The iconic Goodyear Blimp will be present in Europe once again.
It will gets its debut this weekend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and will then fly on to the 24 hours at the Nürburgring next weekend.
It’s been 35 years since it has last flown in Europe. Since then it’s primarily been present at NASCAR races, where they are the tire suppliers. It even made an appearance in the Disney movie Cars – without Goodyear branding though.
The Blimp itself is made by Zeppelin and is 75 meters long, 19,5 meters wide, and 17,4 meter tall.
It will have an official function at the race, since it will provide TV-coverage from the air, plus flying around with some special VIP guests.
Goodyear have three blimps touring the USA, while this one will solely fly on the European market.
The tire manufacturer returned to sportscar racing during the summer 2019, where they took over from the sister brand Dunlop. They will be the exclusive suppliers of LMP2 tires in the FIA WEC and ELMS, where there has been a tire war between Michelin and Goodyear until now. Goodyear also deliver tires to several European touring car series, including the BTCC. It’s not yet revealed, if it will make appearances at any ELMS or BTCC races this year, but it is a possibility.