THIS ISSUE:dUnlop EntErS mx1-gplmS 1000Km CAStEllEt

MOTORSPORT NEWSINTOuch

IN THIS ISSUE:Moto2 is Go!

Le Mans 24hr previewi.o.M.tt preview

worLd supercross Btcc action

ISSUE 15 APRIL‘11

dunLop Leads the way

fANTASTIc ENdURANcE

SUccESS

It’s been a fantastic start to 2011 for Dunlop, with tyre performance proven time and

again in the most competitive areas of motorsport competition.

After the opening rounds of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC), American Le Mans Series (ALMS), and Le Mans Series (LMS), Dunlop has established itself as the tyre to beat.

Dunlop-shod contenders lead the way in the LMP2 and GT Pro and AM classes of the ILMC, the LMP1 and GT class of the ALMS and the LMP2 and GT Pro classes of the LMS. To add to its honours, Dunlop tyres also carried the Ferrari F458 to its first ever win in the LMS GT Pro class in the Le Castellet 6 hours.

The Dunlop 24 Hour of Dubai back in January started the season with Dunlop Motorsport’s biggest-ever event as 6500 tyres were made available to the 87 teams contesting the sixth edition of this emerging endurance race for which Dunlop will be title sponsor again in 2012.

In the realm of two-wheeled motorsport with open tyre competition, Dunlop has an enviable record of ten wins in a row at the Bol d’Or which takes place in mid-April, which is this season the opening race of the FIM Endurance World Championship. Will it be eleven wins in a row?

In the realm of motorsport championships where Dunlop is the control tyre, Moto2 got underway in Qatar: tyre and chassis developments means the season has started so far with lap record breaking performances, something which looks set to continue.

In the realm of national four wheel motorsport championships, the Dunlop-supported British Touring Car Championship has seen a raft of changes for 2011, with new 18” Dunlop tyres for the new car, and a fantastic season-opener at Brands Hatch was the result, with lap records falling in that domain.

In Germany, the VLN opening race was won by the Dunlop-shod BMW M3 of the Schnitzer squad.

As spring leads to summer, so two big hitting motorsport events come to the fore. In the realm of four wheels, there’s the Le Mans 24 hour race in June, with Dunlop battling hard in the petrol competitors in the leading LMP1 class, and strongly represented in LMP2 and the new GTE Pro and Amateur classes.

On two wheels, the Isle of Man TT is a world famous meeting of the best road racers and motorcycle manufacturers in the world, all competing on the legendary Mountain course, which is public highway when not closed for motorsport. Dunlop tyres were on every TT winner in 2010, the five wins by one tyre manufacturer is a new record. Will this continue in 2011?

For those who enjoy their motorsport in a flatscreen format, the new season of the Dunlop supported Inside Racing programme is airing on a television station near you, with highlights available on Youtube.

Just a taster of the content within, we hope you enjoy!

The Dunlop In Touch team

The FIM Moto2 World Championship, last year’s exciting replacement for the 250cc grand prix class, returns stronger and faster for 2011, the second season with Dunlop as sole tyre supplier.

Sandwiched between 125cc and MotoGP, Moto2 features motorcycles with a prototype chassis, powered by identical 600cc four-stroke engines.

There are sixteen Dunlop slick tyres provided per rider, per event- seven front and nine rear - with only two compounds - a softer and harder option - available at each race. Wet tyres are unlimited.

With these constraints, Dunlop’s engineers focus their expertise on tyres that not only produce high levels of grip, consistently, but do so over a wide operating-range. Exactly the kind of versatility needed for a successful road tyre, which must perform in cold mornings as well as hot afternoons…

Dunlop’s 2010 tyres helped nine different riders win a Moto2 race, using six different types of chassis, while 17 different riders claimed a podium!

The popularity of Moto2 scuppered attempts to slim-down grid numbers and almost 40 riders were accepted for 2011.

Inaugural Moto2 champion Toni Elias and Valencia winner Karel Abraham have moved to MotoGP, but Mika Kallio (Marc VDS) and Aleix Espargaro (Pons) switched the other way - such is the prestige of the class.

They face established race winners Andrea Iannone (Speed Master), Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer), Alex de Angelis (JiR), Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing) and Yuki Takahashi (Gresini), as well as last year’s title runner-up Julian Simon (Aspar) and podium finishers Thomas Luthi (Interwetten), Simone Corsi (Ioda) and Scott Redding (Marc VDS).

125cc world champion Marc Marquez (Caixa Repsol) and fellow two-stroke grand prix winners Pol Espargaro (Speed Up) and Bradley Smith (Tech 3) made their Moto2 debuts this year.

World Superbike race winner Max Neukirchner (MZ) and double World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Technomag-CIP) have also signed full-season deals.

Seven different chassis manufacturers contest the new season: Suter, Moriwaki, FTR, Kalex, MotoBI, Tech 3 and MZ.

Moto2 season is

go!

Jerez review

Moto2 Round #1 - Qatar Moto2 Round #2 - Jerez

Qatar review

The 2011 Qatar Grand Prix marked Moto2’s one-year anniversary and the start of Dunlop’s second season as official tyre supplier.

The event was dominated by Stefan Bradl, who followed up his first-ever grand prix pole with victory in his first race with a Kalex chassis.

The Viessmann Kiefer rider, winner of last year’s Portuguese GP on Suter machinery, took pole by 0.2sec from 125cc world champion Marc Marquez (Caixa Repsol) with Thomas Luthi (Interwetten) completing the new three-rider front row.

Race night – the season opener is the only non-daylight race - saw a dream display from Bradl, who led all 20 laps en route to taking his second grand prix victory by 4.330sec over Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone.

Iannone, a triple Moto2 winner in 2010, was followed onto the podium by another new Suter rider, Luthi, who passed Yuki Takahashi (Gresini) and Alex de Angelis (JiR) late in the race.

“It’s unbelievable!” smiled Bradl. “We were so competitive right from the beginning of free practice and the whole weekend went perfectly.”

A night race in the desert often means cool temperatures and sand blown on the track - unique technical challenges, made harder by the absence of any Moto2 testing at the 5.380km Losail Circuit prior to the race weekend.

Three of the four Dunlop tyres on offer for the grand prix - two different front compounds and two rear - coped well with the conditions, but the new hard rear (239) did not work as expected with the cooler than predicted track temperatures.

Dunlop reacted by issuing another of the 6838 medium-hard rears to each rider, ensuring no restriction in track time, and this was used by all 38 riders in the race. Only four riders raced with the medium 753 compound front tyre - the best of whom was Iannone. All others opted for the 717 hard compound.

With a season of bike and tyre development, Moto2 speeds are sure to improve in 2011 - but few predicted the size of the leap forward seen in Qatar. Pole was 1.736sec faster than 2010 and the race-winning time 33.219sec quicker.

The 2011 Spanish Grand Prix produced the first ever wet race in Moto2 history.

Free practice and qualifying had been dry and bright at Jerez, but rain clouds blew over the 4.423km Andalusian circuit on Sunday morning and remained in place for the rest of the day.

Viessmann Kiefer’s Stefan Bradl, winner from pole in Qatar, was once again the top qualifier, with Gresini’s Yuki Takahashi 0.282sec slower and Thomas Luthi third on the grid for Interwetten (+0.582sec).

As at round one, progress compared with 2010 was impressive - Bradl lapping 1.666sec faster than last year’s pole time, using Dunlop’s new 3854 soft-medium rear. Had the weather remained dry, all but two riders would have chosen to race the 717 front tyre, rather than the 753.

Meanwhile, Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone, runner-up to Bradl in Qatar, began the wet race from eleventh place, at a circuit where he had never finished higher than twelfth.

But the change in weather played into the Italian’s hands and he delivered an exceptional

charge forwards in the tricky conditions, reaching race leader Luthi by lap 7 of 26. After shadowing Luthi for seven laps Iannone burst past and rode to a 7.8sec victory over the Swiss star.

“I’ve never had good results at Jerez, but the rain changed everything for the race,” said Iannone. “At the beginning I was in a bit of trouble, but then I managed to pass the riders ahead and catch Luthi. After taking the lead I was able to pull away and build a big gap, which was crucial in these conditions. I want to thank the team and all those who work with me.”

Ioda Racing’s Simone Corsi rose from 18th on the grid to take the final podium position, with rookie Bradley Smith also producing a stand-out ride to lead the opening lap on his way to fourth for Tech 3.

Fellow 125cc graduate and reigning champion Marc Marquez was less fortunate, being eliminated after a clash with Jules Cluzel.

Heading to Estoril, Iannone leads the championship by nine points from Bradl, who rode to a mature fifth place.

As many were still recovering from seasonal excess, Dunlop Motorsport was busy with its biggest logistical event of the year – and indeed its history - supplying 6500 tyres to the Dunlop 24H Dubai on January 14-15.

Believed to be the biggest-ever grid of racing cars all on a single tyre brand, the sixth edition of the 24H Dubai provided excitement and drama for the 87 entries.

For Dunlop, supplying 6500 tyres meant 14 shipping containers made their way from the Fort Dunlop, Birmingham, base to the Middle East race location, with 38 Dunlop personnel on hand to provide support to the competitors.

An eclectic mix of racers were in action. Supercars, ranged from the Mercedes Benz SLS

AMG making its competitive debut in GT3 form to Ferrari F430GT2, Porsche 911GT3, Lamborghini Gallardo, Aston Martin Vantage and Corvette. At the other end of the automotive spectrum, highly competitive production touring car classes included racecars such as the Seat Leon, Mini Cooper and RenaultSport Clio.

“We brought 74 different specifications of Dunlop tyres to cater for the incredibly diverse grid of cars,” said Gary Wassell, Dunlop Car Motorsport Manager. “It was our single biggest ever logistics operation in the century-long history of Dunlop Motorsport.”

The race proved to be an epic battle. Winners were the #76 Need for Speed by Schubert

Motorsport BMW Z4 of Augusto Farfus, Edward Sandström, Tommy Milner and Claudia Hürtgen, crossing the line three laps ahead of the #4 Perazzini/Broniszewski/Case/Cioci AF Corse SRL 1 Ferrari 430 GT2.

“The 24H Dubai is fast becoming the event to start the motor racing year,” said Jean-Felix Bazelin, General Manager, Dunlop Motorsport. “We brought 6500 tyres to Dubai and sold over half of these, with our personnel providing a balancing and fitting service for 36 hours straight before and during the race.

“It was a spectacular, competitive, yet very friendly

event, with so many teams coming together away from the cold weather of Europe to race in the sun of Dubai at the technically interesting Dubai Autodrome.

“I am looking forward to this event being a fixture in our motorsport plans for the future and I can’t wait for the 2012 edition.”

dunLop’sduBaidoMination

THE 24H dUbAI IS fAST bEcomINg THE EvENT To START THE moToR RAcINg yEAR”Jean-Felix Bazelin, General Manager, Dunlop Motorsport

One of Dunlop’s most successful partnerships continues in 2011, with title backing of the hugely competitive Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

For the new season, a total of 27 entries have been lodged from teams who will represent 13 different models from ten different marques – the highest number of make and models entered since the introduction of a single two-litre formula back in the early 1990s.

As has been the case for a number of years, the title will be decided over 30 races held over ten meetings at nine top circuits around the UK, with the field all aiming to knock Jason Plato off his perch after he secured his second title in 2010. The Chevrolet driver won’t have it all his own way however, with the likes of Honda pair Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden, Airwaves Racing’s Mat Jackson, Pirtek’s Andrew Jordan and Team Aon’s Tom Chilton all tipped to challenge.

2011 marks the introduction of the BTCC’s Next Generation Touring Car regulations, with four teams entering NGTC cars for the season ahead. Those

teams field three cars – the Toyota Avensis, Audi A4 and Proton Gen-2 – that are new to the grid.

Created to drive down costs, the NGTC rules produce cars that are cheaper to build than the S2000 machines they will replace and feature a two-litre turbo charged engine and a number of standardised parts.

For Dunlop, the change in regulations also requires a change in tyres, with the cars running to the new NGTC rules using 18” wheels designed to provide the strength and performance required by the different machines.

The introduction of the 18” tyre comes just twelve months after Dunlop used the BTCC to showcase its new Sport Maxx tyre in 17” form last year, including an electronic tag to allow officials to track every tyre from production through to its use on track and its return to the factory for recycling. S2000 and BTC-spec machines continue to use these 17” tyres.

In total, Dunlop’s headquarters at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham is set to produce around 5,000 tyres that will be used throughout the BTCC season.

BtCC – PREVIEW BtCC – BRands HatcH

The Brands Hatch Indy Circuit played host to the first three rounds of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season and it was defending champion Jason Plato who set the early standard to kick-start his championship campaign with a double win for Chevrolet.

Plato qualified on the second row of the grid but after taking the lead on the opening lap of race one, he was able to then lead every lap until the end of race two to make a fine start to his championship campaign.

Victory in the opening race was also historic for Plato as it enabled him to break Andy Rouse’s total of 60 wins and make him the most successful driver in series history.

“I didn’t expect to be leading this early, but the chances came our way and we capitalised,” he said. “Beating Andy Rouse’s record is also a lovely bonus – he’s one of the legendary names who I used to watch as a kid and it’s actually hard to believe that 14 years have passed since I got my first win.”

Victory in the final race went to Matt Neal, who battled back well from a retirement in race one when he was pushed off at Druids on the opening lap.

Plato’s early lead in the standings is eight points over Airwaves Racing’s Mat Jackson, who scored a double podium in his Ford Focus, while James Nash is four points further back after an impressive weekend that included a second place finish in race one.

Gordon Shedden, who bounced back from a huge accident in practice to score a race two podium, Neal and Paul O’Neill round out the top six in the standings.

Dunlop’s high-performance BTCC tyres helped to break two records on the weekend, with Neal setting a new lap record in both qualifying and on race day in his Honda Civic.

“We had a great weekend at Brands Hatch getting the championship off to a perfect start,” Dunlop brand manager Andy Marfleet said. “There was plenty of action at the race and it certainly made for nail biting action.”

DUNLOP aIMS FOr 11 wINS IN a rOw

The 2011 Qtel Endurance World Championship gets underway with the sternest test of durability awaiting the bumper grid of entries at the first hurdle – the Bol d’Or 24 Hour race. And it’s a race where Dunlop, despite open tyre competition, has been used by the winning team in the last ten races…

The French endurance classic, held at Magny-Cours since 2000, enters its 75th year in 2011 having begun back in 1922 when it was first run on a clay circuit located in Vaujours.

Since then the race, which has been moved from its traditional autumn slot to the role of curtain raiser this year, has taken in stints at a variety of circuits, including Paul Ricard and Le Mans, home of that other classic endurance event well known to Dunlop.

Regulations stipulate that three riders must compete over the distance of the race, a change from the original rules that stated that two riders must complete a remarkable 12 hours each.

Over the years, French riders and Suzuki have dominated. Since 2000, at least two Frenchman have been part of the winning line-up each year, while only Yamaha have loosened Suzuki’s stranglehold on the ‘golden bowl’ with wins in 2000 and 2007.

Once more Dunlop has a major presence on a grid comprising 53 teams and more than 150 riders, most notably with reigning champions Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, which won the Bol d’Or on the way to the 2010 EWC title.

Notable rivals include the Dunlop-backed TT Legends line-up, which are looking to score Honda’s first Bol d’Or win since 1996.

Additionally, the Superstock class also boasts an impressive line-up, with the Suzuki-backed Qatar Endurance Racing Team eyeing a fourth consecutive Bol d’Or victory. The 2011 Bol d’Or will take place on April 16 – 17.

?

ewC – PREVIEWENdURANcE WoRLd cHAmPIoNSHIP ENdURANcE WoRLd cHAmPIoNSHIP boL d’oR

Dunlop heads into the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship with its sights set on defending its title as backer for two of this season’s leading protagonists.

The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) reigned supreme in 2010, winning its sixth title in seven years after prevailing in a gruelling schedule that once again tested reliability and stamina to the max.

Once again Dunlop will supply rubber to the team, which will field a revised rider line-up for the curtain raising Bol d’Or 24 Hour race at Magny-Cours, with successful Japanese racer Daisaku Sakai joining Vincent Philippe and Freddy Foray.

In all, six official teams head a bumper list of entrants, with convincing efforts coming from all major manufacturers, including Suzuki, Yamaha, BMW, Honda and Kawasaki.

Dunlop will also be backing Honda’s bid to win the EWC title for the first time in a decade with the formation of the TT Legends team. Signing legendary road racers John McGuinness, Keith

Amor and Steve Plater, all three will vie for glory on circuits having enjoyed huge success at events as the Isle of Man TT and North West 200 in the past.

Even so, they will face stiff competition from the two Yamaha teams – Monster YART and 94 Ipone Yamaha France - both former champions in 2009 and 2004 respectively.

Kawasaki have also got a potential ace up their sleeve in the form of the new ZX-10R, which has been entrusted to the SRC team, while the ever-improving BMW S1000RR is likely to be a threat in the hands of the Motorrad France 99 outfit.

As ever, the six-race schedule will provide a stern test for even the most prepared team, kicking off with the Bol d’Or race, the first of two round-the-clock events this year.

Other races will be held at Albacete (8 Hours), Suzuka (8 Hours), Donington Park (6 Hours), and Le Mans (24 Hours) before culminating in the 8 Hours of Doha at the Qatar’s Losail Circuit.

The legendary Isle of Man TT road race enters its 104th year in 2011 with possibly the most competitive and open field of riders gunning for glory on the infamous Mountain.

With history made in 2010 when Ian Hutchinson swept to victory in all five races – the first time such a feat has ever been achieved and all on Dunlop tyres - the 31-year-old is not resting on his laurels this season by embarking on the challenge of a new team and manufacturer.

Joining forces with crack British Superbike Championship team Shaun Muir Racing – which races under the Swan banner - Hutchinson will defend his titles aboard a Yamaha, the manufacturer celebrating its 50th anniversary at the TT this year.

He faces stiff competition from a number of rivals eyeing up his TT crown, not least 15-time winner John McGuinness, who forms part of the Honda TT Legends line-up alongside Keith Amor. McGuinness, who will also race in the World Endurance Championship, will take to the course with the coveted ‘No.1’ plate fixed to the machine, before joining Padgetts Honda for the Supersport races.

Having escaped serious injury in a fiery high-speed smash whilst chasing the lead in 2010, Guy Martin returns in 2011 for possibly his best shot yet at that elusive victory with Relentless by TAS Suzuki.

Elsewhere, former Relentless by TAS Suzuki riders Bruce Anstey and Cameron Donald will campaign Hondas this year, Anstey on the Padgetts machine, while Donald will ride for Wilson Craig.

Kawasaki will bring its new ZX-10R to the TT for the first time with a strong line-up comprising Ryan Farquhar, Adrian Archibald and Conor Cummins, another man making a spectacular comeback after sustaining horrific injuries in a crash last year. Also racing will be Michael Dunlop, who will ride a

Kawasaki prepared by World Superbike competitors Paul Bird Motorsport.

A handful of British Superbike riders will also be present, with Michael Rutter bolstering the Ducati ranks on his Rapid Bathams machine, while Simon Andrews will make his TT debut on a BMW S1000RR.

Other notable newcomers include James Storrar, Dean Hegarty, Daniel Frear and Dean Harrison, while international ranks will be led by American Macau Grand Prix podium winner Jeremy Toye, German Rico Penzkofer and Portuguese Luis Carreira.

In all, 80 riders will compete over the event, with 51 having already lapped at an average of more than 120mph over the years.

In 2010 one rider, Ian Hutchinson, recorded wins in all five solo classes of the Isle of Man TT, all using Dunlop tyres.

It was the second year in succession that all five wins were scored with Dunlop rubber, but the first ever time that one rider – Honda-mounted ‘Hutch’ – had achieved this feat.

Dunlop’s history at the TT goes back to the very beginning. The first Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (TT) race in 1907 was won by Charlie Collier, on a Matchless, at 38.21 mph. He was using Dunlop tyres.

Dunlop has been integral to all 100-plus years of TT history. As the bikes developed from the pedal-assisted machines of 1907 to today’s monstrously fast Superbikes, Dunlop played a leading role in developing the tyres that could cope with the extraordinary demands and stresses of long and ultra-fast public-road tracks with constantly changing surfaces, where top speeds approach 200 mph.

Quintuple winner Hutchinson used both Dunlop NTEC slicks and D211GP tyres for his grand-slam TT week; close relatives of Dunlop’s road-legal Sportmax range.

Among a cabinet of trophies, Dunlop’s TT landmarks include many historic firsts: 1957: first 100 mph lap – Bob McIntyre (Gilera) 1966: first 100 mph lap on production bike: tyre

subsequently named TT100 and still in production as part of Dunlop’s ‘classic’ range

2006: first 130 mph lap – John McGuinness (Honda)

2009: five TT wins from five races for Dunlop, and a new lap record of 131.6 mph.

2010: another five wins, and more lap records2011: more wins?

DUNLOP’S tt LeGeNDI.O.M. tt

The 2011 Le Mans Series will once again be an important part of Dunlop’s racing activities with an impressive list of teams electing to use Dunlop tyres for the year ahead.

In total, 10 of the 36 cars entered for the full season will race on Dunlop tyres – almost 28% of the field – with eight of the 17 LMP1 and LMP2 cars set to race this season choosing Dunlop to supply rubber for 2011, an impressive 47% of the field.

The LMS will hold five races this season at Paul Ricard, Spa, Imola, Silverstone and Estoril, with each race running for six hours. That marks a change for the Le Mans Series, which had previously held its races to a distance of 1000km unless a six-hour limit was exceeded.

Of the five races on the calendar, three – Spa, Imola and Silverstone – form part of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in a move that will boost grid numbers beyond the 36 cars signed up for the season.

Amongst the teams that will race in those three events is OAK Racing, which was awarded the

status of official LMP1 tyre development partner with Dunlop late last year.

Dunlop is represented in the main three classes on the full-season entry list, with the Quifel-ASM team flying the flag in LMP1. In the LMP2 class, RML, Pegasus Racing, Race Performance, Greaves Motorsport, RLR Motorsport, Extreme Limite AM Paris and Boutsen Energy Racing will all race on Dunlop tyres in 2011.

The final two Dunlop runners, JMW Motorsport and Jota, will chase honours in the new-for-2011 GTE Pro class – which is for cars built to GT2 regulations driven by professional drivers. A separate GTE Am class is open to cars with only one professional driver onboard.

As was the case last season, the Dunlop teams are doing battle with one goal in mind; to secure a place on the grid for the Le Mans 24 Hours. In each class, bar Formula Le Mans, the top two in the championship at the season’s end will receive an invitation to compete in the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Two class victories and an overall podium marked a strong start to the new Le Mans Series season for Dunlop-shod teams in what proved to be a controversial opening round of 2011 at Paul Ricard.

Confusion at the start of the race, when the green lights came on despite the Safety Car still being on circuit, led to a multi-car accident towards the rear of the field and wiped out a number of the fancied runners, with the Jota Aston Martin the only Dunlop runner to get caught up in the chaos.

On a weekend of firsts, it was the Greaves Motorsport LMP2 entry that led the Dunlop runners home with class victory and third overall in the team’s first outing with a new Nissan engine. Fellow LMP2 runners Boutsen Energy Racing took an impressive sixth overall and fourth in class.

In total, five of Dunlop’s LMP2 contingent finished inside the top ten, including the lone LMP1 entry fielded by Quifel-ASM. Had it not been for a puncture caused by contact from a rival car, which in turn caused bodywork damage and a lengthy pit-stop, the Portuguese team would have finished far higher than eighth overall as it gave a European

debut to Dunlop’s 2011 LMP1 tyre.Further success for Dunlop came in GTE Pro,

where JMW Motorsport took victory in its first race with the new Ferrari 458. Not only did that give the team a debut win with the 458, it also marked the first class win for the all-new Ferrari, which had appeared on track for the first time at Sebring last month.

Aston Martin outfit Jota Sport saw its hopes of a strong result ended after its car was involved in the first lap accident and ultimately wasn’t classified as a finisher, although Kessel Racing took third in the GTE Am class with its Ferrari 430 as it used the Paul Ricard race to evaluate a possible full-season Le Mans Series campaign.

Dunlop rubbered teams now lead two of the five classes going into the second round at Spa, which doubles as a round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.

Le MaNS SerIeS – PREVIEW Le MaNS SerIeS – Paul RIcaRd

Master_PitStop_DINA4_englisch.indd 1 09.03.11 17:55

ILMC/aLMS revIew – sEBRIng

The Sebring Twelve Hours doubled as the first round of the both the American Le Mans Series and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, and it was an event where there was huge success on track for the various Dunlop teams.

Having been official tyre supplier to BMW since its return to the series, Dunlop enjoyed a fine 1-2 in the competitive GTE class as the Rahal Letterman Racing-run cars locked out the top two places on the podium.

It marked a stunning start to 2011 for the partnership, which clinched the teams and manufacturers’ championship last year, with the performance of the Dunlop tyres on the two M3 GT cars playing a key role in the success.

“We could not be happier with the start to our season, and Dunlop’s hard work in the offseason was a big part of our win,” team boss Bobby Rahal said. “The tyre options we had at our disposal allowed us to use different Dunlop compounds as the track changed throughout the day, allowing us to stay ahead of the competition.”

Dunlop also took victory in the GTE Am class in its first race with the Krohn Racing team, which was contesting the event as part of its assault on the ILMC.

Dyson Racing led Dunlop’s assault on the Prototype classes as it finished the race in sixth place overall with its Lola-Mazda. Although not entered into the ILMC, Dyson scored maximum points towards its ALMS title challenge with none of the cars ahead entered for a full ALMS season.

Official LMP1 tyre development partner OAK Racing failed to see the finish with either of its LMP1 cars after both entries ran into mechanical problems, despite the #15 car running as high as fourth, but the French team took a class podium in LMP2, joining the Dunlop-shod Signatech Nissan entry on the podium in its first race.

Dunlop teams lead the ILMC GTE manufacturers’ standings after Sebring as well as the teams’ classifications in LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am while Dunlop also leads the way in both LMP1 and GT in the ALMS.

Dunlop will be represented in all four classes of the 2011 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours and has realistic hopes of success in three of

the four when the race takes place in June.In total, 17 of the 56 cars on the entry list will use

Dunlop tyres for the round the clock classic, although more Dunlop teams feature on the reserve list and could be given the chance to join the grid if others elect to withdraw.

Official LMP1 tyre development partner OAK Racing feature in LMP1 with a two-car entry along with one car from Quifel-ASM, although the two teams will acknowledge they face a challenge to fight against the diesel-powered factory cars from Audi and Peugeot.

However, both teams will hope to challenge the petrol-powered LMP1 cars at La Sarthe and be keen to take advantage of any issues that may hit the big-budget factory outfits. The same approach allowed Team ORECA Matmut to finish fourth overall and top petrol car last year.

LMP2 however is a different story, with seven of the eleven cars using Dunlop rubber. OAK field

two cars in LMP2, while single car entries from Signatech Nissan, RML, Race Performance, Greaves Motorsport and Extreme Limites AM Paris complete a formidable line-up chasing class honours and seeking to take the LMP2 crown away from defending champions Strakka Racing.

Only four of the cars in GTE Pro will run on Dunlop tyres, but it’s a case of quality over quantity with all four being fancied runners for the race. The factory BMW team has already taken victory this year at Sebring, while JMW Motorsports took the first win for the new Ferrari 458 in the LMS season opener at Paul Ricard.

GTE Am Dunlop runners include is Krohn Racing who have already shown race-winning pace this season having clinched class honours at Sebring in its first race running on Dunlop tyres as well as the Gulf Aston Martin and JMB Ferrari.

Dunlop will feature heavily on the JMW Ferrari meanwhile, as its livery is designed by the 2011 Dunlop Livery Competition winner, who will be present at the circuit to see their design on track.

24Le MaNS

HOUR

Le Mans is the oldest and most famous endurance race in the world, and the pinnacle of every endurance racing driver’s ambition is to achieve victory after 24 hours around the revered French circuit.

Dunlop has been part of endurance racing since the 1920s when the Bentley Boys achieved serial Le Mans success, all the way to the glamour years of the 1950s, when Jaguar was equally dominant.

As an event, Le Mans has stood alone since 1923. As a name, a concept, and a spirit of racing, Le Mans has over the past decade spawned follow-up series, first in the USA and later in Europe. Run in conjunction with the foundation event’s organisers, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), these shorter races follow the same prototype/GT technical rules.

The ACO continued to nurture the concept, towards a major new international series that is launched in fully fledged form in 2011 with the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup with a full seven-round calendar, spanning the USA,

Europe and the Far East. The jewel in the crown is the inclusion of the

core Le Mans 24-Hour event in the series... the first time since 1992 that this historic event has been part of a championship calendar. It will carry double points.

The names of the cars are different today – Audi, Peugeot and BMW; while diesel engines are now a major factor in the distance events. But Dunlop’s involvement is as intimate and important as ever.

Endurance racing is a demanding but rewarding discipline for Dunlop’s engineers. The requirement is not only for endurance but also consistency of performance. The lessons of the long-distance races are learned to the benefit of production tyres: a cornerstone of Dunlop’s race-to-road philosophy.

Le MaNS aND DUNLOP

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Designers, start your computers, the Dunlop Livery Competition 2011 is go!

The Dunlop Livery Competition which will see one lucky entrant watch their design race in this year’s Le Mans 24 hour race is open with budding designers invited to submit their designs at www.dunloplivery.com.

The competition – which is open in Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands, UK, Germany, Spain, Portugal, France and Austria - is entered by downloading a design brief and uploading a design for evaluation by a select panel of judges and also by public vote.

The winning design will be used in this year’s Le Mans 24 in June adorning the JMW Ferrari 458 which is already contesting this year’s Le Mans Series, and won in its first outing at the recent Le Castellet 6 Hours.

Motorsport is a race against time, and so there is less than a month before national entries for the first round have to be submitted, with a closing date of May 4th.

Three national winners will be chosen per country from the first round, with a fourth national winner chosen by public vote.

The four national finalists per country then go forward to the semi-final stage which runs from 12-23 May where four finalists will be selected.

The four finalists will be guests of Dunlop at the Le Mans 24 hour race where the winning design will be presented to the world’s media and then contest the race, hopefully going on to glory.

The competition can be entered at:www.dunloplivery.com

LIvery COMPetItION 2011 eNDUrO wOrLD ChaMPIONShIPDunlop is contesting the FIM Enduro World Championship with Belgian rider Jean-François Goblet in 2011.

Jean-François, or Jeff as he’s more commonly known, is riding a Yamaha WR 450 F in the E2 class for 175 – 250cc 2-stroke or 290-450cc 4-stroke machines.

The championship got underway in Spain at Bridges, north of Barcelona, over the weekend of April 2-3, where Goblet finished 16th on day one and a career best sixth on day two.

“It was hot, dry and dusty, really a typical Iberian event,” explained Goblet. “On Saturday, it was all new to me so I was cautious in my approach and it was only in the late afternoon that I found the speed, but nevertheless I still finished in the points with 13th place. 

“On Sunday I had a good feeling and everything came together well. I finished in sixth, my best result in the category so I was very enthused!”

Portugal came next on the weekend of April 9-10, and Goblet finished in ninth on day one, tenth on day two, leaving him in eighth in the standings heading to the Italian round on May 14-15.

“I am quite happy with my two first GP’s results,” said Goblet. “Being in the top ten is okay, but I want to reach the top six!

“Actually, I know I am able to do it as I finished sixth in Spain, and that’s why I will continue to train over the next weeks to improve for the Italian round.

“I feel good on my bike and the new ‘Geomax Enduro S’ front tyre - which was developed in France - provides me with a real advantage in muddy conditions.

“I am currently eighth after this first quarter of the 2011 season, which is ok, but I want to finish higher. I am as motivated now as ever because I realise how close I am to the top five.”

w hile the 2011 two-wheeled circuit racing season may have just gotten underway for those in Europe, the AMA World

Supercross Championship has been in full swing since January and, with just a handful of rounds remaining, at least five Dunlop-shod riders are still in the hunt for the title.

As ever, the racing has been fast and frenetic, while the sell-out stadium experience has further enhanced the pulsating atmosphere for spectators. It is no surprise then that Supercross has enjoyed a significant rise in popularity in recent years.

As the season enters its latter stages, Ryan Villopoto has nosed ahead, despite being the only one of the five title protagonists to register a ‘non-score’ courtesy of two falls at Jacksonville that ruled him out of the main event.

Nonetheless, the Rockstar Energy Kawasaki rider made up for it with victories at Anaheim, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Daytona Beach and Indianapolis – the most wins of any rider this season.

Even so, the missed opportunity means he is in

close company with Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard and James Stewart, the quartet six, seven, 16 and 21 points adrift respectively.

Though he has managed just one win thus far, at San Diego, 2003 and 2008 Reed’s sheer consistency has established him as Villopoto’s closest competitor, though an eighth place finish last time out at Arlington – his lowest finish this year – did see the Honda man lose his advantage in the points’ standings.

Reigning champion Dungey has also concentrated on keeping the points ticking over with just the one win in Toronto, though the Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider has been on the ascendency in recent rounds and has finished outside the top five just once in 13 races.

Canard, meanwhile, proved he has a bright future ahead of him having already taken three wins in his rookie season, the 20-year-old’s most recent victory in Arlington putting him on the cusp of what could be a surprise title challenge.

Finally, 2007 and 2009 champion James Stewart is the only other man to have won a

round, his wins at Phoenix, Oakland and Anaheim making up for low-scoring turns in Houston and Jacksonville to keep him in the hunt.

In the Supercross Lites West series Joshua Hansen leads by three points from Broc Tickle, the former having won three of six rounds thus far and the latter managing one. Eli Tomac is also within touching distance with his one win at San Diego, ahead of Ryan Morais and Cole Seely.

Things are proving similarly close in the Supercross Lites East series, with Justin Barcia and Dean Wilson split by just 13 points having won two and three rounds apiece. Ryan Sipes and Blake Baggett have also won rounds this season, but have slipped back in the hunt for the title.

As ever, Dunlop has played a crucial part in this year’s AMA World Supercross series, supplying rubber to each of the front runners. Indeed, every main event has been won by a Dunlop-supported rider, while Dunlop riders have also swept the podium in each round of Superscross and Supercross Lites West and East Championships.

Combining all three Supercross classes, by

mid-season Dunlop tyres were fitted to a remarkable 94 percent of the field of riders who qualified to race the main events.

“Week after week, the 2011 Supercross series has produced spectacular racing, with battles that go right down to the finish line,” said Dunlop off-road senior manager Broc Glover. “In the firmer conditions at Anaheim One, Phoenix, Houston and Atlanta, Geomax MX71s proved the tyre of choice in the Supercross class with the top three finishers all fitting the same MX71F tyre, while at Daytona the MX51F was the preferred tyre by the top finishers.

“What is exciting for Dunlop is that after years of development and testing by the professional racers, those same patterns are readily available to the general public. We have a long history of supporting Supercross and are really proud to have the vast majority of AMA Pro Supercross teams choosing to ride on Dunlop tyres.”

aMa wOrLD SUPerCrOSSChaMPIONShIP

the Spanish MotoGP at Jerez marked the first use of Dunlop’s promotional Airstream caravan which will attend all European Moto2 races.

Driven across Europe by Tom Borst of GDEU’s pan European communication agency, the brand new Airstream is towed by a Dunlop liveried Renault Trafic van and once set-up at the track provides a wealth of resources to draw people to the Dunlop brand.

In Jerez it was the 2010 FTR Moto2 race replica bike of Carl Abraham which proved to be a real crowd magnet, especially as it was the only racing bike in the entire merchandising area.

Drawing almost as much as attention as the Airstream, race replica bike and promotional girls was Dunlop’s GP Racer D211 tyre, with riders wanting to buy the product there and then, such is its reputation.

Over the course of the weekend, over 1000 images were taken by a professional photographer with fans beside the race replica and the Dunlop girls, with the images then available for download from a dedicated website.

It wasn’t only having a photo taken, as 750 helmet bags, more than 1000 Dunlop key rings and valve caps were given away, not to mention 2500 Sportsmax brochures, and a lasting impression of the Dunlop brand was left with all who visited.

Manning the Dunlop Airstream across Europe, Tom Borst was proud of Dunlop’s newest arrival in the MotoGP arena.

“The Dunlop Airstream and van met massive interest even when out on the road and where we received many ‘thumbs ups’ as we travelled to the track. Whenever we stopped people would spontaneously approach for a better look and to ask questions.

“In Jerez there were so many people wanting to come on the stand it was hard to control at times, after the race we gave away 250 helmet bags in under five minutes!

“Traveling in this fashion really does something special for the Dunlop brand and I can’t wait to get to Estoril.”

dunLop’s airstreaM hits the road

T he first track day corner of the year is always a big moment. A time for some big questions. How

hard can the brakes be pushed? What’s the maximum lean angle? When can the throttle be opened?

The answers to these questions won’t just affect today’s lap time. They’ll set the potential fun level for the entire season.

Tyres are the critical link that will make or break a track day, so the first decision riders need to make long before turning the ignition key at the start of the first lap, is to choose the best tyres for the job.

Track days present motorcycle tyres with a very specific and demanding set of tasks. The ideal qualities required are often in conflict with one another. For example, fast warm up is essential, but then for extended riding so is temperature stability.

Stability under heavy braking is a must too, and a rider also needs rich feedback when the braking has been completed and the bike is pitched hard into the corner.

For S-bends, the tyre should deliver strong tread-edge stability for a feeling of confidence and instant response in lean transitions and fast vector changes. Coming out of the corner, the tyre must

provide consistent traction.Those are all primary requirements for a

track day tyre. Most serious track day riders would also have their own secondary list of highly desirable tyre attributes. That list might include some method of adjustability to increase dry grip without compromising the all-important stiffness of the tyre.

Developed directly from the legendary D211 race tyre, the GP Racer D211 comes in a range of popular 17-inch sizes and a choice of three compounds – Soft, Medium or Endurance – it uses Dunlop’s revolutionary NTEC inflation system to allow precise tyre tuning for track days. Gaining that edge at a track day, is the difference between an everyday ride and a truly memorable experience. Dunlop’s ingenious NTEC pressure-adjust system provides that edge. For dry track days, deflating the NTEC tyre will deliver predictable and tenacious handling on the limit.

Incorporating a vast accumulation of trackside knowledge, the GP Racer D211 has been designed by Dunlop’s race engineers to deliver a memorable ride from home, to the circuit and back again – and an unforgettable one on the track in between.

Advertising feature

www.dunlopmotorcycle.eu

decision pointSoME THouGHTS oN MAxIMISING RIDER ENjoyMENT AS THE TRACk DAy SEASoN NEARS

10toptrack daytips

1. Take it easy If it’s the first track day of the year, the circuit

won’t be properly ‘rubbered in’ and won’t offer as much grip as you think

2. Take duck tape It has a thousand uses and is the most useful

material you can have at a track day3. Learn the track Stay in one gear (3rd) for the first three laps to

give yourself time to find the best lines - build speed slowly

4. See clearly Nerves at the start are normal, but over-

breathing will fog up your visor; polishing it on the inside with washing-up liquid will reduce misting

5. Be comfortable If you’ve bought new leathers, boots and

gloves for the new season, soften them up by wearing them at home before the track day

6. Only brake in straight lines Get your stopping done before the corner

starts, not when you’re in it: ‘slow in, fast out’ is how the experts do it

7. The ‘vanishing point’ technique Look this up – it will tell you when you can

open the throttle on corner exits8. Counter-steering Pulling on the bar opposite to the corner’s

direction (right bar for left-handers, left bar for rights) will pitch the bike into bends much more positively

9. Leave your stopwatch at home Thinking about beating your personal

best is wasted thought. only with 100% concentration on riding will you lower your times

10.Check your tyres Sharp bits of plastic or metal fasteners can

fall off other track day bikes and embed themselves in hot tyres, so check yours at every break.

RIDE WITh cONFIDENcE

CEVUnlike its counterparts, which focus on Superbike racing, the Spanish national motorcycling championship – CEV Buckler – takes its influence from MotoGP, with its 125GP, Stock Extreme and Moto2 categories, while the Kawasaki Ninja Cup is also new for 2011.

After receiving full championship status in 2010, CEV Buckler Moto2 goes from strength-to-strength this year with a huge list of entrants that mixes local talent with international arrivals. Occasional Moto2 World Championship rider Carmelo Morales starts as favourite with the Gigaset Laglisse team, though he will receive competition from Jake Gagne, winner of the 2010 Red Bull Rookies Cup and South African Matthew Scholz.

125GP and 250GP riders Lukas Pesek and Tomoyoshi Koyama will also compete at Moto2 level as they look to follow in the footsteps Kev Coghlan and graduate to the world series for next year. The opening round gets underway at Jerez on 17th April 2011, with further rounds taking place at Motorland Aragon, Circuit de Catalunya, Albacete and Valencia.

IDMIn Germany, former World Supersport champion Karl Muggeridge will carry the ‘1’ plate aboard his Dunlop-shod Holzhauer Honda as his reward for triumphing in his maiden season of IDM Superbike racing.

Once more, Dunlop will be influential by supplying tyres to at least 18 riders on the grid, including Yamaha Motor Deutschland riders Jörg Teuchert and Sascha Hommel, as well as the ever-improving factory-backed Inghard KTM RC8 team, which gave the Austrian manufacturer its first Superbike victories in 2010. Matej Smrz and Stefan Nebel form its rider line-up.

Dunlop will also be supporting a number of BMW entries, including the Wilbers S1000RR of Australian rider Gareth Jones and Barry Veneman, who finished fifth in his first season of IDM Superbike racing last year.

Though the German season kicks off at EuroSpeedway Lausitz on April 24th, Veneman has already got some practice in with a one-off outing in the ONK Dutch Superbike series, which began at Assen earlier this month. The Dutchman took his Dunlop-shod BMW S1000RR to second position on home soil, ahead of fellow Dunlop rider Danny de Boer.

AMA SuperbikesThe 2011 AMA Superbike Championship is also underway with the prestigious Daytona 200 once again marking the start of the season. Held at the infamous Daytona International Speedway and incorporating a twisting infield course connected by stretches of the oval bowl, Jason DiSalvo took a fine victory for Ducati.

The former World Supersport rider looked to be down and out after seemingly retiring with a mechanical problem mid-race. However, as it had occurred immediately after a red flag had been deployed for a separate incident, DiSalvo was allowed to make the restart.

Taking full advantage of his second chance, DiSalvo prevailed in a thrilling finish to beat Cory West and Jake Zemke.

In the Superbike class, Blake Young got the season off to a perfect start with victory over reigning champion Josh Hayes. A successful race for Suzuki, Rockstar Makita rider Young lead a 1-3-4-5 for the manufacturer, with only Hayes’s Yamaha getting amongst the GSX-R1000s. Young’s team-mate Tommy Hayden rounded out the podium positions.

CIVIn Italy, the CIV series will see the introduction of a Moto2 category, fully-backed by Dunlop, alongside the Superbike, Supersport, Superstock and 125GP series’, with the season set to start at Misano.

In Moto2, entries are led by former GP rider Ferrucio Lamborghini, while chassis constructors’ confirmed so far include Suter, FTR and Bimota.

The 2011 motorcycling season gets underway fully in April with the opening rounds of several domestic two-wheeled series.

Once more, Dunlop will be at the pinnacle of the fierce competition providing backing to top teams in Italy, Spain, Germany, the United States and the Netherlands.

MOtORcyclecAteGORIeS

NatIONaL

Dunlop participates in motor racing activities on two wheels and four all over the world.

Updated for 2011, Dunlop’s motorsport activities can be found at http://motorsport.dunlop.eu/

These new web pages covers far more of Dunlop’s motorsport activities than ever before, all brought together in one place.

Launched with Dunlop’s flagship two wheel championship, Moto2, Le Mans Series and British Touring Car Championships are now live, with far more sections going live over the next few months…

New weB PreSeNCe FOr DUNLOP MOtOrSPOrt

RAcINGINSIDe

Coming to a television or computer screen near you, the Dunlop supported Inside Racing programme offers a fantastic glimpse of motorsport activities around the world, as well as insights into how a racing tyre works.

Inside Racing is broadcast around the world and excerpts can be accessed online at:

www.youtube.com/user/DunlopInsideRacing.

24h DubaiDrivers and teams stretched to the limit in the heat of Dubai!

Loic Rombautis one of the crazy drivers of the ADAC SX Cup Supercross.

Aquaplaning:Wet races are a challenge for every team. But what is the secret of the wet tyres?

David CoulthardThe Scot turned 40 at the end of March and is still not tired of racing…

Sir Stirling MossThe legendary British racing driver is widely recognised as the greatest all-round racing drivers

First broadcast 23 MayLe Mans 24 Hourshow the top teams prepare. Featuring the new Audi R18 and Peugeot’s latest challenger.

Alex WurzLe Mans winner, F1 driver, safety ambassador.

Tyre impact and tyre wearhow does a tyre react in extreme situations?

The FHR Langstreckencup in is one of the most popular Oldtimer racing series in Germany.

Gerhard Mitter II A history of a special racing talent of days gone by.

First broadcast 11 AprilADAC SX CupSupercrossThe opening round in Stuttgart. Fabian Bauersachs explains his sport. A fascinating, fast and tough event.

BTCC - Jason Plato.The reigning champion and television personality is ready to defend his title in 2011.

The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team.They return to the Bol d’Or 2011 as title holders and will give everything for another victory.

The FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy The Scot turned 40 at the end of March and is still not tired of racing…

Gerhard Mitter; part 1The all-rounder competed in several series (F1, Le Mans, Targa Florio) and died at the Nürburgring in1969.

First broadcast 13 JuneThe Scirocco CupGet to know the drivers and see the first races

The FHR Langstreckencup in is one of the most popular Oldtimer racing series in Germany.

Bike Tyre PerformanceFascinating motorcycletechnology explained by a motorcycle Insider!

The Campionato Italiano Turismo Serieis a popular racing series in Italy. Follow the fans to the race in Imola

“Automobile Summer”Stuttgart – the cradle of car development – is host for 125th anniversary party full of horsepower.

First broadcast 28 March

BELGIUM: Betv; Live!tvBOSNIA: Kanal1CROATIA: SportKlubCZECH REPUBLIC: Sport5FRANCE: Men’s Up; MotorsTV FranceGERMANY: Motorvision; Sky GermanyHUNGARY: SportKlub

ITALY: TelenovaNETHERLANDS: CarchannelNORWAY: ViasatPOLAND: SportKlub; Telekom PolenROMANIA: Autoplus; SportKlubSERBIA: SportKlubSLOVAKIA: Sport5

SLOVENIA: SportKlubSPAIN: Canal 9; Esport3; TPA; TV3SWEDEN: ViasatSWITZERLAND: SSF; Swiss TV (VOD)UK: Eurosport2 UK; MotorsTV UK

How old are you? 42Where do you live? Yardley, Birmingham.What’s your job? Motorcycle Grand Prix Coordinator/Service Engineer, coordinating the Dunlop Grand Prix team of 12 people, and racing tyre stock of up to 2400 tyres per event, providing a technical service at track side for riders and teams.

What key qualities are required for your job? Good organization, management, customer relation skills, as well as a technical awareness of typical motorcycle racing tyres.

Could you build a tyre yourself if left the keys to the factory? I would have a good go. I started Dunlop life within the truck tyre department where I was able to gain skills such as batch operations, mill operations, calendar operations and extruder operations. By the time I moved from the extrusion area I was able to mix compound, extrude it into treads, side walls, liners etc and batch them all accordingly.

When I did move, this was into the making section where I put all those components together to make

and shape a tyre on the old GR machines. I would be a little less confident in the breaker and bead areas due to no training given in that department, but if those components were already available I could probably put a working tyre together again, after a quick look at the local work instructions manual.

Admittedly I would struggle in the moulding area also. My tyre would probably look like a wibberly wobberly thing that went to Wibberly University and got a degree in Wobberling!!! It certainly would not be track worthy - come on it has been over 20 years!!

Favourite tyre? My favourite tyre would be the first D207. This tyre changed the face of Dunlop Motorcycle so much. Some people liked the pattern so much they literally had a tattoo of it put on their arms as Celtic bands.

What’s the best bit about working for Dunlop? The best part of working for Dunlop is the fact that you are always kept on your toes. The development never stops in the Motorsport area and we are constantly challenged to move the product forward as fast as we

can from race to the road. The work is hard but there is also a lot of fun in doing it. Yes you can get a little stressed out, but there’s no better feeling than walking away from a race event feeling you beat the opposition and solved any issues that may have happened. The stress is just washed away! That’s the best bit!!

If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing? If I was not at Dunlop, I would probably be running my own equestrian business with my daughter. We both love horse riding and it has been a part of my family for as long as I can remember. My daughter soon starts at Warwickshire Equestrian College and by the time she finishes my aim is to have a business already to go. Horses, stables and riding school. Not many people know that horse riding is fast becoming one of Britain’s fastest growing leisure past time and sport. (From 126 BHP to 1 Horse power!). Favourite circuit to visit and why? Probably Jerez, Spain due to the fact it was my first ever overseas event and I have good memories that go back 18 years to when Wayne Rainey finished 2nd in the 500cc race

on Dunlop tyres. The area has been developed massively in the 18 years since and this is partly to do with the success of the circuit. At the MotoGP event, the fans arrive in their droves and the spectator numbers are over 200,000 for the weekend. It really does give you a good feeling of being a part of something special. I have been there two or three times a year since the Wayne Rainey days and Dunlop have probably found a high percentage of the overall tyre improvement while at this circuit as it’s such a popular and good test venue.

What car do you drive / bike do you ride? At the moment I drive an MGTF, I have only had it since January. My last car was an Mazda RX8, (too expensive to keep on the road!) I generally change my car every two years. I am not sure why. I do not ride a bike anymore but my last bike was a Honda Hornet 600. When the first model came out I had to have one, I sold it after 2 years. Then missed it so much I bought another one a year later. That too is gone now and I fear my biking days are over.

10QUeStIONSwItH clINtON HOwe

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alMS

Feb 9,10 official test, sebring, FloridaMar 19 sebring international raceway (12 hrs)april 16 Long Beach street circuit (2hrs 45mins)July 9 northeast Grand prix (2hrs 45mins)July 24 Mosport international raceway (2hrs 45mins)aug 6 Mid-ohio sports car challenge (2hrs 45mins)aug 20 road america - elkhart Lake (4 hours)sept 3 Baltimore Gp street circuit (2hrs 45mins)sept 17 Mazda raceway Laguna seca (6 hrs)oct 1 road atlanta (petit Le Mans) (10 hrs/1000 miles)

lMS

Mar 11,12 official tests, circuit paul ricardapril 1-3 6 hours of Le castellet May 5-7 1000km of spa-FrancorchampsJuly 1-3 6 hours of imolasept 9-11 6 hours of silverstonesept 23-25 6 hours of estoril* subject to the Fia world council Meeting approval

24-Hour gT

Jan 14,15 dunlop 24 hours of dubaiJune 23-26 24 hours nürburgringJuly 30,31 24 hours of spa Francorchampssept 29-oct 1 silverstone 24hr

european F3 open

april 16-18 valenciaMay 14,15 Magny coursJune 25,26 spa-FrancorchampsJuly 23,24 Brands hatchsept 17,18 portimãooct 1,2 Monzaoct 15,16 Jerezoct 29,30 catalunya

inT gT open

april 30,May 1 imolaMay 14,15 Magny coursJune 25,26 spa-FrancorchampsJuly 2,3 nürburgringJuly 23,24 Brands hatchaug 27,28 red Bull ringoct 1,2 Monzaoct 29,30 catalunya

auSTralian v8 SupercarS

Feb 11,12 yas 400, abu dhabiMar 17-20 clipsal 500, victoria park, adelaideapril 15-17 itM 400, hamilton, new Zealandapril 29-May 1 trading post perth challenge, perthMay 20-22 winton Motor raceway, victoriaJune 17-19 sky city triple crown, darwinJuly 8-10 sucrogen townsville 400, townsvilleaug 19-21 city of ipswich 300, Queenslandsept 16-18 L&h 500, phillip island, victoriaoct 6-9 supercheap auto Bathurst 1000oct 21-23 armor all Gold coast 600, Queenslandnov 11-13 Falken tasmania challenge Launcestonnov 18-20 norton 360 sandown challenge, Melbournedec 2-4 sydney telstra 500, sydney

ilMc

Mar 19 sebring 12hrsMay 8 spa-Francorchamps 6hrsJune 11,12 Le Mans 24hrsJuly 3 imola 6hrssept 11 silverstone 6hrsoct 1 petit Le Mans (road atlanta)nov 12 6hr race in china (venue tBa)

Dunlop MSa bTcc

april 2,3 Brands hatch, kentapril 16,17 donington park, Leicestershireapril 30,May 1 thruxton, hampshireJune 4,5 oulton park, cheshireJune 18,19 croft, north yorkshireaug 6,7 snetterton, norfolksept 3,4 knockhill, Fifesept 17,18 rockingham, northamptonshireoct 1,2 Brands hatch, kentoct 15,16 silverstone, northamptonshire

MSa briTcar

Mar 10 thruxton (Mandatory test)Mar 25,26 silverstone (180mins)april 15,16 rockingham (150mins)May 6-8 donington park (260mins)June 11,12 thruxton (120mins)June 24-26 spa Francorchamps (120mins)aug 12-14 snetterton (180mins)sept 29-oct 2 silverstone 24hr (non-champ)nov 5,6 donington park (240mins)nov 18,19 Brands hatch (90mins)

DuTcH Supercar cHallenge

april 10 hockenheim, Germanyapril 25 Zandvoort, netherlandsMay 8 donington park, GBJune 5 assen, netherlandsJune 26 spa Francorchamps, BelgiumJuly 17 Zolder, Belgiumaug 7 assen, netherlandssept 4 Zolder, Belgiumoct 2 spa Francorchamps, Belgiumoct 23 assen, netherlands

Mini cHallenge

april 16 silverstoneMay 14 oulton parkJune 4,5 Brands hatch (Gp circuit)July 16,17 Brands hatch (indy circuit)aug 13,14 donington parksept 10,11 angleseyoct 15/16 snetterton

Moto2

20 Mar Grand prix of Qatar - Losail3 apr Gran premio de espana - Jerez1 May Grande premio de portugal - estoril15 May Grand prix de France - Le Mans5 Jun Gran premi de catalunya - catalunya12 Jun British Grand prix - silverstone25 Jun tt assen - assen3 Jul Gran premio d’italia - Mugello17 Jul Motorrad Grand prix deutschland - sachsenring14 aug Grand prix of ceske republiky - Brno28 aug indianapolis Grand prix - indianapolis4 sep Gp di san Marino e della riviera di rimini - Misano18 sep Gran premio de aragon - Motorland aragon16 oct australian Grand prix - phillip island23 oct Malaysian Motorcycle Grand prix - sepang6 nov Gran premio de la comunitat valencia - valencia

WorlD enDurancecHaMpionSHip

april 16-17 Bol d’or 24hrs, Magny cours, FranceMay 22 albacete 8hrs, spainJuly 31 suzuka 8hrs, Japanaug 21 donington park 12 hrs, uksept 24-25 Le Mans 24hrs, Francenov 12 doha 8hrs, Qatar

aMa

Mar 10-12 daytona 200, daytona Beach, FloridaMay 13-15 infineon raceway, sonoma, californiaMay 29-29 Miller Motorsports park, utahJune 3-5 road america, elkhart Lake, wisconsinJune 17-19 Barber Motorsports park, alabama (tBc)July 8-10 Mid-ohio, Lexington, ohioJuly 22-24 us Grand prix, Laguna seca, californiaaug 12-14 virginia international raceway, virginiasept 2-4 new Jersey Motorsports park, Millville, new Jerseyround ten tBd

cev

april 17 JerezMay 8 aragonJune 19 catalunyaJuly 10 albacetesept 11 albacetenov 13 valencianov 20 Jerez

MoTocroSS WorlD cHaMpionSHip

april 10 sevlievo , Bulgariaapril 25 valkenswaard, the netherlandsMay 15 Glen helen, usaMay 22 indaiatuba, Brazil,June 5 saint Jean d’angely, FranceJune 12 agueda, portugalJune 19 Bellpuig, catalunya (esp)July 3 uddevala, sweden July 10 teutschenthal, GermanyJuly 17 kegums, LatviaJuly 31 Lommel, Limburg (BeL)aug 7 Loket, czech republicaug 21 Matterley Basin, Great Britainsept 4 tBa, tBasept 11 Fermo, italy

FiM MoTocroSS oF naTionS

sept 17-18 saint Jean d’angely, France

WorlD SupercroSS

Jan 8 angel stadium, californiaJan 15 chase Field, arizonaJan 22 dodger stadium, californiaJan 29 oak-alameda city stadium, californiaFeb 5 angel stadium, californiaFeb 12 reliant stadium, texasFeb 19 Qualcomm stadium, californiaFeb 26 Georgia dome, GeorgiaMar 5 daytona int’l speedway, FloridaMar 12 Lucas oil stadium, indianaMar 19 Jacksonville Municipal stadium, FloridaMar 26 rogers centre, toronto, canadaapril tBc cowboys stadium, texasapril 9 edward Jones dome, Missouriapril 16 Qwest Field, seattle, washingtonapril 30 rice-eccles stadium, utahMay 7 sam Boyd stadium, nevada

WorlD enDuro

april 2-3 Gp of spainapril 9-10 Gp of portugalMay 14-15 Gp of italyJune 11-12 Gp of turkeyJune 18-19 Gp of GreeceJuly 9-10 Gp of romaniasept 3-4 Gp of andorraoct 1-2 Bp of France