Unleashing the Beast

In a collaboration that sounds like it was forged in the back of a bar with a double whiskey and a handshake, Goodyear South Africa and Shelby South Africa have teamed up to bring some serious muscle to the 2024 Festival of Motoring.

Shelby’s fire-breathing Mustangs, known for their love of speed and disdain for anything under 500 horsepower, now strutting their stuff on Goodyear’s race-bred Eagle F1 SuperSport tyres. It’s like giving a cheetah sticky boots—or just a really fancy pair of running shoes.

At this year’s Festival of Motoring, car enthusiasts had the rare chance to not just see but feel the sheer power of American muscle unleashed on the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. The main stars of the show? The supercharged Shelby Mustangs, roaring like lions with a RedBull overdose, all while clinging to the tar like a kid to candy—thanks to those Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport tyres.

Paul Gerrard, the guy steering the ship at Goodyear South Africa, had this to say: “The SuperSport range is our Ultra Ultra-High Performance (UUHP) tyre, designed to push the limits on the track. These tyres grip the road so tight, you’d think they have separation anxiety.” Gerrard wasn’t just talking the talk, these tyres don’t just cling to the road, they own it, providing steering precision that could make a fighter pilot jealous and cornering stability that’d make a gymnast jealous.

Meanwhile, Paige Lindenberg, the driving force (quite literally) at Shelby South Africa, chimed in: “When you’re in the business of showcasing what is essentially a land-bound rocket, you need tyres that will keep you glued to the road, not the scenery. Goodyear’s Eagle F1 SuperSport tyres give our cars the confidence to let loose, even when we’re pushing them to their very limits.”

For those not in the know, the Eagle F1 SuperSport tyres are Goodyear’s gift to anyone who thinks their car should handle like a Race car. With a tread pattern designed to bite into the tarmac and a sidewall stiffer than your first driving test, these tyres are all about delivering that race-car experience without requiring a pit crew.

The even more extreme Eagle F1 SuperSport R takes things up a notch, with a high-friction compound that clings to the road like a cat on a hot tin roof. And if that’s not enough, there’s the Eagle F1 SuperSport RS—a tyre so race-focused it probably dreams of checkered flags at night.

Road legal? Sure, but just barely. These tyres are like that one friend who’s always just on the edge of going too far—thrilling to be around, but you better hang on tight.

So, if you missed the Festival of Motoring this year, you missed a whole lot of adrenaline. But don’t worry, with Goodyear and Shelby South Africa teaming up like this, there’ll be plenty more chances to see what happens when you combine American muscle with rubber that was practically born on the racetrack. Just remember to bring earplugs and maybe a change of pants—because things are about to get wild.