SRI gains Lexus, Nissan OE approvals
Dunlop run-flat tyres manufactured by Sumitomo Rubber Industries will be fitted as original equipment on the Lexus LS in North America as well as on the latest Nissan GT-R and GT-R Nismo in certain markets.
Dunlop run-flat tyres manufactured by Sumitomo Rubber Industries will be fitted as original equipment on the Lexus LS in North America as well as on the latest Nissan GT-R and GT-R Nismo in certain markets.
The Dunlop TrailSmart has been replaced in key sizes by a successor tyre, the TrailSmart Max. In addition to building upon the previous-generation tyre’s wet and dry grip characteristics, Dunlop Europe says new technologies have been used to improve the TrailSmart Max’s handling and durability.
Andy Marfleet, currently Motorcycle marketing manager EMEA, has been promoted to the position of Goodyear Dunlop marketing director UK & Ireland.
Dunlop will supply tyres to the 2018 ADAC Northern Europe Cup, one of Europe’s premium lightweight motorcycle racing championships. For its third season the series will comprise seven races, with all competitors running on the brand’s rubber. This brings its tyre supply into line with the Dorna Sports SL European Talent Cup, launched in 2017, in which the two world championship classes, Moto3 and Moto2, race exclusively on tyres from Dunlop.
Since 2014, new cars in the EU need to be equipped with Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS). There are two types of systems, hardware based direct TPMS (dTPMS) and software based iTPMS (something that was previously commonly known as in-direct TPMS). The purpose of the study was to investigate whether both types of TPMS serve their purpose, lead to properly inflated tyres, hence reducing CO2-emission and increasing traffic safety.
A second Porsche OE homologation has been announced for the Sport Maxx Race 2: The Dunlop tyre has gained approval by Porsche as original equipment for on road use on the new 911 GT2 RS in the sizes 265/35 ZR 20 (99Y) XL and 325/30 ZR 21 (108Y) XL. Porsche gave the Dunlop tyre its blessing after intensive testing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany and on Porsche’s proving ground in Nardò in Italy. The Sport Maxx Race 2 is already approved for the Porsche 911 GT3.
Since the Moto2 category of the F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship was launched in 2010, it has known only one tyre supplier. The same applies to the Moto3 class, which began in 2012 – both have run solely on Dunlop tyres since their inauguration. This status as official tyre supplier for both classes – which form an integral part of MotoGP race weekends – has now been extended to cover the 2018 to 2020 seasons. In addition to remaining as tyre supplier, Dunlop will also continue to promote its #ForeverForward Award.
At the start of the 2012 FIM World Motocross Grand Prix (MXGP) Championship, Dunlop began working with Kawasaki Racing Team, developing its Geomax range of tyres around the needs of the team’s top-level riders. Now, 11 MXGP wins later, the relationship continues with the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s signing of an extended Technical Partnership with Dunlop for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 MXGP seasons.
The most prolific overtaker in FIM Moto2 and Moto3 this year is Andrea Migno. The winner of the Moto3 Italian Grand Prix in June has thus been crowned
the 2017 Dunlop Forever Forward Champion after topping #ForeverForward league.
With the 6 Hours of Bahrain, the current FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season drew to a close. Reflecting on an “amazing season of racing,” Dunlop has congratulated Aston Martin Racing and Vaillante Rebellion for their class victories. Both raced on Dunlop tyres in open tyre classes; Aston Martin Racing won the FIA World Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Am Teams and Vaillante Rebellion won the FIA World Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams. Each of the teams began the event leading the standings and both claimed race victories in Bahrain to secure the crowns.
A fourth product will enter the Dunlop hypersport tyre portfolio early next year. This is the SportSmart TT, a tyre derived from Dunlop’s road-focused SportSmart Range. Developed to “meet the needs of riders with the very latest sports bikes and performance roadsters who want to use the same tyre on track and for road riding,” the SportSmart TT completes Dunlop’s 2016-announced new approach to the segment, which involves a redefinition of its range around the goal of a ‘tyre for every rider’.
Dunlop, as official tyre supplier and title sponsor to the MSA British Touring Car Championship, has provided an opportunity for three promising drivers to test with a winning team from Britain’s premier racing championship. Three of the UK’s national racing stars joined Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo at Snetterton circuit for the Dunlop Prize Drive Day.
The penultimate round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the 6 Hours of Shanghai on 3 November, heralded the tenth Aston Martin/ Dunlop victory, with the #98 LM GTE Am car taking its third win and seventh podium finish of the season. The tally for the partnership so far stands at ten wins, 21 podium finishes and 12 pole positions including the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours victory. It was an all-Dunlop LM GTE Am podium, with the #98 Vantage finishing ahead of the Gulf Racing and Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsches. This is the second occasion in recent times that ‘yellow caps’ dominated the podium – the round contested in Mexico last month also resulted in a Dunlop 1-2-3 finish.
The Tokyo Motor Show 2017 is currently taking place, and visitors to the biennial event are amongst the first to see Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ new Smart Tyre Concept from Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd (SRI). The aim of this new concept, shares the tyre maker, is to “aid in the development of tyres that provide balanced safety and environmental performance at higher levels than ever before.” The launch will be followed by the commercial introduction of tyres containing technologies seen in the Smart Tyre Concept, as well as further concept products, over the coming decade.
Dunlop has congratulated G-Drive Racing after the latter was named European Le Mans Series (ELMS) champion for this year after the final round of the series this past weekend. The tyre maker comments that G-Drive Racing and the other Dunlop-shod teams delivered strong performance in the open-tyre LMP2 class, with all six rounds of the series won by a car racing on Dunlop tyres. Praise was also showered upon JMW Motorsport, the team crowned champion of the all-Dunlop GTE class.
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