InTouchM o T o R S P o R T N E W SI S S u E 2 5

CONFIDENCE TRICKOCTOBER 2012 MOTORSPORT

THE DUNLOP

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Grip and BrakingRace derived

for the road

Massive outershoulder blocks forimproved stability

New short breaking blocks for reduced breaking distance

New adaptivecompound for enhancedgrip on wet and dry

Light constructioncarcass to improvefuel efficiency

DuNLop BeAts extreMe HeAt iN BAHrAiN

Round six of the FIA World Endurance Championship took the test of searing temperatures in the desert for the 6 Hours of Bahrain on September 29.

In the all-Dunlop LMP2 class the trio of Pierre Kaffer, Nicolas Minassian and Luis Perez-Companc in the #49 Pecom Racing Oreca 03-Nissan took their first victory in the World Championship.

It was a clear, flawless win, two laps ahead of the No.23 Signatech Nissan Oreca 03-Nissan, in the hands of Jordan Tresson, Olivier Lombard and Franck Mailleux, and the #44 Starworks Motorsports HPD-Honda who remain leaders in the LMP2 Championship.

The #44 combo of Stéphane Sarrazin, Tom Kimber-Smith and Enzo Potolicchio set pole and were ahead at the start of the fifth hour, but lost four minutes in the pits following a technical problem, leaving the way free for the Argentinian Pecom Racing team and the French Signatech Nissan squad to take up the lead battle.

Watching over the action was Dunlop Motorsport Senior Design Engineer, David Meenan.

“As expected Bahrain was the hottest race of the year so far with ambient temperature reaching a peak at 39°C and track temperature climbing up to 54°C, he explains. “The race started at 4pm, slightly cooler at 37°C ambient and 49°C track.

“As a result of these high temperatures it made the racing conditions both difficult for the drivers and the cars. Several cars were bordering the limits on engine coolant temperatures and a few suffered failures.

“For the driver double stinting was very difficult and pretty much impossible at the start of the race due to the temperature. A few drivers fainted due to loss of body fluid in

the extreme driving conditions. One driver was even helped off the LMP1 podium so he could faint!

“The ambient and track conditions were also very tough on tyres. The Bahrain circuit is notoriously tough due to the surface and the risk of having sand on the circuit. It was challenging from a traction point of view which saw several teams optimising the traction control strategies to ensure consistency.

“We took medium and hard tyre options stet the majority of the teams opting to use the hard, and a few teams managing to engineer a suitable setup to exploit the additional grip of the medium. Single stinting was the optimum strategy, double stinting was too demanding for the drivers and tyre consistency was compromised with the additional fuel load at the pit stops.”

Despite the disappointing finish, Starworks increased its lead in the P2 championship to 23 points over the class-winning Oreca Nissan of Pecom Racing, which arrived in come to Bahrain ranked third in the standings. The ADR-Delta team, which was running second in the standings to Starworks, suffered a suspension failure early in the race and as a result fell to third in the championship with two rounds remaining.

Dunlop riders played a starring role in the 66th edition of the prestigious Motocross of Nations, held at Lommel in Belgium on Sunday October 1.

Ken Roczen, who races a Dunlop-shod KTM in the AMA Championships, led Germany to its first ever victory in the Olympic-style team event with a perfect performance in the MX2 class.

At the conclusion of three mixed-category motos - which churned the deep sand into a brutal succession of bumps, jumps, berms and ruts - Germany clinched the Chamberlain Trophy by four points over host nation Belgium.

Roczen said: “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. There are a lot of teams out there that can ride in the sand. When we realised it was going to be us on the top step it was a great feeling - and making history for Germany. I’m also really happy to win the MX2 class for the third time in a row.”

Team USA’s seven-year winning streak thus came to an end, but the all-Dunlop line-up of AMA superstars’ Ryan Dungey, Justin Barcia and Blake Baggett fought hard to claim the final place on the podium.

DuNLop’s stArriNg roLe At Motocross of NAtioNs

HoNourABLe MeNtioN

As well as four riders on the main Team rostrum, Dunlop competitors underlined the strength of their sand tyres by fighting for individual class honours.

The MX2 podium, for 250cc machines, was dominated by Dunlop.

Mixed with 450cc motorcycles, Roczen not only beat all of his MX2 rivals but most of the bigger bikes as well. The former world champion reached fifth overall in race one (MX1/MX2) and then fourth in race two (MX2/Open).

Runner-up to Roczen in MX2 was American star Baggett (Dunlop-Kawasaki), with Frenchman Marvin Musquin third (Dunlop-KTM).

The merciless Lommel sand was likened by one pundit to a ‘warzone’ and few riders completed the 40-minute plus two laps motos without incident.

Baggett summed up the challenge: “We don’t have tracks like this in the USA. I feel we did our best, but this track was a nightmare! We learnt a lot and at least we got a podium.”

While Roczen, Baggett and Musquin conquered MX2, Dunlop colleague Gautier Paulin finished on the podium in the MX1 category.

The Frenchman took second place in the MX1/MX2 moto and was then battling fellow Dunlop rider Barcia for third in the final race of the day (MX1/Open) but lost his rhythm after a fall. Paulin’s 2-8 results sealed third overall in MX1.

Paulin, also third as a rookie in this year’s MX1 World Championship, said: “I had a good feeling with the bike and the track and it was a disappointment to miss the podium for France by just a few points.”

DuNLop DoMiNAtes Mx2 cLAss

pAuLiN poDiuMs iN Mx1

Motocross action:@DunlopWorldMx

Moto2, Moto3 and FIM Endurance World Championship:@DunlopMoto

Dunlop four wheel international motorsport action:@DunlopMsport

LiVe tWeets froM tHe griD!

In addition to the class podiums for Roczen, Baggett, Musquin and Paulin, numerous other Dunlop riders fought at the front during the three motos.

Barcia’s Motocross of Nations debut proved typically dramatic, the wild-riding American thrilling the worldwide audience with his flat-out style. ‘Bam Bam’ ran as high as second in both Open class races on his way to 14-3 results (after crash damage in his first race) and fourth overall in the Open category.

MX1 team-mate Dungey also reached a peak of second place and likewise tasted sand on his way to 7-9 finishes and fifth in class. Honda World Motocross riders Rui Goncalves (POR) and Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS) displayed their raw speed by briefly featuring second and third respectively during the MX1 races.

“That was an impressive race weekend!” praised Dunlop MX race coordinator Eddy Seel. “Lommel always guarantees suspense until the end and for a Motocross of Nations this was just perfect! Ken Roczen put on a very strong performance and held up with the big guys on his 250cc bike securing the class win. Overall our riders fought hard in the deep sand made some very good results.

“Congratulations to Ken Roczen for the class win and to win the MX of Nations with Team Germany. Also congratulations to Team USA for the third place on the podium. Beside the riders on the rostrum I’d also like to point out the very strong performance of Gautier Paulin who made two excellent races. All in all it was a great weekend with very good results for our riders and I’m looking forward to the next season now.”

Dunlop’s Gautier Paulin concluded a commendable debut season in the MX1 Motocross World Championship by securing third in the standings at the German GP finale on September 25.

The young French Kawasaki rider entered the 16th round, held on a twisty and hard-packed Teutschenthal circuit, as one of three riders still in contention for the bronze medal.

Riding at the scene of a Dunlop victory in 2011, Paulin put third place out of reach of his opponents with solid 4-5 results – finishing ahead of his championship rivals in both races.

As well as achieving his personal goal of a title top three, Paulin also went one place better than last year’s top Dunlop rider

Championship podium from seCond season BaCK

The second season of Dunlop’s MXGP return produced four podiums, including one grand prix victory, plus three moto wins.

The podiums and victory were claimed by Paulin, whose Kawasaki Racing Team was also starting a new association with Dunlop.

The combination brought almost instant success: Fourth in the opening round being followed by victory at Sevlievo in Bulgaria. Further podiums in France, Portugal and Great Britain paved the way for Paulin’s excellent rookie ranking.

Team-mate Xavier Boog finished seventh in the standings – and claimed a moto win in Brazil – while Honda World Motocross stars Bobryshev and Rui Goncalves were unable to show their true potential due to numerous physical setbacks, each finishing just shy of the rostrum.

Dunlop came close to securing much more podium silverware this year – the top Yellow Cap competitor being classified fourth overall on six occasions, twice losing third on a tie-break.

DuNLop’s 2012 seAsoN: Victory, Moto WiNs AND poDiuMs

Honda World Motocross’s Evgeny Bobryshev riding at the final round of the MX1 World Championship season in Teutschenthal, Germany, where he took sixth overall.

Honda World Motocross riders from Rui Gonçalves and Evgeny Bobryshev as well as Dunlop’s own Eddy Seel talk about the Dunlop MX11 front sand tyre.

event circuit grand prix classification1. Grand Prix of The Netherlands Valkenswaard 4th - Gautier Paulin (KAW)

2. Grand Prix of Bulgaria Sevlievo 1st - Gautier Paulin (KAW)

3. Grand Prix of Italy Fermo 4th - Gautier Paulin (KAW)

4. Grand Prix of Mexico Guadalajara 6th - Xavier Boog (KAW)

5. Grand Prix of Brazil Beto Carrero 4th - Gautier Paulin (KAW)

6. Grand Prix of France St. Jean D’Angely 3rd - Gautier Paulin (KAW)

7. Grand Prix of Portugal Agueda 2nd - Gautier Paulin (KAW)

8. Grand Prix of Belgium Bastogne 5th - Gautier Paulin (KAW)

9. Grand Prix of Sweden Uddevalla 7th - Gautier Paulin (KAW)

10. Grand Prix of Latvia Kegums 4th - Rui Goncalves (HON)

11. Grand Prix of Russia Semigorje 5th - Evgeny Bobryshev (HON)

12. Grand Prix of Czech Republic Loket 5th - Xavier Boog (KAW)

13. Grand Prix of Great Britain Matterley Basin 3rd - Gautier Paulin (KAW)

14. Grand Prix of Benelux Lierop 4th - Evgeny Bobryshev (HON)

15. Grand Prix of Europe Faenza 4th - Gautier Paulin (KAW)

16. Grand Prix of Germany Teutschenthal 2nd - Ken Roczen (KTM)

eVgeNy BoBrysHeV

Evgeny Bobryshev in the World Championship classification.“I’m very happy to bring a medal to the team and to

Kawasaki,” said Paulin. “At the beginning of the season I was hoping for more than bronze; but MX1 is definitely a strong class! I didn’t have so much pressure in Teutschenthal, and I rode two good races; the goal was to keep the third place in the standings and I did it, thanks to the team, which have been behind me throughout the season.”

MotoupDAte

2MUGELLO 15/7

Andrea Iannone snatched a last-gasp home victory at the Italian Moto2 Grand Prix at Mugello, having led for less than a lap!

One of five different leaders, the Speed Up star clinched his second win of the season after fighting back from fifth in the middle stages.

The closing laps saw Pol Espargaro (Pons Kalex) reeled-in by Iannone, who made his winning pass into turn one for the final time and held on to win by just 0.090s.

All of Dunlop’s tyre options proved popular, with a near 50/50 split in terms of front and rear choice throughout the 33-rider field. Iannone and Espargaro ran the 302 (medium) front and 3838 (hard) rear, while Thomas Luthi was less than one-second from victory with the 3855 (medium) spec rear fitted to his Suter.

Incredible durability allowed the leaders to set their best laps in the closing stages, including a new record for Luthi as he fought to hold off Bradley Smith (Tech 3). Luthi beat the previous lap record by 0.547s, while Iannone lopped 50.523s off last year’s race-winning time.

The fastest straight of the season also saw Dunlop rubber achieve 290km/h (180mph) set by title leader Marc Marquez.

iannone snaTChes LasT Lap ViCTorY

Marc Marquez increased his Moto2 World Championship advantage by leading four riders covered by just half-a-second across the finish line in the Czech Republic Grand Prix.

The Spaniard secured his sixth victory of the season after holding off long-time leader and fellow Suter rider Thomas Luthi by just 0.061s, with Pol Espargaro (Kalex) and Andrea Iannone (Speed Up) also in close pursuit.

Luthi led much of the race, the Swiss star using all the braking capabilities of the 717 hard compound front Dunlop to stanchly defend the lead, until fellow Suter rider Marquez finally squeezed past with three laps to go.

But the Spaniard couldn’t escape, setting up a grandstand finish.Marquez had also opted for the maximum stability offered by the 717

front, while Espargaro (Kalex) and Iannone (Speed Up) favoured the medium 302 compound – reflecting the roughly equal split throughout the field.

Rear tyre choice was slanted towards the 4886 medium compound, designed to retain heat during long straights to maximise mechanical grip, although Espargaro took the harder 3838 compound – boasting greater abrasion resistance – to third.

The world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the scene of a runaway victory for Moto2 title leader Marc Marquez.

Marquez took the lead from fellow Suter rider Dominique Aegerter on lap four, then bolted into the distance – smashing the lap record by over one second en route to his fifth win of the season by 5.8sec. Marquez also knocked 37sec from his own 2011 race-winning time.

Pole sitter and title rival Pol Espargaro had lost ground in the early laps, then spent the middle stages of the race trying to wriggle free from a freight train of riders disputing second place.

The Pons Kalex star finally broke clear in the closing stages, while former Moto2 title runner-up Julian Simon (Suter) secured his first podium of the season with third.

The rostrum finishers all opted for a medium front-hard rear tyre combination for the 26-lap race, with early leader Aegerter the highest placed competitor on the harder front, in seventh.

INDIANAPOLIS 19/8

super sixTh win for marquez aT Brno

dominanT indY win for marquez

BRNO 26/8

You won’t get far on track or off without braking. Well, you might go rather too far. Moto2 stars Bradley Smith and Julian Simon as well as Dunlop Motorsport’s Clinton Howe explain some important considerations for stopping.

BrAkiNg

Pol Espargaro returned to the top step of the Moto2 podium for the first time since June, by clinching his second home Spanish victory of the season at Aragon.

The Pons Kalex rider spent the early stages ‘shadow-boxing’ with compatriot Marc Marquez, before both were swallowed up by the pursuing pack.

Espargaro crucially inched clear in the closing laps, but Marquez came under attack at almost every turn from the likes of Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding.

Championship leader Marquez (Suter) ultimately clung on to second, with Redding (Kalex) launching a last-lap pass on Iannone (Speed Up) to steal his fourth podium of the season.

Wet conditions throughout free practice meant Dunlop’s 414 compound wets got plenty of track time, mastering both a fully wet and drying surface.

Dunlop’s slick compounds were used from qualifying onwards and, despite the lack of set-up time, all performed successfully – with no clear choice for the race.

The most popular combination proved to be the softer 302 front and harder 3838 rear, but fifth place Bradley Smith (Tech 3) was just two-seconds from victory on the softer 3855 rear.

Marquez will head for the three flyaway rounds, starting at Motegi in Japan, with a reduced advantage of 48 points over Espargaro.

ARAGON 30/9

Marc Marquez pushed his Moto2 title advantage over the 50-point mark with a magnificent seventh victory of the season at Misano.

Having hunted down and passed local hero Andrea Iannone, Marquez (Suter) and championship rival Pol Espargaro (Kalex) then exchanged the lead five times on the final lap!

Marquez prevailed by just 0.359s, increasing his lead to 53-points – over two race wins – while Iannone made it three different manufacturers on the podium in third.

The original race was halted after an engine failure. The restart took place over 14-laps rather than the planned 26.

Damp weather during practice saw Dunlop’s durable wet tyres once again stand up well to a drying track, while the full selection of Dunlop slicks then proved closely competitive in the cooler than usual conditions.

Rider comfort was thus the deciding factor: All of the top six requested the softer 302 front option slick and 3854 rear for the race, with the exception of Mika Kallio (Kalex), who used the rival 3757 soft rear (also of ATR05 construction) to hold off an eight-rider freight train for fourth.

Marquez set a new Moto2 record on the penultimate lap.

MISANO 16/9

espargaro ViCTorY in aragon sTunner

magnifiCenT seVenTh ViCTorY for marquez

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3

MUGELLO 15/7

Moto3’s Mugello debut produced the closest finish to date, with Maverick Vinales claiming a tiny 0.020s victory over home hero Romano Fenati and Sandro Cortese just 0.071 adrift in third.

A twelve rider lead group was whittled down to seven by the halfway stage of a thrilling 20-lap slipstreaming contest. 2012 winners Vinales, Cortese and Fenati then wriggled free as the race neared its conclusion.

The last lap saw Cortese lunge from third-to-first at turn one, but Fenati undercut them both to lead on the exit! Vinales swept back past, with Cortese also ahead of the 16-year-old as the trio entered the final turn.

The run to the line saw Vinales cling to victory, but a photo-finish confirmed fellow FTR Honda rider Fenati out-dragged Cortese for second.

Vinales’ fifth win was the first for the hard compound Dunlop Moto3 front tyre, on a day when half of the top six chose the medium option, led by Cortese.

The medium rear received unanimous approval while a new Moto3 high of 236.2km/h (146.8mph) was set by Zulfahmi Khairuddin (KTM) in the warm-up. Khairuddin was one of seven riders to lead the race.

maVeriCK BY a miCron in mugeLLo

The all-new and all-Dunlop Moto3 World Championship celebrated its sixth different winner during tricky conditions for round eleven in the Czech Republic.

Riding with slick tyres on a drying track, Jonas Folger followed up a shock podium on his Aspar debut at Indianapolis by passing Efren Vazquez for the lead on lap 4 of 19.

Over twelve seconds ahead at one stage, Folger (Kalex KTM) later eased off to ensure his second ever grand prix win – and first since victory on Dunlop’s 125cc wet weather tyres at Silverstone in 2011.

In stark contrast to Folger’s runaway victory, the fight for the remaining podium places went down to the final turn, where Indianapolis winner Luis Salom (Kalex KTM) snatched the runner-up spot from title leader Sandro Cortese (KTM).

Cortese’s disappointment was eased slightly by nearest title rival Maverick Vinales (FTR Honda) finishing fourth.

Due to the slippery conditions, the medium (rather than hard) front Dunlop slick was an almost universal choice, but the majority of riders had enough confidence to run the medium (instead of soft) rear slick. Vazquez was one of two riders to gamble on wet tyres, which lost pace from lap 5 but showed impressive endurance.

Moto3 welcomed its fifth different winner at Indianapolis, when Luis Salom won a thrilling last lap showdown with title leaders Sandro Cortese and Maverick Vinales.

Six different riders – on four different types of bike – led the 23-lap race, with Salom sitting behind Cortese and Vinales heading into the final lap. Vinales then tried to retake the lead from Cortese at the end of the back straight, but Salom surprised them both by beating them to the apex.

The Spaniard hung on through the following series of left handers, with disaster striking for Vinales when he fell at the very final turn. Salom’s Kalex-KTM crossed the yard of bricks just 0.056s ahead of factory KTM rider Cortese, with Jonas Folger promoted to third on his debut for the Aspar team.

Miguel Oliveira (Suter Honda) and Jerez winner Romano Fenati (FTR Honda) made it four different manufacturers in the top five.

All riders chose the medium option rear tyre for the race, with a near 50/50 split in terms of the front. The top four all ran the harder front, while Fenati set the fastest lap of the race with the medium option.

INDIANAPOLIS 19/8

foLger ‘CzeChs’ ouT for ViCTorY aT Brno

deBuT win for saLom afTer LasT Lap showdown

BRNO 26/8

Luis Salom emerged victorious in another nail-biting all-Dunlop dice at Aragon, which also saw Sandro Cortese move closer to the inaugural Moto3 title.

Salom (Kalex KTM) claimed his second ever grand prix victory by just 0.155s over factory KTM star Cortese, whose Championship rival Maverick Vinales (FTR Honda) failed to start after mechanical problems on the warm-up lap.

Jonas Folger (Kalex KTM), starting from his first grand prix pole, completed a podium covered by just 0.362s in a race that delivered seven different leaders and a top eight covered by just two-seconds -further testament to the equality offered by Dunlop tyres.

The wet practice sessions saw riders again complement the Dunlop Moto3 wets for overall grip and feeling. The cold but dry race day weather then prompted all but two riders to choose the medium compound slicks for both the front and rear.

Abrasive conditions meant most riders set their best lap times during the first half of the race, but grip levels remained broadly consistent – illustrated by Salom’s last lap being within one-second of his best.

Cortese now leads the Championship by 51 points from new nearest rival Salom, with 100 points remaining.

Sandro Cortese strengthened his hold on the inaugural Moto3 World Championship with a thrilling third victory of the season at Misano.

The KTM rider held his nerve during a race-long battle with the likes of Romano Fenati, Luis Salom, Alex Rins and title rival Maverick Vinales – on a day when the top seven riders were covered by just 1.3s at the chequered flag!

Cortese and rookie local hero Fenati (FTR-Honda) had exchanged the lead on numerous occasions. But while Fenati was shuffled backwards in the closing laps, Cortese expertly defended his position to win by 0.467s from Salom (Kalex KTM).

Fenati arrived at the final turn in fifth, but Rins (Suter Honda) and Vinales (FTR Honda) ran wide on the exit, allowing Fenati to regain a podium position by three hundredths of a second. Rins set the fastest lap of the race on lap 8 of 23.

After a weekend of limited dry running, Cortese and Salom joined the majority of riders in selecting the softer front/harder rear Dunlop slicks. Fenati was among four riders to pick the harder front, with five riders lower down the order fitting the softer rear.

saLom snaTChes aragon win, CorTese CapiTaLises

Cunning CorTese CLaims ViCTorY

ARAGON 30/9

MISANO 16/9

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AUSTRALIAN Mx1

Dunlop tyres took retiring Josh Coppins and his Yamaha to one of the most sought-after national titles in the MX world. For veteran and former Grand Prix winner Coppins adding the Aussie crown to his vast CV of accomplishments was the last major stamp on a career that lasted almost twenty years at the highest level.

Coppins scored second position overall at Coolum in Queensland in what was the tenth and final round of the series. The 35 year - old picked up seven moto victories and posted fantastic 21 top three finishes in the 30 motos run over the course of the contest. It was the fifth consecutive championship for the Australian CDR team.

“This ranks highly for me,” said Coppins, who spent three seasons as a factory Yamaha racer in the FIM MX1-GP World Championship. “No domestic championship is easy, even more so when it’s not in your home country. The level of the teams impressed me and overall I’ve had a great time and I am really happy I got to ride here before I retired.”

“It felt good to repay Yamaha and all the sponsors,” he added. “I feel at home with Yamaha and have now won races for them all over the world. The latest YZ450F has been one of my favourite bikes of my pro career.”

Coppins went on to represent his country at Lommel in Belgium for the 66th Motocross of Nations on September 30th.

COPPINS TAKES DUNLOP AND YAMAHA TO TITLE

Dunlop once more proved to be the tyres of choice in the German IDM motorcycle championships where three out of four championship titles were determined in September in favour of Dunlop riders.

The 125cc, Moto3 and Supersport crowns went to Dunlop riders Florian Alt, Luca Grünwald and Tatu Lausletho respectively, whilst Michael Ranseder and Jörg Teuchert placed second and third in a closely fought IDM Superbike standings.

As one of the few racing series with a free choice of tyres, the IDM offers one of the ultimate challenges in motorcycle racing.

In the 125s, German Florian Alt from the Freudenberg Racing Team scored two brilliant victories on his KTM Dunlop over the course of the season, taking the title in the 125 IDM. His team and tyre brand colleague Luca Grünwald - who finished on the podium in all the races in which he and his Honda NSF 250 R contested - secured the title by a large margin in the new Moto3 class.

Finn Tatu Lauslehto with his Dunlop shod Yamaha YZF-R6 took the victory in the overall Supersport standings with a measured performance at the final round. Dunlop was to suffer cruel fate in the Superbike class as it went into a three-way title fight at the season finale – with two of the three riders using Dunlop. Austrian Michael Ranseder looked favourite, but due to an engine defect in the warm-up lap for the first race, he could not go to the start and had to give up the lead without a fight. The final standings saw Ranseder and German Jörg Teuchert take second and third with Frenchman Erwan Nigon taking the title.

DUNLOP TAKES 3 out of 4 IN iDM

2012 Nürburgring 24 Hours pole position holders Dunlop are celebrating another new lap record at the legendary German circuit, after Ford chose Dunlop SP Sport Road-legal race tyres to set a supercar-beating time…..with a 1 litre engine!

Ford’s engineers wanted to display the potential of the 1.0-litre EcoBoost turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine by modifying it to suit a Formula Ford racecar to lap the Nürburgring’s tortuous Nordschleife circuit.

The team also modified the car so it would be fully street legal for on-road use by fitting it with wheel covers, front and rear lights and indicators, aerodynamically designed wing mirrors and a horn.

Formula Ford cars normally race on Dunlop SP Sport racing slick tyres, but Dunlop supplied a set of road-legal tyres, designed for tarmac rally competition for this record attempt.

With British racing driver, Nick Tandy behind the wheel, the Formula Ford model lapped the ‘Ring in 7 minutes and 22 seconds to register the 11th fastest time ever on the circuit.

The Formula Ford completed the 20.832 km (12.94 mile) Nordschleife circuit at an average speed of 169 km/h (105 mph).

Incredibly, the 1.0 litre car beat previously recorded fastest times of many (production and street legal) supercars including the 700 horsepower Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, the 660 horsepower Ferrari Enzo and the 602 horsepower Pagani Zonda.

Dunlop’s driver line-up for round seven of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the Fuji Speedway will be bolstered by the addition of former F1 stars Takuma Sato and Shinji Nakano.

Sato drove for Jordan, BAR-Honda and Super Aguri during his seven-year, 90 - race start F1 career and is the most successful Japanese F1 driver in terms of podium finishes, after taking third place in the 2004 US Grand Prix.

He will join Oak Racing as their LMP1 prototype returns to action with drivers Bertrand Baguette and Dominik Kraihamer, and will contest the Fuji and Shanghai 6 hour races. The Oak-Pescarolo LMP1 is now powered by the HPD V8.

Nakano raced for Prost and Minardi during his two year, 33 race F1 career, with a best-placed finish of sixth. He will join ADR-Delta regulars John Martin and Tor Graves in their ORECA-Nissan 03 at Fuji.

f1 st rs JOIN DUNLOP FOR FUJI

superbike championship standings (after 7 of 7 rounds)

1. Joshua WATERS (Team Suzuki) 279.5 2. Wayne MAXWELL 266 3. Jamie STAUFFER 251.5 4. Glenn ALLERTON 235 5. Ben ATTARD (Team Suzuki) 212.5 6. Robert BUGDEN (Team Volvo Group

Suzuki) 211 7. Ben HENRY (Suzuki) 174.5 8. Scott CHARLTON (Suzuki) 159 9. Brodie WATERS (Team Suzuki) 45 10. Beau BEATON (Suzuki) 40

supersport championship standings (after 5 of 5 rounds)

1. Mitchell CARR 181.5 2. Josh HOOK 163 3. Brodie WATERS (Team Suzuki) 162 4. Glenn SCOTT 157 5. Chris QUINN 130.5 6. Levi DAY 125 7. Adam SENIOR 111.5 8. Brendan CLARKE 90.5 9. Anthony QUINN 65.5 10. Mitch LEVY (Suzuki) 65.5

Josh Waters claimed his second Australian Superbike Championship aboard the GSX-R1000 at Queensland Raceway’s final round of the 2012 season on September 17.

The Team Suzuki rider played it safe on his way to this year’s crown in the all-Dunlop field, finishing fifth overall for the weekend with 4-6 results, adding the trophy to his maiden championship picked up in 2009 as a rookie in the premier class with Team Suzuki.

“2012 was a fantastic year for myself winning my second Australian Superbike Championship. This year down under, we raced on the all new Dunlop NTEC tyres, which were great, the consistency and grip was very good and the times we achieved were awesome. You could see out on the track with some of the racing that the tyres gave us the confidence we needed to push to the limit, I know I had that good feeling!”

This year marked Waters’ first full season completed since his inaugural title, capping off what has been a hard-fought campaign

to win the championship by a slim margin of 13.5-points.

“It’s an awesome feeling and the result that everybody was aiming for at the start of the season,” 25-year-old Waters said. “It’s really nice to get it done, so a big thanks to the team and everybody who has made this possible.

“In the last couple of rounds I haven’t put it all on the line, just conserving my lead and playing it smart because the championship is what they remember in the record books.

“My Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 has been great all season, it’s my fourth year on the bike and I’m obviously used to it and am very comfortable on it. The team has done a great job, so it’s great to go ahead and win the championship for everybody this season.”

WAters tAkes AustrALiAN superBike titLe

DuNLop: THE ‘RINGMEISTERS

coNfiDeNce trick Dunlop prides itself on producing tyres which install confidence in the user, whether they be rider or driver, in competitive endeavour or endless congestion.

Confidence impartment is a Dunlop hallmark and there are many reasons why this is the case whether the tyres are for the road, track, solid or loose surface.

Confidence for a rider or driver means that they don’t need to worry about tyre performance, they can take that as a given, this frees up brain capacity to concentrate on the serious and pleasurable matter of piloting whatever vehicle they have at their disposal in a safe and rewarding fashion.

The philosophy is the same but the approach is slightly different for racing from that for use on the road.

“In racing one focus is creating rubber compounds which offer consistent performance over their life, with no sudden performance drop-off,” adds Race Design and Development Manager, Sebastien Montet.

“This is best illustrated in endurance racing where maximising time on the track without sacrificing performance gains results. For example, an endurance racing tyre for Le Mans which allows two, three or even four stints to be completed without losing performance means more time on the track, and less time stationary in the pits. This means a better race result. To achieve this, the driver, race engineer and team manager all require confidence in the tyres to be able to do this.

“For the road it’s a different focus for the confidence we want to give to our users. The tyres should give confidence of constant performance over their lives, but their lives are measuring in thousands or tens of thousands of kilometres – far further than a racing tyre. Consumer tyres have a longer life and less extreme performance requirements as they are not used on the limit for the majority of their life cycle, unlike racing products.

“Confidence we can add for the road comes from compounds which can react predictably in a range of weather conditions as there is no stopping and changing for wet tyres if it starts to rain on the public highway.

“Making a wide weather operating window for our tyres for road or track is something of a speciality we have. Though race series often allow particular tyres for wet conditions, having a race tyre which can perform in the difficult crossover conditions from dry to wet or wet to dry means an advantage over the opposition.”

Dunlop uses endurance racing at the pinnacle of two and four wheel motorsport, developing all areas of the tyre including the rubber compounds which make up the component parts.

“For example, you want to be able to find the tread compound which offers the greatest amount of grip with sufficient durability for the tasks given to it,” explains Principal Engineer, Material Development, Gary Barrett.

Though the tyre lives are different, it’s a similar approach for sprint racing too.

“A Moto2 tyre does not need to last as long as an Endurance World Championship tyre, but the tyre characteristics over the course of the life are similar even though the life of an EWC tyre is generally longer,” adds Montet.

Developments in compounding have direct implications for the road product.

“As we develop new compounds so the lessons learnt filter through to our products for the road, and it’s a fascinating area for our compound specialists to work. For racing we really can look at every element of the rubber make-up and employ blue-sky thinking to see how it can be improved, explains Barrett. “Once validated on the track, the challenge then becomes making the elements of the race compound applicable for road use and commercially viable for production.”

In terms of construction, how the different elements of the tyre are put together and the interaction of the different physical elements is hugely important for the confidence giving process.

“Just as for a sports team, every element of the tyre needs to be working in unison and towards the same goal of accessible performance,” says Montet

“On the track and on the road, a tyre which has very high

performance but in a narrow window is not one which inspires confidence in the user as the tyre is unsatisfying and tiring when it doesn’t face the ideal conditions required to keep it in that sweet spot.

“We, on the other hand, work to make our tyres’ performance highly accessible with a wide performance operating window. This allows the user to make the most of the tyre.”

Confidence is important as it allows competitors to push all the time without worrying about how the tyres are going to react. “Confidence is certainly an important factor in the overall performance equation for a competitor. It enables the first corner of a race to be taken at the tyres’ limits without fear of an uncertain reaction, or it enables the competitor not to be nervous when the weather conditions are variable,” says Montet.

On bikes, the impartment of confidence for the rider is highly crucial.

“We work in particular in the realm of high lean angle performance,” says Senior Engineer Bike Tyre Development, Christopher Valentine. “How the tyre reacts and talks when it is tilted over and on the edge is the area where a rider can receive the best comfort blanket of predictable transition or the rude shock of a sudden change. We prefer the predictable transition approach as this makes the performance accessible time and again.”

So, two or four wheel, road or track. Dunlop and Confidence go together.

“Confidence has long been a Dunlop buzzword, and it’s one we adhere to in everything we do,” says Jean-Felix Bazelin. “For good reason”.