Gravel is no longer the laid-back, plaid-shirt-toting cousin of road cycling, and at the sharp end of the world of elite racing, aerodynamics, rolling resistance and weight are all crucial factors for top athletes.
Hutchinson understands this, and the iconic French tyre manufacturer launched the Caracal Race in 2025 to aid performance-focused riders on the rough stuff.
Independently verified by Bicycle Rolling Resistance as the world’s fastest gravel tyre, it has race-winning credentials to back up its claims – Victor Bosoni using a combo of the Caracal Race and Touareg Race during his victory at the 2026 Traka 560.
But the historic Loiret-based manufacturer wasn’t content with one race-focused tyre in its range, and set about adding the same performance DNA to its Touareg tread pattern.
“Gravel racing has evolved into a discipline defined by pure performance, data and marginal gains,” says Martin Chuchu, Hutchinson product manager.
“At Hutchinson, we recognised that no single tyre could meet the demands of every modern gravel race. With the Caracal Race established as our fastest gravel tyre, we developed the Touareg Race to complete the system.
“Together, this pairing covers the vast majority of race conditions and represents the fastest gravel setup we’ve ever created.”
Transforming the Touareg
Released in 2020, the Touareg established itself a popular choice amongst cyclists who were seeking low-rolling resistance and puncture protection. Its tread design also leaned into out-and-out gravel riding (rather than lighter, all-road escapades), and offered grip with a packed pattern in its centre and knobs on the tyre’s side profile for added cornering confidence.
Despite this, it hadn’t originally been designed with out-and-out performance in mind, so Hutchinson’s R&D department set about applying a similar approach as the Caracal Race to create the Touareg Race.
Adopting the brand’s SwiftEasy casing, this reduced the tyre’s overall weight (starting at only 480g in 40mm), while also lowering rolling resistance thanks to enhanced flexibility.
But this svelte shake-up hasn’t sacrificed its durability – Hutchinson pairing the casing with its latest Mach Tread 3.0 compound to increase tear resistance by 10% and improving rebound by 25%.
In fact, it claims that the Touareg Race is 35% more efficient than its predecessor, while retaining the Touareg’s characteristics of low rolling resistance, stability and grip.
Race-ready setups
With its Caracal Race and Touareg Race options, Hutchinson claims its expanded offering is “designed to offer unmatched versatility while being capable of meeting the demands of 90% of gravel racing conditions”, and enables “riders to fine-tune speed and security depending on their environment and riding style”.
“The question isn't about which one is "better," but rather which is best suited for the race,” says Chuchu. “It all depends on the environment where it will be used, but by putting the Touareg at the front, we optimise grip, clearance, and steering precision.”
And for that remaining 10%, the manufacturer has an optimal setup, too.
“Terrain that is too rocky or too muddy will require a more suitable tyre, such as the Tundra, to ensure better obstacle clearance and grip in very difficult conditions,” adds Chuchu. “It is also possible to use a 'combo' setup, with a Tundra on the front and a Touareg on the rear.”
Extra protection
In addition to the Touareg Race, Hutchinson has unveiled two new high-performance race tyres that pack even more protection – ideal on rougher, rockier conditions where time saved from mechanical issues such as a puncture or tear can be as vital as the tyre’s other attributes.
The Touareg Race GS and Caracal Race GS both feature Hutchinson's proprietary GridSkin reinforcement technology – a knitted mesh layer developed for the brand's road range that strengthens the tyre’s sidewall, beefing up protection against cut and tear damage.
“We waited until we had the best possible construction before adding the GridSkin and we didn't encounter any issues implementing it,” says Chuchu.
Widening trends
The new releases come in 40mm, 45mm and, for the first time, 50mm widths as standard, while the Caracal Race is also getting its own 50mm version, reflecting the growing trends for higher-volume tyres.
“As a brand, we must meet all consumer demands by offering a full range of tyre sizes,” says Hutchinson. “Gravel has certainly evolved toward new, wider sections, but let’s not forget the bulk of the market, which still heavily utilises 40mm tyres.”
Made in France
As ever, the new tyres have all been ideated, designed, refined and handmade in Hutchinson’s factory in France, which Chuchu believes has numerous benefits for the end product and, as a result, end user.
“Made in France means speed of development, quality of both development and the final product, and direct on-site environmental control. This is achieved by having all stakeholders involved, with the R&D department fully integrated into the production site.”
