-climate that is extremely suitable for winter tyre testing in snow and ice conditions from November to early April.
“We are very excited about the launch of the Arctic Center. Having the possibility to work in ideal ice and snow conditions is a true asset. By definition, snow sciences cannot be studied nor put into practice in an office as they require field experience; that is the condition to deploy state-of-the art tyre technology,” explains Jean-Pierre Jeusette, director general of Goodyear’s innovation center.
The Arctic Center was recently used to test Goodyear’s UltraGrip 9 European winter tyre. Outside the Arctic Center, Goodyear Dunlop (EMEA) group tests its winter tyres on tracks in France, Luxembourg, Switzerland and New Zealand.