Dmack will aim to repeat its 2014 WRC2 victory when its drivers take on the tyre supplier’s home round of the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship at Wales Rally GB. The company said that winter weather and high-speed forest roads would result in a challenging end to the season.
Dmack will introduce a new soft compound version of its DMG+2 rally tyre in Finland, while the tyre supplier will also enter last year’s Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy winner as a new team – Drive Dmack 2. With the tyre brand’s lead driver, Jari Ketomaa, forced onto the sidelines for his home rally on medical advice, Dmack completes its changes with a new driver; Ketomaa’s fellow Finn, Jarkko Nikara steps in to take his place on the Neste Oil Rally Finland.
Dmack runners scored a double WRC2 podium at Rally Argentina – an event the tyre supplier described as one of the toughest in the recent history of the World Rally Championship. Paraguayan Diego Dominguez finished second while Drive DMACK’s Jari Ketomaa battled through a troubled three days to take third.
Round two of the 2015 Rally World Championship provided testing conditions for the four tyre suppliers – Michelin, Dmack, Pirelli and Hankook – allowing tyre characteristics to take centre stage. Ice, fresh and melting snow, mud and frozen dirt, meant that studs were employed for winter traction – 384 in each Michelin X-Ice North 3, for example. However, this meant that carrying extra tyres made for faster running, Jacques Morelli, manager of Michelin’s World Rally Championship programme, explained.
Drive DMACK, the current WRC 2 teams world champion run by the authorised tyre supplier to the FIA World Rally Championship, will defend its title in 2015 with two Ford Fiesta R5s. Returning driver Jari Ketomaa will start at Rally Sweden, while Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy winner Sander Pärn will make the step up to WRC 2 at Rally Portugal. In terms of its tyre supply deal, Dmack said that it will provide a complete range of upgraded tyres this season, featuring evolved construction and compound specifications to boost performance across all surfaces.
The short history of the Dmack brand reaches a significant landmark next week at Wales Rally GB. The concluding chapter of the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship marks the brand’s 50th WRC event, and Dmack has announced a powerful line-up to take on its home round of the global series. Dmack will field Estonians Ott […]
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