Davanti Named as Tarmac Tyre Partner for Mini Rally Challenge 2026

Davanti Tyres has announced a new multi-year partnership with the Mini Rally Challenge Championship, naming the Protoura Race as the control tyre for asphalt events.

It will be the first Road Rally series for Davanti and Protoura Race, after being approved for entry into the category by the Blue Book in 2025.

The new partnership with Davanti aligns with two core values of the Mini Rally Challenge Championship: accessibility and fairness. It’s essential to provide competitors with competitively priced, widely available tyres and ensure that all racers use identical, high-performance tyres to maintain a level playing field on track.

In line with the racing model, the affordable high-performance tyre, Protoura Race, has been selected as most suitable, having been specifically designed to excel on the track. Its semi-slick tread design provides a combination of excellent dry grip and control in the wet without compromising speed, making it a successful formula to outpace the ordinary. Its key design features include:

·    A directional tread pattern to provide predictable control in all conditions.

·    Enhanced carcass strength to provide direct feedback to the driver and control under high cornering forces experienced on racetracks.

·    A new compound with added grip for greater braking and acceleration power.

·    A semi-slick tread design allowing the tyre to be driven from the track to the road.

Sean Maddocks, Davanti Tyres Sales Director for UK & Ireland, said: “Having enjoyed successful motorsport partnerships in 2025 with the likes of the Mini Challenge Clubsport Championship and the Suzuki Swift Challenge, we’re thrilled to now be working with the Mini Rally Challenge Championship. During the 2025 racing season our product, the Protoura Race, has been tried and tested successfully in a racing environment and importantly has been well-received amongst race competitors. 

“As part of the partnership, Davanti tyres will be supplied by BMTR, working in conjunction with Slicks for fitting at race events, making it simple for the drivers.

“Thanks to the proven performance and the exceptional longevity of our product, we're providing drivers with the opportunity to save on tyre costs with no sacrifice on lap times – a valuable combination for the competitors on track. 

“Our motorsport partnerships are centred around making motorsport more accessible from a financial standpoint, so it’s great to be working with the Mini Rally Challenge Championship who fully embody this aim while encouraging drivers to take part in what is a very exciting competition.”

Guy Butler, Director of Mini Rally Challenge Ltd, added: “One of the core values of the Championship is accessibility; having favourably priced and easy to source tyres is critical to allow both newcomers and seasoned competitors alike to compete alongside each other, and to remove the cost burden and stress that tyre selection brings. Secondly, another core value is fairness; having all competitors using identical high performing tyres removes questioning over competitive advantage. We're thrilled to be entering the 2026 championship with Davanti.

“It was an easy choice for the asphalt rounds as it has already proven its capabilities in the R53 and R50 classes in the Mini Challenge Clubsport circuit racing championship. We have also witnessed the tyres in action at Silverstone and on an R53 where they have stood up well.”