Dunlop bows out of Grand Prix motorcycle racing

Last weekend’s MotoGP of Valencia not only concluded the 2023 season – it also marked the end of the Dunlop era in this motorsport event. The tyre brand, which locally is part of Goodyear, has been represented in Grand Prix racing since 1949. Despite its departure, Dunlop has reaffirmed its “commitment to top-level and world championship motorcycle motorsport,” which remains a “key component of the brand’s DNA.”

Dunlop’s success story in Grand Prix racing has an impressive array of highlights, including:

• Dunlop tyres were used to win the first 500cc championship in 1949 and dominated the series through the following decades.
• Every 125/250 GP World Championship since 1993 through to the introduction of Moto3/Moto2 was won on Dunlop tyres.
• In 125 GP, Dunlop won over 100 consecutive races before the introduction of Moto3.
• Every 250 GP since April 1996 (Max Biaggi, Suzuka) to the introduction of Moto2 was won on Dunlop tyres. There were 17 250cc World Championships won on Dunlop.
• In 2008, Marco Simoncelli scored Dunlop’s 200th consecutive 250cc GP win.
• Technology transferred from GP racing into Dunlop hypersport tyres includes innovations such as Jointless Belt, Carcass Tension Control System construction and Heat Control Technology.
• A relentless improvement in lap time. At the recent Qatar GP, the average lap time from the winner was 5.5 seconds per lap faster than the first ever Moto2 race on the same circuit. Over 18 laps, this meant the 2023 winner (Fermin Aldeguer) would have been an incredible 1 min 38 secs ahead of the 2010 winner (the late Shoya Tomizawa), underlining the pace of bike and tyre development in this period.
• The commitment to the #RoadtoMotoGP programme, bringing World Championship level tyre technology to Dorna’s innovative Talent Cups, JuniorGP and the Red Bull Rookies programme.
• Supporting the first World Championship wins for modern-era legends such as Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo.

Exciting future plans

Looking to the future, Dunlop says it has “exciting plans in international motorsport.” As recently as last month, Dunlop announced it would be the title sponsor and exclusive tyre supplier to all classes of the Campionato Italiano Velocità (CIV) in a multi-year agreement. On the world stage, Dunlop is a proud partner with both the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) and FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) where Dunlop is the choice of winning manufacturers such as Kawasaki, Husqvarna and BMW.

“We thank all of our partners, teams, Dorna, IRTA and our many friends in the Grand Prix paddock for their support and cooperation over many decades,” states Wim Van Achter, Dunlop Motorsport manager. “We are excited about our future plans in the sport. Both EWC and MXGP feature open tyre competition which allows Dunlop to demonstrate and develop the latest technologies in World Championship level events. Our focus is winning and developing at the highest levels of the sport.”