InTouch ISSUE 20 MOTORSPORT NEWS EXCLUSIVE MOTO3 READY TO GO! p 19 & 20 A LOOK FORWARD TO THE SEASON AHEAD Dunlop takes on the world P6 MARCH 2012 MOTORSPORT
Dunlop s super 2011 On two wheels 2011 saw Dunlop achieve worldwide motorcycle success across the full spectrum of racing surfaces. From state-of-the-art asphalt on the grand prix racing calendar, to the bumpy public roads of the legendary Isle of Man TT, the manicured stadium dirt of AMA Supercross and the ever-changing terrain of a Motocross GP - Dunlop won on them all. The final season of the 125cc World Championship, an open-tyre class long dominated by Dunlop, ended with Nico Terol crowned champion, while Dunlop s run of consecutive race wins reached 133. 125GP had existed since 1949, but there was little time to reflect as Dunlop s attention turned to its role as exclusive tyre supplier for the replacement Moto3 class. Dunlop s deal as single supplier for Moto2 entered its second season in 2011, when young German Stefan Bradl took the title after a season that saw Dunlop balance increased tyre performance with continued equality. Lap records were broken at twelve of the 17 circuits, while 16 different riders and seven different motorcycles claimed a podium finish. At June s Isle of Man TT races, Dunlop riders took four wins around the fearsome 60.72 km mountain course, headlined by victories for John McGuinness (Honda) in the prestigious Superbike and Senior TTs. Bruce Anstey (Honda) and Michael Dunlop (Kawasaki) took their Dunlop tyres to the top in the Supersport and Superstock TTs respectively. Open tyre competition exists throughout the German IDM Championships, where Dunlop emerged victorious in all three solo classes. The perfect sweep was headed by KTM s Martin Bauer in the premier Superbike category. Dunlop-Yamaha rider Jesco Günther clinched the Supersport title, while Australian Jack Miller (Aprilia) took the honours in the hotly contested 125cc class. In the 2011 Alpe Adria Championships, Dunlop riders won five out of the six classes: SBK (Andreas Meklau), STK1000 (Martin Choy), STK600 (Lukas Jasensky), 125GP (Julian Mayer) and 125SP (Stefano Schillaci). Off-road, Dunlop made a triumphant return to the FIM Motocross World Championship with seven podiums, including one victory, during the 2011 MX1 season. Honda team-mates Evgeny Bobryshev and Rui Gonçalves led the Dunlop challenge, finishing fourth and sixth in the standings after a year in which both riders proved themselves to be potential future champions. In the glamorous world of the AMA FIM World Supercross Championship, Dunlop competitors Ryan Villopoto (450 class), Broc Tickle (250 lites West class) and Justin Barcia (250 lites East class) swept to title victory. Over in AMA racing, Dunlop extended its exclusive contract during 2011, a season that saw Josh Hayes (Superbike), Danny Eslick (Sportbike) and James Rispoli (Supersport) crowned champions. 01 motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 02
AND FOUR... Dunlop will be hard pushed to better its results on four-wheels during the 2012 season having enjoyed a stunning 2011 in its racing activities around the globe. Arguably the highlight for Dunlop-shod teams came at the Le Mans 24 Hours, where the Zytek of Greaves Motorsport secured a stunning victory in the LMP2 class. It marked a 1-2 finish for Dunlop as Signatech Nissan who had started from class pole position joined the British team on the podium The Greaves team were one of the success stories for Dunlop over the course of 2011, adding the LMP2 title in the Le Mans Series to its victory at La Sarthe despite strong opposition in the second prototype class. Prototype success also came in the American Le Mans Series, where Dyson Racing secured a clean-sweep of honours in LMP1 after a heated battle with rivals Muscle Milk AMR. Signatech meanwhile ended the year top of the team s classification in the LMP2 class of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, while Dunlop s LMP1 development partner OAK Racing took fifth in class against big budget rivals including Peugeot and Audi. Dunlop s GT teams also impressed, in particular BMW who took a podium finish at Le Mans and then clinched arguably the most competitive GT crown around by winning the ALMS championship. BMW also took second in the GTE-Pro class of the ILMC, while JMW Motorsport took second in GTE-Pro in the Le Mans Series. 2011 was probably the best year for at least a decade for Dunlop as far as results are concerned, said Jean-Felix Bazelin, Dunlop Motorsport general manager. In the LMS and at Le Mans, we won LMP2 with Greaves which I don t think was expected, they were reliable and quick. In the ALMS, where you probably have the most competitive GT series in the world, we won every title with BMW and also won all the prototype classes with Dyson. In America we did very well. Elsewhere in endurance racing, there was overall podium success for Dunlop in the 24 Hour races at the Nurburgring and Spa, while the GT Open title wasn t decided until the closing laps of the year. The Dunlop-backed British Touring Car Championship went to the wire, with five drivers in contention for the title before Matt Neal was crowned in the final race of the year while in the V8 Supercar Championship where drivers compete on a Dunlop control tyre Jamie Whincup edged out team-mate Craig Lowndes to the crown by just 35 points. In short, for Dunlop, close racing and championship success were very much the order of the year. As for this year? I am sure that 2012 will be more competitive again, says Jean-Felix. 03 motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 04
A LOOK TO 2012 Dunlop is relishing the 2012 motorsport season. We have several exciting new challenges, including being chosen as the Official Tyre for Moto3 and the Technical Partner for racing challenges as diverse as the AMG Motorsport programme with the Mercedes SLS GT3 car and the closely-fought Renault Clio Cup championships across Europe. We are launching these ambitious new partnerships following an incredibly successful 2011. Whether on two wheels or four, Dunlop was the tyre of choice in winning races from the Isle of Man TT to the Le Mans 24 hour LMP2 and the LMP1 Championship in America to add to our title-winning success in the GT class as Official Technical Partner to BMW Motorsport. I m very proud of the work put in by our Motorsport team to achieve this success. In 2012, once again, Dunlop s focus is on endurance and touring car racing, as well as motorcycle racing, which is integral to our race to road development strategy. This year we have launched two new car tyres, the Dunlop Sport Maxx Race and the Dunlop Sport Maxx RT. The fact that RT stands for Racing Technology underlines our focus on applying learnings from the racetrack to our ultra high performance road tyres. Both tyres have a motorsport derived compound. Furthermore our latest SportSmart bike tyre has NTEC construction derived from our successful motorcycle racing tyre programme. We have been competing for over 120 years, but the race never ends. Dunlop keeps learning. When we win, all of our drivers and riders win, whether on the road or the track. Sanjay Khanna Managing Director, Dunlop Brand, Europe, Middle East and Africa. 05 motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 06
Dunlop takes on the world 2012 sees an exciting new series for international motorsport with the inauguration of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), and Dunlop will be bidding for glory from the season-opening Sebring 12 Hours on March 17. The WEC had its germination in last year s Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) in which Dunlop was highly successful, winning in the LMP2 class with the Signatech Oreca-Nissan squad. The season is made up of eight races with the jewel in the crown being the Le Mans 24 Hours, with classics such as the Sebring 12 Hours and the 6 Hours of Spa mixing with new events such as the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo and 6 Hours of Shanghai. The WEC follows the Le Mans classes of prototypes and GT cars. Dunlop has a sole representative in the LMP1 class, with Oak Racing fielding their Oak Prescarolo-Judd against the manufacturer Audi and Toyota entries. In the highly competitive LMP2 class it s a strong eight cars wearing Dunlop rubber, ranging from the ILMC champions, Signatech Oreca-Nissan to the Oak Racing Morgan-Judd entry, through a Lotus-entered Lola, two Gulf Racing Middle East Lolas and two further Oreca-Nissans, from ADR-Delta and Pecom Racing. Dunlop s 2011 Le Mans Series winning LMP2 car, the Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan, steps up to the world stage too. Two further cars complete Dunlop s eleven in the WEC, with the GTE Am-contesting JWA-Avila Porsche and Krohn Racing Ferrari. The season-opening Sebring 12 Hours on March 17 brings an additional challenge for Dunlop; it s also the season opener of the American Le Mans Series. The World Endurance Championship is an exciting new challenge for Dunlop, says Jean-Felix Bazelin, Dunlop Motorsport s General Manager. We showed strong performance in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup last year, but the WEC is a far greater endeavour. As well as eight races compared with the ILMC s seven, it is a yet bigger competition with circuits such as Interlagos in Brazil and Shanghai in China to test our teams and tyres. The Le Mans 24 Hours is the jewel in the crown of this championship, but this really is a massive international undertaking for us. Our tyre designers are working relentlessly to ensure we have the best solution for every car using our tyres of the very diverse mix of circuits visited across three continents. Our aim is to provide the very best product and service to our teams. 07 03 motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 08
American Dreams ALMS 2012 SEASON PREVIEW Dunlop will hope to repeat the success it enjoyed in 2011 when the new American Le Mans Series season gets underway with the Sebring 12 Hours in March. A number of Dunlop-shod teams are set to feature on the grid again this season, headed by defending champions Dyson Racing and BMW. For Dyson, an upgraded version of the Lola-Mazda used last year will be used as the squad also prepares to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time. Elsewhere in the prototype classes, Level 5 Motorsport enjoyed a successful first run on Dunlop rubber during the annual Sebring Winter Test with its LMP2 HPD ARX-03b. Also targeting championship honours for the second straight season is the factory BMW team, which will field two cars in the GTE class. Dirk Muller and Joey Hand return to defend their crown, while Bill Auberlen will also be part of the full-season line-up. Chopard switch to Dunlop ALMS News Chopard Porsche (run by Paul Miller Racing) and co-drivers Bryce Miller and Sascha Maassen will run with Dunlop in the 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón season. Heading into its second full season of competition in one of the world s most competitive endurance championships, the team with its new Chopard/TOTAL/IPC Porsche 911 GT3 RSR will be the first Porsche in the series on Dunlops. We are really excited to announce that we will be using Dunlop tyres in 2012, said team owner Paul Miller. After learning a lot during our first season in GT last year, we expect to take a few steps forward in 2012. Dunlop has been successful in ALMS competition and we re looking forward to adding to that record this season. Dunlop Motorsport Project Manager, Ben Michell, is confident for the season ahead. We have ambitious plans in 2012 to build on our championship-winning successes, and we see Paul Miller Racing as the perfect partner to help develop our tyres for the latest specification Porsche. Dunlop are proud of our multiple championship wins in ALMS in 2011, and we are delighted that the team has chosen Dunlop as they drive for success in 2012. 09 motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 10
Chris Schotanus The European Series European Le Mans Series 2012 The newly-titled European Le Mans Series will be a big part of Dunlop s motorsport activities in 2012, with Dunlop-shod teams dominating the list of entries confirmed for the season ahead. Of the 21 cars confirmed, 15 will use Dunlop tyres for their championship challenge, an astonishing 71% of the field set to do battle in five races at Paul Ricard, Zolder, Donington Park, Brno and Portimão. With the big budget LMP1 teams now competing in the new World Endurance Championship, LMP2 becomes the premier class in the ELMS with all 13 cars running on Dunlop rubber. Defending LMP2 champions Greaves Motorsport head the entry list but face a tough challenge against the likes of Race Performance, Boutsen Ginion Racing, Pecom Racing and OAK Racing the latter being the only team to enter two cars. Also amongst the LMP2 11 runners are former GT teams Jota and Jetalliance, as well as the new outfit headed by multiple WRC champion Sebastien Loeb. Status GP, Murphy Prototypes, Extreme Limite ARIC and TDS Racing complete the class field. Elsewhere, JMW Motorsport and newcomers Downforce 1 have both elected to go with Dunlop tyres for their respective assaults on the GTE Pro class. All 13 Dunlop teams go into the season with the same aim, with the championship winners in each class being awarded a place at the Le Mans 24 Hours the following year. Clio Cup goes Dunlop Renault Clio Cup Preview Dunlop has been chosen by Renault Sport Technologies as the official tyre supplier to seven of the national Renault Clio Cup racing championships in Europe. Dunlop s Sport Maxx racing tyres will be fitted to the purpose-built 208bhp (155kw) Clio Cup race cars that provide some of the closest and most exciting racing in Europe, where top drivers and emerging young talents compete together to thrill thousands of spectators and TV viewers. For 2012 onwards, Dunlop will supply the national championships in Spain, Italy, Netherlands, France and Sweden in addition to the Bohemia Championship in Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Czech Republic. The durability, handling and performance of the 205/620R17 Dunlop Sport Maxx racing tyre has already been proven in the Netherlands Renault Clio Cup Championship. Dunlop has a long history with working with Renault on both motorsport and road car projects, explains Jean-Felix Bazelin, General Manager, Dunlop Motorsport, Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres are specified on the award winning Megane Renault Sport 250 model, and we are proud to be appointed as the partner to the Clio Cup, which is established as one the most popular racing categories in Europe with fans and competitors alike. motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 12
Dunlop s Dubai 10-11-12 JANUARY 2013 8th edition > > For the third successive year, Dunlop Motorsport kicked off its racing programme with arguably its biggest logistical challenge proving all of the tyres to a bumper field in the annual Dunlop Dubai 24 Hours. The seventh running of the race, which has quickly established itself as an important date on the endurance racing calendar, saw more than 4000 tyres supplied for more than 70 cars which took up the challenge of the twice round the clock race around the Dubai Autodrome, with an eclectic mix of sports cars and touring cars doing battle. With no fewer than six different classes, Dunlop s first challenge was to provide tyres for a wide range of machinery, from the Ferrari 458, Audi R8, Mercedes SLS AMG and BMW Z4 GT3 doing battle for outright honours in the A6 class to the Renault Clio, BMW Mini and Honda Integra in A2. The other big challenge came from the conditions, which are unlike those seen at the likes of Le Mans and the Nürburgring; with track temperatures remaining higher than 30o Celsius during the night-time running and hitting highs of more than 40o during the day. Despite the conditions, Dunlop s tyres performed better than ever before in the desert heat, with many teams able to run stints equivalent to a full Grand Prix distance. That all helped the winning car the Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon 13 Mercedes SLS AMG of Khaled Al Qubaisi, Sean Edwards, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Thomas Jäger to smash the distance record for the race; a mark that was overhauled with 45 minutes of racing still left to run. In total, the quartet completed a total of 628 laps 20 more than the previous record-en-route to victory, finishing two laps ahead of Bernd Schneider, Maximilian Buhk, Christiaan Frankenhout, Max Nilsson and Andreas Zuber in the first of the two Heico Motorsport entries. The sister car took third place as Mercedes teams locked out the podium positions. We are delighted with the tyre performance in a very challenging event, Firdos Avari, Project Manager from the Dunlop Motorsport design and development team said. We have had absolutely no performance issues at this event, which is incredible when you consider that 70 very diverse models of car, with over 250 different drivers using over 20 different specifications of Dunlop tyres. There is no other race in the world where we experience such consistently high track temperatures for 24 hours. FUTURE RACES 7-9 September 2012-24H Barcelona, Cricuit de Catalunya 10-12 January 2013-24H Dunlop Dubai, Dubai Autodrome motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 14
We go quicker to develop quicker tyres Dunlop supplies a bewildering range and variety of car racing tyres... from open-wheel single-seaters to heavyweight GT cars; for races ranging from short sprints to day-to-night endurance marathons, and for series using control tyres as well as those in open competition with rival tyre companies. There is a strong technical relationship between the ever-developing racing tyres and the products sold to the motoring public. Endurance racing is one example. To win at Le Mans, tyres need to balance grip, durability and consistency with low weight and low rolling resistance. The demands are very close to those of a GT road car. Wet weather takes the relationship further. The tread pattern developed on Dunlop wet race tyres was the inspiration for the design of Dunlop s latest high performance road tyres, the QuattroMaxx and Sport Maxx RT, which feature different zones in the tread pattern like those of the new Dunlop endurance wet race tyre. This improves grip and driver feedback in changeable conditions and under different loads. Tyre compounds developed in the hothouse of racing also play their part in improving production tyres. This is especially true at Le Mans, where part of the circuit has a highly polished surface from the millions of cars and trucks that pound the tarmac. Add particles from road tyres and even diesel spills, and in wet weather this can create a much greasier track than usual. This variable nature is what a driver can find every day on a normal road. The processes used by Dunlop s tyre designers to understand and overcome this changeability through compound development are exactly the same for road and race tyres. Dunlop s recently launched Ultra High Performance tyre, the Sport Maxx Race, makes use of race-proven polymers together with plastifier for higher compound adaptability to the road surface meaning superior grip. Tyres for one-brand formulae need to work consistently and safely on a variety of cars. The British Touring Car Championship is a good example: Dunlop is proud of developing a tyre that works equally well on front-drive, rear-drive, diesel, petrol, normally aspirated and turbocharged cars. In open competition, the approach is different, with different tyres for each type of car, often specific to one circuit. Working closely with our partners, less retrictive regulations allow Dunlop to use new technologies, developing the skills of our in-house design team. Tyres are an integral part of a car s suspension system, and Dunlop engineers work closely with race car designers for an integrated approach to tyre and vehicle dynamics. The constant exchange of data and experience takes place also in our OE road car tyre development departments. Race to road: the synergy is essential to Dunlop s success in both arenas. 15 motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 16
Season three for Moto2 The all-action Moto2 World Championship is poised to be faster than ever during its third season of competition, which blasts off under the floodlights in Qatar on April 8. Machine and tyre developments for the all-dunlop championship saw lap times tumble last year, with records broken at 12 of the 17 circuits (only bad weather saved four of the other five records) often by over one second. The winter break has been anything but for chassis designers and tyre engineers, who continue to raise the bar, resulting in leading lap times comfortably under record pace once again in the 2012 pre-season tests to date. The Valencia test saw 2011 rookie and podium finisher Pol Espargaro (Pons Kalex) on top, with three riders - young English star Scott Redding (Marc VDS Kalex), plus Italtrans Kalex team-mates Claudio Corti and Takaaki Nakagami - all credited with the same fastest lap time during the following Jerez test. Such close competition has become the trademark of Moto2, where 16 different riders and seven different motorcycles claimed a podium last season. The entry list for the oversubscribed series has been limited to 33 riders this year. Reigning champion Stefan Bradl (Kalex) is moving to MotoGP, but the 2012 line-up still contains no less than six grand prix world champions. That includes former 125cc title winner and last year s Moto2 runner-up Marc Marquez, absent from pre-season testing following eye surgery but sure to be a contender in his second year on the Monlaurun Suter, plus fellow Spaniard Toni Elias. Elias was Moto2 s inaugural 2010 champion for Gresini Moriwaki. He returns seeking to become the sport s first ever double champion after signing for Aspar Suter. Testing has shown it will be no easy task; Elias running mid-pack on the unofficial timesheets, with new team-mate and Dunlop s reigning 125cc world champion Nico Terol snapping at his heels. Looking more threatening in testing have been six-time Moto2 race winner Andrea Iannone (Speed Master FTR), former 125cc world champions Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Suter) and Julian Simon (Avintia FTR), ex-motogp rider Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Kalex), plus 2011 rookie podium finishers Esteve Rabat (Pons Kalex) and Bradley Smith (Tech 3). Simone Corsi could also be one to watch. A double rostrum rider in both previous seasons, Corsi s Ioda team has built its own chassis for 2012 - bringing the number of Moto2 constructors to nine - and ran top five at the Valencia test. 17 motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 18
Moto3 readies for debut History will be made in Qatar on April 8, 2012 when the first ever Moto3 Grand Prix is held at the season-opening round of the MotoGP World Championships. Moto3, which features 250cc four-stroke motorcycles, replaces the much-loved and long-running 125cc World Championship. Having become the tyre of choice for all teams in an open tyre championship through its consistent domination of 125cc racing, and having played a pivotal role as official tyre supplier for the ultra-successful Moto2 World Championship since its 2010 inception, Dunlop was unsurprisingly picked to fulfil the same exclusive role for Moto3. 32 riders have been accepted for the inaugural season, all of whom will be equally supported by Dunlop, while the change to the more commercially viable four-stroke engines has re-ignited constructor interest in the smallest grand prix class. Nine different motorcycle designs are entered for the 2012 season, the needs of which Dunlop must master within the limited tyre range allowed for each event. A formidable task, but nothing new to Dunlop, whose tyres took 14 different types of motorcycle to points - and eight to podiums - in the first season of Moto2! Moto3 has clearly been inspired by the commercial and sporting success of Moto2, often considered the most exciting event of a grand prix weekend. But while Moto2 uses a single engine supplier, Moto3 has no such restriction, adding a further level of interest. Pre-season testing to date, at Valencia and Jerez, has been led by factory KTM riders Sandro Cortese and Danny Kent respectively. Runner-up each time has been Avintia FTR-Honda rider Maverick Vinales, a four-time winner during his rookie 125cc season. The remainder of the top ten has been dominated by KTM/ Kalex-KTMs - ridden by the likes of Alberto Moncayo, Hector Faubel, Zulfahmi Khairuddin and Luis Salom - with Efren Vazquez and Miguel Oliveira following-up for Honda. GP rookies Arthur Sissis (KTM) and Brad Binder (Kalex-KTM) have already cracked the top ten, while Danny Webb has been running mid-pack on the new Mahindra. The MZ, FGR-Honda, Ioda and Oral entries are currently playing catch-up. Leading lap times are already close to 125cc record pace, but with machines and tyres so early in their development the testing hierarchy could change significantly by the time the red lights go out at Losail. The unique four-night Qatar format means the first ever Moto3 practice session will take place on Thursday April 5. Moto3 will then open the 2012 racing season at 19:00 on the Sunday April 8. 19 motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 20
10 QUESTIONS with Ben Michell Moto3 in Spain takes Dunlop CEV BUCKLER Dunlop has been appointed as Official Tyre Partner to the new Moto3 class within the Spanish CEV Buckler Championship organised by Dorna. Dunlop have already been appointed Moto3 tyre supplier to the World Championship which commences in 2012. Moto3 replaces the former 125cc Grand Prix class with 250cc four-stroke machines. Run over seven rounds, the CEV series uses the same circuits as MotoGP, at Aragon, Catalunya, Jerez and Valencia, adding rounds at Albacete and Navarra for the well-subscribed entry lists. Dunlop s latest Moto3 tyres have already been extensively tested with World Championship and national riders and the same specification of tyre will be supplied to both the world and national championships. In Japan there has been a Moto3 championship running alongside the 125cc class for the last two years where Dunlop Japan ran a development programme using ex GP 125 rider Hideyuki Nakajoh on a Honda NSF 250R. History was made when Miguel Oliveira took Honda s new Moto3 250cc four-stroke to victory against the 125cc two-strokes on November 13 last year in the penultimate round of last year s CEV Championship at Valencia. How old are you? 31 Where do you live? Birmingham, UK What are the key qualities required for your job? You have to love motorsport to deal with the hours required and tight deadlines. You also need to be flexible and adapt your mental model of how the tyre and car work together as new information becomes available. Could you build a tyre yourself if left the keys to the factory? I m going to be very honest and say no! What is your favourite tyre? I m still really proud of the MotoGP Qualifier I helped to develop in 2007. My current favourite tyre though is our GT intermediate tyre, The 2011 Nurburgring 24 hours started damp and after 45 minutes BMW were 1-2 a minute ahead of the field. If you weren t doing this what would you be doing? I came to Dunlop from the military aerospace industry, which is the next best thing to motorsport in terms of the engineering challenges, deadlines, etc. What do you do away from work? I have a well stocked Kindle! I also enjoy running, cycling and swimming, but I clearly don t do nearly enough of any of them! Which is your favourite circuit to visit and why? For car it would be Le Mans for the history and atmosphere. For motorcycle it would be Mugello in Italy, for the track, food and crazy Italian fans. What car do you drive / bike do you ride? I drive a BMW E46 318. I ride a Ribble 7005 with Shimano 105 - but I m not sure that s the sort of bike you meant! 21 What s the best aspect about working for Dunlop? No secret - being paid to work at Le Mans! I ve been to the race as a fan and I love the challenge of the 24 hours. motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 22
Dunlop goes for a dozen Dunlop will be gunning to make it twelve in a row next month at the world famous Bol d Or 24 Hour endurance race held in Magny Cours, France on April 14-15. As the opener to the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), the Bol d Or is the first time that Dunlop s 2012 motorsport motorcycle tyres will be put through their paces in a competitive environment. The EWC is one of Dunlop s hardest fought contests in two-wheeled motorsport. Manufacturers, teams and tyre manufacturers all do battle against the clock in such iconic events as the Bol d Or and Suzuka 8 Hours. Dunlop s domination of the EWC for more than a decade has been achieved in fruitful long-term partnership with the French Suzuki Endurance Racing Team who last year took its eleventh title - after a cliff-hanging finale - when a podium finish at Qatar secured the title. This was Dunlop s sixth title in the last seven years, and went hand in hand with yet another victory in the classic Bol d Or 24-hour race the 28th for Dunlop since 1969 and eleventh in a row. That was last year, and every successive Dunlop win strengthens the resolve of the competition to displace Dunlop from the run of success in what is one of motorcycle racing s most gruelling disciplines. As well as the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, Dunlop has Honda TT Legends completing its manufacturer entries as well as a host of privateer entries meaning that Dunlop tyres often equip half or more of the grid at events. In the Superstock category, the Dunlop-equipped Motors Events team with their #50 entry will be fighting to retain their 2011 crown. The Bol d Or moved from its traditional autumn slot in the calendar to spring last year, but the change of date didn t dent Dunlop s domination; the last time a team other than one running Dunlop tyres stood on the top step of the podium was in 2000. The spring timing and the nature of a 24 hour race means there are big fluctuations in temperature ranging from a predicted daytime high of around 25 C to a night-time low of around 5 C. And that s before the possibility of rain is considered. It s because of the temperature and weather differences, as well as duration of track time, that endurance racing is so valuable to Dunlop s development database. The wide range of conditions encountered all assist the tyre engineer to enable better products to be produced. 23 motorsport.dunlop.eu MARCH 2012 24
DUNLOP MOTORSPORT ONLINE Dunlop Motorsport s website http://motorsport.dunlop.eu All the latest news, results and images available just a click away. Media section Press releases, audio interviews, video and high resolution images can be downloaded from the media section. Subscribe to our press releases here. In Touch Our extensive pdf newsletter can be subscribed to and downloaded from the motorsport website. MEDIA CONTACTS Andy Stobart Dunlop Motorsport Press Office motorsport@dunloppress.eu +44 7880 544172 James Bailey Director, Marketing and Communications Dunlop Motorsport Europe Fort Dunlop Wood Lane Erdington Birmingham United Kingdom B24 9QT jbailey@goodyear.com 25