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Winning
races in record times was the driving force behind Mickey Thompson’s
innovations in tyre design. If tyres held Mickey back he made the
tyres that got him first over the line in the fastest time.
His tyres helped him become the fastest man on earth by travelling
at 406.6 mph (650.56 kph) and go on to set 485 speed and endurance
records in many forms of motorsport, more than any man on earth.
Leading
the way to tyres in Formula One racing today
In 1963, Mickey started his own tyre company with Gene McMannis,
a chief designer from Goodyear, and designed revolutionary tyres
for Mickey’s cars in 
the Indy 500. Most tyres running then used a narrow tread with a
hard rubber compound. Mickey’s tyres were made from a soft
compound three times the width with a lower profile giving more
stability and a lower centre of gravity.
This innovation made Mickey’s new cars
so fast they were almost banned but paved
the way
for the tyres you see
in Indy
car
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and
Formula One racing today.
The switch to off-road
Then, in 1969, Mickey made the switch to off-road racing. Together,
Mickey and Gene built leading technology biasbelted off-road racing
tyres that, in 1982 at the age of 53, helped Mickey set a new record
time to win the one big race that had always eluded him, the most
gruelling off-road race of them all, the Baja 1000. 
Hall
of Fame
In 1990, Mickey was inducted into the International Motorsports
Hall of Fame for his contribution to motorsport as a racer and innovator.
Today’s
4WD tyres
Mickey’s contribution as an innovator of revolutionary
tyres went beyond motorsport. The 4WD tyres available today feature
many of the innovations that Mickey and Gene McMannis designed in
their racing tyres.
Tyres with tread running down the sidewall known as sidebiters for
 climbing
out of ruts and to reduce off-road damage; a directional
tread pattern at 23 degrees (the ultimate angle for cutting
and selfcleaning as used on plough blades and tractor tyres); and
specialty light truck radial tyre sizing up to 40 inches are all
Mickey Thompson innovations.
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Mickey Thompson's Tyre Innovations
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