Unlike in this current day, Supercars didn’t have a control tyre during the 1990s and there was a full blown war between different manufacturers.
Currently, Dunlop hold the control tyre rights and have done for more than 20-years, but prior to this it was Bridgestone for three seasons after a trial had been undertaken in the Privateers Cup.
But before these control tyre deals, it full scale war between Bridgestone, Dunlop and Yokohama.
When the V8 formula started in 1993 Bridgestone was represented by long-time face of the company Peter Brock and Glenn Seton’s pair of Peter Jackson Falcons.
Dunlop’s attack was led by Dick Johnson’s Shell FAI Racing Fords, the Holden Racing Team Commodores, the GIO Racing Holden of Neil Crompton, Larry Perkins in the Castrol entry and many privateers.
While Yokohama had the reigning champion team Gibson Motorsport and the BMW squad led by Tony Longhurst.
Bridgestone won the first V8 championship in 1993 and Yokohama did likewise the following season amid a dominant season for Gibson Motorsport and Mark Skaife.
The 1995 season proved a successful one for Dunlop, but it came following a massive natural disaster affecting supply.
In January of that year, Dunlop’s Japanese parent company Suritomo’s headquarters and factory was severely impacted by the earthquake at Kobe.
Despite this setback, Dick Johnson racing’s John Bowe won a tight three-way battle for the championship against Bridgestone competitors Seton and Brock, who carried his deal to the Holden Racing Team.
Bridgestone closed out the free tyre era by winning with Craig Lowndes in 1996 and 1998, while Seton again took the title in 1997.
The event in Kobe caught up with Dunlop in 1996, while Yokohama struggled despite having the likes of Longhurst and Wayne Gardner in its roster.
Yokohama did give Supercars competition its first taste of a control tyre as supplier to the privateer competitors.
Season 1998 proved the last of an open tyre format when Bridgestone won out to supply the field for three years between 1999 and 2001.
A control tyre came at a time when costs were increasing dramatically and performances varied between the manufacturers. By bringing in a control tyre supplier, it ensured a more even playing field and improved the budget necessitated.
Following Bridgestone’s three season stint as control tyre supplier, Dunlop won out and has continued to supply Supercars until the present now using three different compounds.