Earlier this season, Ryan King put the Vitour Tempesta P1s through their first full weekend of competition—driving hard across two events in cool conditions.
Running Strong at Lime Rock Park
The first stop was the Gorman Performance Engineering Spring Shakedown at Lime Rock Park’s FCP Proving Grounds. With temps in the mid-to-upper 70s and a dry, dusty surface, Ryan heat-cycled the tires during his 2.5-hour drive to the venue, then went to work.
Grip took some effort to unlock, but by his eighth run, the P1s came alive. The pace was there, and Ryan landed third overall, just behind a Corvette on P1s and a Tesla on Yokohamas.
Next Stop: Cold Temps at MetLife
The following day brought a different challenge—cold, windy weather with NASA Motorsports Northeast at MetLife Stadium. With temps hovering in the upper 40s and low 50s, tire warm-up was a struggle.
By his ninth and final run, though, Ryan dropped 1.1 seconds once the tires reached proper temperature, delivering the consistency he needed.
Driver Takeaways
Coming from Yokohamas, Ryan was impressed by how hard he could drive on the P1s without worrying about wear. Compared to the V1 Nankangs he had previously used, the P1s felt sharp, responsive, and easy to trust at the limit. The precision was there, and he didn't clip a single cone all weekend.
Final Thoughts
Ryan summed it up best: “As these wear down and as it gets warmer, they’ll be quite competitive and get better.”
Both days brought cooler conditions, but the Vitour Tempesta P1s handled them without issue. Once they were up to temp, they delivered precision, pace, and confidence that Ryan says will only improve as the season warms up!