Dmack Completes WRC Testing and Releases Range Information

Dmack, the Chinese tyre brand authorised as a supplier to the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship, has completed testing and development of its snow and gravel tyres. It has also released details of the full range of competition tyres on offer for next season’s WRC series plus exclusive incentive offers and management packages for competitors using Dmack tyres.

Testing and development of the Dmack WRC tyre range has been carried out over the last few months. Chief test driver Mark Higgins has headed tyre development during the more than 2,000 kilometres of testing, included testing the DMG2 gravel tyre in Cyprus, Turkey, Estonia and Wales using both WRC and Group N rally cars. The DMG2 has been nominated to the FIA in two compounds: the hard G2 for events such as Portugal and Greece and the medium G4 for rounds in Argentina and GB. A soft G6 compound may be offered as a ‘joker’ option for cold and wet gravel events.

The DMG-ICE snow and ice tyre has been tested in Sweden for traditional parameters such as grip and performance plus to gather information on stud retention when running on gravel stages. The DMG-ICE will be used on the season opener at Rally Sweden. To reduce costs and improve flexibility for competitors, the snow tyre incorporates an asymmetric design but can be used on either side of the car.
 
Meanwhile, Dmack’s asphalt DMT-RC tyre has undergone recent development in China at the hands of Higgins and its development is said to be ongoing. The asphalt tyre will be nominated in two compounds: the hard T5 and medium/soft T7. A soft T9 and wet-weather W1 tyre may also be offered as joker options if required.
 
Pricing Structure and WRC Management Package

Dmack aims to supply competitors in the Production and Super 2000 World Rally Championships along with general privateer competitors and those contesting one-off WRC events. To assist teams with limited budgets, Dmack will offer a two-tier pricing structure. Dmack is offering teams registered for the Production and Super 2000 championships the chance to sign-up to its wheel and tyre management package. Teams that take up the offer will receive discounted tyres (50 euro reduction per tyre), delivery and collection of their wheels and tyres on all short-haul events and complete pre-event bar code listing. In addition, they will each receive a free, brand-new tyre-fitting machine for the season.
 
Dmack’s snow and ice tyre will be priced at 320 euros when supplied on-event and 280 euros when supplied through the management package. The gravel tyres will be offered at 220 euros on-event and 170 euros via the management package and asphalt tyres will be priced at 230 euros and 180 euros when provided through the management package.
 
Competitor and Team Incentives

Dmack says its philosophy is to provide competitors with a high performance, high durability product at an extremely cost-effective price. The tyre maker is thus offering a series of financial incentives for both competitors and team members. For all rounds of the 2011 World Rally Championship, any Class 2 (Super 2000) or Class 3 (GpN 4WD) competitor using Dmack tyres that takes overall victory in Class 2 or Class 3 will have half of their tyre bill for that event paid by Dmack. In addition, any Production WRC competitor using Dmack tyres for the entire season who takes overall victory in the 2011 Production WRC drivers’ championship will receive free tyres for the entire 2012 Production WRC – a prize valued at around 40,000 euros. 
Every team that signs-up to the Dmack management package will be allowed to nominate an individual team member that manages the team’s tyres on-event. At the end of the 2011 season, Dmack will select a winning team member who it feels has contributed most during the year. The winner will receive eight free road tyres per year for three years.
 
“It’s an exciting time for the Dmack brand,” said Dmack Tyres motorsport director Dick Cormack. “Not only have we completed an intense development programme to ensure our tyres are to the standard required by the world rally championship, but I’m delighted to release details of our management package and competitor incentives.
 
“We are focused on providing a high-quality product but also want to deliver value for money to competitors. I hope our innovative packages and incentives will help give teams greater flexibility and change the way crews use tyres between and on-events. I want to make it easy for teams to manage and control their tyres and we are committed to providing a strong degree of technical support on each event.
 
“With the new year comes a new challenge and we are very much looking forward to starting in Sweden and to see Dmack line up beside global tyre manufacturer Michelin at the start of an exciting season for our brand and products,” Cormack concluded.