Dunlop to Supply V8 Series Down-Under

Dunlop has won its third consecutive contract to supply its control tyre to teams participating in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series from 2008 to 2012. Since 2002, Dunlop has been the sole tyre supplier to the V8 Supercar Championship Series and Fujitsu Series, providing and servicing more than 9,000 tyres per year.

Judith Swales, managing director & CEO of South Pacific Tyres, which owns and operates Dunlop in Australia, is very excited about TEGA’s appointment of Dunlop as the Series’ official control tyre supplier. “Dunlop has a long and proud association with motorsport in Australia and around the world, and TEGA’s decision to award us the tyre contract highlights their confidence in our ability to supply a high-quality tyre — and an experienced and efficient operations group — to service the race teams,” Swales said.

Dunlop has been at the forefront of motoring development for over a century. Dunlop is also the first and most crowned winner of the Le Mans 24-hour race with 34 victories and holds seven Formula One world titles and 19 wins at Bathurst.

Kevin Halpin, vice president of corporate affairs for South Pacific Tyres, said: “This is a fantastic result for Dunlop and a credit to the product and our operations teams over the last five years. Dunlop Motorsport will leverage its involvement with the Championship moving forward to 2012. In fact, an announcement is imminent on a significant increase in Dunlop’s marketing investment in V8 Supercars for the remainder of the 2007 season.”

Dunlop’s V8 Operations Manager Kevin Fitzsimons believes the quality of Dunlop’s tyre was the key factor for Dunlop winning the contract.

“Dunlop’s control tyre, with just 4mm of tread and a contact patch of 80mm, is designed and tested to control a 1.5 tonne V8 Supercar capable of 620 horsepower at 7,500 rpm with a top speed of 295km per hour in temperature of up to 120°C. By the time Dunlop’s current contract expires in December 2007 we will have supplied more than 50,000 tyres to the Championship.”

The Dunlop V8 Supercar control tyre is manufactured at the company’s specialised racing tyre factory in Nagoya, Japan, where each tyre takes more than three hours to be hand-crafted.