Photo: PSP Images

Option tyre selection becomes clear during the final stretch

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Ten drivers on the grid have now used up at least three of their permitted uses of the Dunlop SportMaxx option tyre for each race, heading into this weekend’s race at Rockingham, where the option tyre is now the hard compound.

Throughout the course of the season, drivers are required to nominate which race of the day they plan to run the option tyre, but this has to be spread out over the course of the season, with each of the races only able to opted for a maximum of three times. The total doesn’t reach the full calendar length of ten rounds, as there’s no option tyre for the Thruxton round, which requires a special tyre.

Heading into Rockingham, Power Maxed’s Tom Chilton and Senna Proctor, and West Surrey Racing BMW driver Rob Collard have all used up their race three allocations for the season, and so will only be able to opt to run the Dunlop option tyres in either Race 1 or Race 2.

Simpson Honda driver Matt Simpson, Triple Eight’s Josh Cook and Laser Tools Racing’s Aiden Moffat have all used their chances to run the option tyre in Race 2, so will need to pick Race 1 or 3 this weekend.

Motorbase Performance driver Mat Jackson and Eurotech Racing’s Jack Goff have both used up their Race 1 allowance.

On top of this, two of the drivers tyre options for the rest of the season are now fixed in. BTC Racing’s Chris Smiley has used up all his Race 2 and Race 3 allocation, so will have to run the option in Race 1 at Rockingham, Silverstone and Brands Hatch GP.

More notably, championship leader West Surrey Racing’s Colin Turkington’s tyre selection is also known. Turkington has used up all his Race 1 and 3 allowance, and so the BMW driver will be required run the option tyre in the second race at all three remaining rounds.