Like gravel bikes, gravel tires are rapidly splitting into "race" and "normal" tires. Today, Hutchinson has introduced a new Caracal tire to the market and claims that its "race" version is the fastest gravel tire on the market, according to independent testing.

As one would expect from a gravel tire claiming such speed, both Caracal and Caracal Race are completely slick in the center, with progressively larger sidewall knobs for moderate bite in the corners.

Some of the new Caracal Race's speed comes from the tread, which Hutchinson claims is 35% better than some competing tires, but this time you have to start with the casing. Like the brand's Blackbird road tire, this new gravel race tire uses what Hutchinson calls a "SwiftEasy" casing.

Typically, tire casings overlap in the center of the tire and are glued together there. In this case, the casing of the 120tpi, which is already relatively supple by tire standards, does not overlap at all in the center and is instead bonded directly to the puncture protection strips, with a final airtight layer from bead to bead in front of the tread that wraps around everything to ensure an airtight seal. The goal of this new construction is to make the tire more flexible and thus faster.

Compared to similar semi-slick tires in the brand's lineup (presumably referring to the Overside model), rolling resistance is said to be reduced by 40%. in addition to the same casing construction as the Blackbird, the Caracal Race has a Mach Tread 3.0 rubber compound in the tread itself.

Hutchinson does not publicly state that the tire is exclusively for dry conditions, given the semi-slick nature of the tread, but claims that the pronounced side knobs allow for aggressive cornering.

The Caracal Race is only available in the 700x40c size, weighs 475g, and costs €59.99.

The Caracal without the "Race" moniker is similar to the Caracal Race on the surface and has the same tread pattern, but uses a less high-end "bi-compound" rubber and is made with a more traditional casing construction rather than the "SwiftEasy" option. This, along with the bead-to-bead puncture protection layer, makes it a more durable tire, which Hutchinson claims is still fast rolling, but more suited to "everyday riding."

Surprisingly, the Caracal weighs exactly the same as the Caracal Race, 475g, but at €54.99, it is a bit lighter on the wallet. Unlike Race, which is only available in tan wall color, Caracal is also available in black. It too is only available in 40c width.