Maxed Out

We explore the intricacies of high-performance tyre development inside Continental’s top-tier test facility in Germany and put its new MaxContact MC7 tyres to the test.

- JAMIE NONIS

Lance David Arnold awaits me in the Brabus 750 Bodo Buschmann Edition 1 of 25. I hop into the passenger seat, and he whips the 4.0-litre V8 convertible on a hot lap around the track like a measured madman, as German racing drivers do. As it happens, confronting one’s mortality in a foreign country in such a manner is an oddly soothing encounter for adrenaline junkies the likes of yours truly.

Now, with great power (559kw and 900Nm torque) comes great responsibility, and that important job falls upon Continental’s new MaxContact MC7 tyres this March morning.

We are at Contidrom, the company’s world-renowned private test facility established in 1967 and located about 40km north of Hanover, Germany. Today, we’re set to put its latest high-performance tyre to the test ahead of its global launch in Sydney, Australia, in April. The tour takes us behind the scenes of this impressive all-weather test facility as we observe how Continental tyres are rigorously tested at each stage of the developmental process.

There are various outdoor test tracks, including a 3.8km dry handling track, a 2.8km high-speed oval (what a rush!), a 1.8km wet-handling course where we tested the MaxContact MC7’s braking capabilities, a rail-guided braking test track, noise-testing tracks, and more for both subjective and objective measurements.