Dunlop Gears Up for the 2008 Bol d’Or 24-Hours

Dunlop and its riders are gearing up for the 2008 Bol d’Or FIM Endurance World Championship 24 hour motorcycle race at Magny Cours, France. This takes place on September 13 and 14 and Dunlop is anticipating one of the toughest and closest races of the season. The current championship leader is the Dunlop-shod French Suzuki Endurance Racing Team No.1, with riders Vincent Philippe, Matthieu Lagrive and Julien Da Costa. This team leads the championship, with a significant points advantage over the second-placed Yamaha Austria Racing Team, which also races on Dunlop tyre. Winning the race would make the team the 2008 World Champion with a race still to go.

With almost half the teams on Dunlop tyres, this is a major event for the company. A total of 3,800 tyres will be sent to the race in five trucks, supported by a team of 15 Dunlop staff. Endurance racing is a vital element in Dunlop’s ‘Race to Road’ development program, providing the most demanding of all-round tyre performance requirements. This is illustrated by the conditions, as it would be very unusual not to see hot, cold, rain and dry track conditions during the race week end.

“This race will be one of the toughest and most demanding motorcycle races of the season,” said Steve Male Manager Motorcycle Motorsport EU. “One slip from a rider or a miscalculation by a team manager could win or lose the World Championship after something like 70 hours racing. That is equivalent to more than three years worth of MotoGP race time. The recent test times at Magny Cours indicate that the race could be one of the closest fought in recent years.”

Dunlop has achieved 24 Bol d’Or race wins since 1969, including the last seven consecutive races, which is more than any other tyre manufacturer.