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Dunlop Race Academy on New Track

Launched in 2004, the Dunlop Race Academy has processed over 17,000 hopefuls to produce five competition winners, each of them with no previous motorsport experience. The 2005 winner, Simon Shaw, has gone on to make a professional career in motorsport. In 2009 the Academy is set to return, albeit with some significant changes to its format. The competition will switch its focus from attracting talented drivers and newcomers into the sport to developing drivers who have already made a start in their racing career.

5th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Receives Two Wheel Top Ranking

Dunlop’s Sportmax Roadsmart Motorcycle tyre has been ranked in first position in a Two Wheels Only Magazine tyre test. The tyre was tested in the wet and dry against the latest offerings from Pirelli, Bridgestone, Michelin, and Metzeler at the Millbrook Testing Facility in Bedfordshire.

James Whitham, top tyre tester for TWO and Isle of Man TT, World Supersport and World Superbikes champion shod a Ducati 848 to find the tyre that gave the best feedback and feel, as well as the best performance. “Straight away when you get on these you know that they are good” said James Whitham. “To get confident you need that feeling from a tyre that lets you know you can push all the way to the limit and beyond if you want to, but in complete safety. This is what the Dunlops do.”

5th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Cambrian Tyres, the ‘Big Seven’ Distributor

Cambrian Tyres, said to be the UK’s largest motorcycle tyre distributor, continues to offer its dealers exclusive special offers and strong customer service. The ability to do this, says Cambrian, is down to the company’s bulk buying power capabilities and a dealer-centred philosophy. The distributor’s target of being a ‘one stop tyre shop’ for dealers has been realised since its early days, and today Cambrian reports it is the leading UK customer to each of the big seven tyre manufacturers.

Customer sales and technical enquiries are handled by Cambrian’s knowledgeable telesales team, a team that between them holds years of motorcycling and industry experience, enabling them to give customers what Cambrian Tyres calls the best, unbiased advice – advice that ensures the correct tyres are chosen. 2009 sees the company launch its B2B website where account holders can order tyres or view stock availability online, making ordering, whether within or outside business hours, even easier.

5th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop India Managers Allegedly Beaten Up

The tyre trade can be a ruthless business sometimes….Two Dunlop India managers have reportedly been beaten up by members of the INTUC employee’s union at the company’s Sahagunj factory. The Calcutta based Telegraph newspaper reports that, on the afternoon of December 17, the men were attacked following accusations of attempting to smuggle machinery out of the closed unit. One of the two was taken to hospital for observation.

18th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Dunlop Presents Employee HR Gongs

Goodyear Dunlop has presented Pan-European development awards to two associates in the West Midlands. One of the Midlands’ top employers, the company aims to encourage development and recognition within the workplace, supporting employees who train in new areas and develop their roles within the organisation.

As part of their drive towards being “First with People” (the firm’s branding of the initiative), Goodyear Dunlop has developed the Pan-European award. These awards are presented on a yearly basis to those employees who have made a difference or special contribution to the company within the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. 35 associates out of over 30,000 within the EMEA region are selected.

This year the UK team, based in Birmingham, has proudly announced that two of its employees have received an award: Peter Wayte, of the Tyre Technical department and Cliff Hickman from IT. The manufacturer has called the gongs a “great achievement not only for the individuals but also for Goodyear Dunlop UK and Ireland. It highlights the company’s dedication to associates and the investments made.”

18th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop, French Magazine Unveil New Series Plan

Dunlop and Performance French Cars Magazine have announced that the Dunlop Sport Maxx Production Cup will be introducing a new trophy for the 2009 season. The production cup has teamed together with Performance French Cars magazine to praise the best performing French car of the championship.

The Dunlop Sport Maxx Production Cup is part of the Dunlop Great & British Motorsport Festival. With the stated aim of “putting national motorsport back on the map,” Dunlop Great & British hosts three championships: Mini Challenge, Radical Sportscars and the Dunlop Sport Maxx Production Cup, over six weekends. The Production Cup introduces this new trophy following the success of French cars on the grid during the 2008 season. Renaultsport Megane R26, Renaultsport Clio and Peugeot 106 GTi were amongst the leading French cars with top rankings across the Sport Maxx classes.

18th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop India Problems Becoming a Political Issue

Dunlop India is becoming something of a political hot potato in the run-up to the election in the Lok Sabha, the country’s house of representatives. With the support of West Bengal politician Mamata Banerjee, company chief managing director Pawan Ruia is reported by the Times of India to be perhaps placing political pressure on the West Bengal government to gain Dunlop India additional concessions of a nature normally reserved for ‘sick’ units; that is, companies that at the end of any financial year have accumulated losses equal to or exceeding their entire net worth. And the government, says the Times of India, is holding its tongue on political grounds.

12th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

West Bengal Government Denies Dunlop India Loan

Dunlop India’s bid for a 1 billion rupee “soft loan” to aid with the reopening of its Sahagunj plant has been turned down by the West Bengal government. The plant has been closed since 30 November and looks set to see in the New Year before work restarts. Labour minister Mrinal Banerjee told Indian news sources, including The Hindu, that the company cannot be helped as it is not “sick”.

Company chairman Pawan Ruia had demanded a series of incentives that he believed were due from promised state aid. The minister voiced the concerns of the factory’s 1,171 workers that Ruia would sell off the factory’s site. He told newspapers, “If he now sells the land with the support of a political party, we don’t know what will happen.”

12th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bike Tyrestore Again Tops With Customers

Customer service may not be the only factor a business must consider if it wants to be successful, but it certainly carries a lot of weight. Therefore Bike Tyrestore asks its customers every year what they think of the company. In October the Birmingham based wholesaler sent out its 2008 Customer Survey, asking dealers to rate all aspects of the service it provides on a scale of one to ten, one being ‘abysmal’ and ten ‘brilliant’. As an extra incentive to complete the survey, each survey received went into the draw to win a Fortnum and Mason Christmas Hamper (this was won by Daniel and the team at Just Motorcycles in Basingstoke). Bike Tyrestore managing director Peter Smith can proudly report that this year the company again received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with ratings of nine or ten the norm.

11th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Union Official, Politicians Lash Out at Dunlop India Chief

Dunlop India chief managing director Pawan Ruia has been reportedly accused of cheating the company’s workers. This accusation, printed in the Times of India, was made by Centre of Indian Trade Unions state secretary Kali Ghosh and members of parliament Rupchand Pal and Shantosree Chatterjee (both from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) party). The union official and two politicians, says the newspaper, are of the opinion that Dunlop’s Sahaganj facility should be handed over to India’s Ministry of Defence.

9th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

New Dunlop Range for Harley Davidson to Feature MTC Technology

Dunlop has introduced a new line of Harley-Davidson D407 tyres for 2009 model year FL touring bikes. The rear tyre in the new range, Dunlop reports, features the company’s exclusive Multi Tread Compound (MTC) technology, which incorporates a long-wearing compound in the centre of the tread and a lateral grip compound on each shoulder to improve cornering performance while providing longer tread life.

The D407 tyre family has been engineered and tested by Dunlop and Harley Davidson to be fitted as original equipment on Harley’s Rocker, Screamin’ Eagle Road King and Softail bikes, as well as new 2009 FL touring bikes. Dunlop began supplying tyres for Harley’s new touring bike platform in June 2008. The new D407 tyres are part of a chassis redesign for Harley Davidson that also included frame and suspension changes.

9th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Wins “Best New Tyre” at MCN Awards

Dunlop’s Sportmax Roadsmart tyre was named Best New Tyre at the annual Motorcycle News Awards. The new Roadsmart tyre has been highly acclaimed by MCN over the past year and was praised for both its wet and dry performance; picking up first place in the Best New Tyre Category.

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Confirmed as OE for European Spec Nissan GT-R

In December production of the European specification Nissan GT-R gets underway at the company’s Tochigi factory in Japan, and the manufacturer reports a number of small but significant changes have been made to the car. Furthermore the Dunlop SP Sport 600 DSST tyre, previously available as an option on the GT-R, will be standard fitment on the performance Nissan when it arrives in European showrooms.

The tyre, comments Nissan, was developed specifically for the GT-R and it combines grip and durability, as demonstrated during its ‘time-attack’ lap of the Nürburgring, which yielded a time of 7 minutes 29 seconds. And the manufacturer adds that, just to improve the ride performance even further, a modification has been carried out to the suspension spring rate settings. The Dunlop tyres are matched with a gun metal grey coloured Rays seven-spoke alloy wheel design for the standard and Premium Edition GT-Rs, while the Black Edition will be fitted with the same design but, appropriately, in black.

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Biogas-Powered World Record Set on Dunlop Rubber

Achieving speeds of 327.5 km/h (204.7 mph), the Hohenester-tuned biogas Audi A4 Quattro equipped with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT tyres has set a new world speed record. The TÜV Rheinland-organized record attempt took place at the proving ground in Papenburg, Germany, and demonstrates the performance abilities of climate neutral fuels.

In breaking high-speed record Hohenester used biogas extracted from field grass. With an octane number between 120 and 140 ROZ the alternative fuel offers higher numbers than conventional fuels. “High speed tuning and ecological aspects don’t have to exclude each other,” believes the record-breaking driver, Jürgen Hohenester. “This Audi A4 is a prototype, which proves how powerful these new fuel technologies can be already today.”

8th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

BARC Saloon Car Champion Wins on Toyo Tyres

Toyo Tyres is congratulating Richard Brent for becoming class champion and overall champion in the 2008 BARC Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship. The championship takes place at some of Britain’s most renowned race tracks including: Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Castle Combe and Lydden Hill.

Brent competed on Toyo tyres throughout the 2008 season and has had a 100 per cent record, with class wins in all 18 rounds of the championship using the Proxes RS1 (slick), Proxes RR1 (wet) and also the Proxes R888, the semi-slick, in intermediate weather conditions.

5th December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors