Hoosier Racing Tire has just released their new Track Attack Pro, a summer performance tire designed for serious driving enthusiasts who want to dominate on both the street and the track. Hoosier poured everything they ve learned from decades of racing into the Track Attack Pro, making it a tire that s all about grip, responsiveness, and precise handling. Whether you re pushing hard on a winding road or aiming for faster lap times at the track, this tire is built to deliver.
The Tech Inside
The Track Attack Pro uses something Hoosier calls H-DNA Technology, developed over 65 years of racing experience. It s designed to give drivers the perfect mix of performance and durability. Key features include:
- Extra-wide shoulder ribs for better cornering stability.
- Optimized center rib for shorter braking distances.
- Featherlite construction to keep the weight down, making the car more agile.
- UTQG 200 rating, meaning serious grip and handling for high-performance driving.
But we didn’t just take their word for it. BMWBLOG was invited to test out this new exciting tire at the BMW Performance Center at The Thermal Club, a premiere motorsport facility outside of Palm Springs, California, where we would put the Track Attack Pro through its paces and put it up against some of the biggest names in the extreme performance tire market.
Braking Test
Up first was a braking test that featured BMW M3s fitted with the Track Attack Pro and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires where we conducted a high-speed lane change maneuver while emergency braking from 50 mph. We started off in the Michelin equipped car and noticed it exhibited a sharp initial lane change, but the subsequent correction into the adjacent lane revealed a very slight sidewall flex which was consistent across all runs. Braking feel was consistently solid, inspiring confidence in the maneuver, and we never hit any of the cones in the exercise. We have a lot of experience in Michelin equipped BMW M cars and knew they would be hard to beat!
However, the Hoosier Track Attack Pro didn t just have precision on the initial lane change, but was sharp on both directional changes and stopped in a noticeably shorter distance. Though not measured, the difference was evident in the final stopping position “ the Michelin-equipped car fully occupied the next lane, while the Hoosier-equipped car remained partially in the original lane.
The results? While both tire types performed admirably, the Hoosiers ultimately delivered a slight edge in this particular test.
Side Note: One thing I noticed while standing outside observing someone perform the test, was how quiet the Track Attack Pro was under this amount of braking. Normally when you emergency brake on an extreme performance tire, you can almost hear it digging into the asphalt. The Hoosier on the other hand was rather quiet, thus indicating that the tire may have more braking performance than was needed by the M3.
Handling Test
Next, we evaluated the Track Attack Pro’s handling prowess against both the Yokohama Advan A052 and the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R. And once again we chose to start off in a competitor, so we slid into the M3 sporting the Yokohama, and set out onto the BMW Performance Center s challenging tight autocross course.
The Yokohama was perfectly fine all around, but didn t shine in any particular area. You could tell the Michelin and Hoosier were just a bit better in every aspect. The Michelin allowed me to push a bit harder, but would occasionally start to slightly understeer in the long sweeper as the M3 put a lot of weight on the outer front tire. I ve spent a lot of time on this little track and this is probably the hardest corner for a tire.
The Hoosier delivered exceptional grip and responsiveness, inspiring confidence through every corner. A few things that clearly stood out to me was how well the Track Attack Pro held it s line through the corner. Where the Michelin exhibited a bit of understeer, the front end grip of the Hoosier was amazing, though it may have been a detriment to the rear tires as it didn t feel as planted in the back as the Michelin equipped car. This could also be due to me carrying more speed throughout the course though as I noticed I was hitting the rev-limiter at the end of a couple of the short straights, something I didn t do in either of the other cars.
The Track Attack Pro is a few pounds lighter than it s competitors, this lower rotating mass could be a major reason. Add in the slightly better grip for quicker exits, and that could be why I was getting noticeably higher straightaway speeds.
Slalom Course
Finally, we put the Track Attack Pro’s agility to the test on a slalom course, comparing it to a Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS. The Hoosier’s quick transitions and precise handling once again allowed it to navigate the cones with incredible speed and control, proving its dexterity even at the limits.
We ran both tires through the course three times and the Hoosier Track Attack Pro consistently beat out the Bridgestone by almost 2 seconds per lap. Once again the initial turn-in of the Hoosier was amazing as its responsiveness was just unmatched. The extra wide shoulder ribs allowed you to lean on them aggressively and trust that there would be next to zero understeer.
On The Track
Satisfied with its performance in these benchmark tests, we took the Track Attack Pro out on The Thermal Club’s South Palm Circuit in BMW M4 Competitions. I was led by BMW Performance Center s Chief Instructor, Matt Mullins. This made me happy, as Matt know s my skill level and that he could push hard!
I can quickly sum up the session: the tire performed flawlessly for the entire 20-minute session, providing incredible grip and feedback, even as we pushed the M4s to their limits. We were able to go so quick, that we were actually keeping pace with the group in the BMW M4 GT4 race cars! This only lasted a short amount of time though as the desert heat took its toll on the M4, but it wasn t the tires that were overheating! The M4 was getting a bit hot and started to have me short shift gears. This was my first time out on track here where the car was limiting the speed and not the tire. Impressive.
BMW M4 GT4 Race Car Test
But the ultimate test was yet to come. We strapped into a BMW M4 GT4 race car, a machine designed to run on full racing slicks. How would the Track Attack Pro fare in this extreme environment? Surprisingly well, maintaining composure and providing impressive grip, considering the significant jump in performance from the M4 Competition.
I had driven the previous F82 version a couple years ago which was on Continental race slicks. The car felt very planted with its sheer amount of mechanical and aerodynamic grip, but traction control would still kick in quite a bit if you tried to push it too hard. This new G82 platform did not have that issue nearly as much on the Track Attack Pro!
I did notice the traction control engage in some of the corners, but it was not nearly as aggressive. Coming out of the corners was where it was most noticeable. Previously, I would get held back unless my steering wheel was almost perfectly straight, but on the Hoosiers, it must have had more grip as it clearly was letting me go as soon as I wanted to.
After another hot, 20 minute session, the Hoosier Track Attack Pro never gave in to the heat and performed consistently throughout the entire session “ even though we were the last group of the day!
Conclusion
After a full day of testing, I have to say the Track Attack Pro is a great entry into the street performance tire world. Hoosier has nailed the balance between street usability and track capability, making this a solid choice if you want a tire that can handle your daily drive and weekend track days.
The Track Attack Pro currently comes in 8 sizes, covering 98% of BMW M cars made from 2000 to 2024, and they re planning to offer a total of 46 sizes by the end of 2025. If you re curious, check out more details at Hoosier Racing Tire s website. [Photos provided by Hoosier and Larry Chen]
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
