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Home , Bentley Speed 8, Dunlop Tyres, Emanuele Pirro, Eric van de Poele, Frank Biela, Glen Kidston

IN TOUCH THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF MOTORSPORT [ www.injection.tv ] GOODWOOD EDITION

Dunlop held a series of interviews on the main stage in the Stable Yard section of , including multiple 24 hour winner and 1996 British Touring Car Champion . The German attended the three day event in colours and had several runs up the famous hill in the A4 quattro he used to win one of the most prestigious touring car titles on the 1990s. Audi had brought its quattro technology to the BTCC expecting a typical English summer of rain. “In Italy and France the races were always dry and we thought that the UK would be wet and we would have the advantage of four wheel drive,” said Biela. “I think there was only one wet race! The whole package had to fit together, and the tyres were very important. If you don’t have good tyres, you are not going to win races. We were always testing with Dunlop and trying new things, so we certainly did not finish the season on the same tyres as we started.” Dunlop celebrates 120 years at Biela, now 43, went on to finish second in the BTCC in 1997, and joined Audi’s programme in 1999, scoring five Le Mans victories, including a hat-trick with and between 2000 and the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2002. He won again in 2006 and 2007, sharing with Pirro and . Dunlop celebrated 120 years of the pneumatic In the Stable Yard was a variety of cars tyre at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the which celebrate Dunlop’s history in racing. ’s MC12 has achieved success in the UK with a series of interviews, events and high These included the ‘Blower’ driven FIA GT Championship, securing the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles in 2006, and the drivers’ title in speed runs up the famous hill on which the by Henry Birkin in 1930 at Le Mans, and the 2007. Maserati produced the MC12 Corse specifically Earl of March first held a private competition 2001 which finished third for the track, but German driver Hubert Haubt was in 1936. at Le Mans driven by Andy Wallace, Butch interested in turning this pure race car into a machine Leitzinger and . The he could use on the road. His grandson, Charles, inspired by his quattro used by Frank Biela in the 1996 British With the help of Miglia Motors, the car underwent a grandfather’s achievements which included Touring Car Championship sat alongside Audi’s massive transformation and Dunlop was an integral victory at the Double 12 race in part of the process. The company produced the Sport new RS4 which uses . 1931 and opening the Goodwood circuit in Maxx GT racing-inspired silica tread compound tyre, 1948, invited racing back to the hill in 1993. The Jaguar XJR-9LM which defeated suitable for the 204mph super car, and which lasted an impressive 60 laps of the Belgian Spa Francorchamps ’s 962 during Dunlop’s centenery in Over the following years the Goodwood Festival circuit in the presence of Dunlop’s race engineers. 1988, sat alongside the Porsche, both cars of Speed has become the world’s biggest The transformation also includes a ride-height still featuring their iconic livery from the race. celebration of the history of motor sport and so adjustment switch which raises the car for speed Dunlop also featured in the Stable Yard the provided Dunlop with the perfect platform on humps, a muffler system to meet with EU law to muffle new Jaguar XKR which runs on the sound of the 6-litre, V12 engine, and a hand brake which to celebrate its own anniversary. Dunlop’s Sport Maxx tyres, as does the XK8 which is compulsory on all road cars in Germany. The sequential gearshift mechanism has been modified only An estimated 100,000 spectators attended and the XKR. to have a long first gear to help the driver in traffic. the festival this year over the three days. On Dunlop’s rich heritage in motor cycle racing the Dunlop stand they could enjoy interviews was celebrated with Honda’s new Fireblade on with interviews with , who raced the stand alongside John McGuinness’s 2007 at Le Mans for Jaguar with Dunlop tyres Isle of Man TT Honda on which he scored his and disc brakes, multiple Le Mans winner 13th TT title. McGuinness was centre stage as Derek Bell and Isle of Man TT champion John the final interview of the day on Saturday and McGuinness. Sunday, and thrilled the crowds as he took to the hill on both days. Sir Stirling Moss was one of the many speakers to attend the Dunlop stand in Stable Yard at Goodwood. Moss drove for Jaguar and at Le Mans in the 1950s, and was one of the first to run with Dunlop’s disc brake in 1953. The British driver was one of the fastest in the team, setting fastest lap on his debut in 1951 with Jaguar but, as in his career, he was never champion. “We were not allowed to race in the 24 hour races,” said Moss on the stand on Friday, talking about Le Mans. “We had to knock off 300 revs and to me it was not a real race, though it was a fantastic event.” In 1962, he crashed on the Goodwood circuit and finished his professional racing career following a private test session the following year. Today, he remains busy, taking part in historic races and is highly active with charity work.

The 1988 Le Mans 24 hours was a perfect location for Dunlop to celebrate its centenery. Jaguar challenged Porsche’s supremacy which stretched back to 1981 with the 956/962 models. Each of Porsche’s seven wins in the 1980s was with Dunlop, and the British manufacturer was ideally placed when the TWR team also chose Dunlop for its Jaguar XJR-9LMs. The TWR team was perfectly prepared, complete with its own Dunlop tyre engineer and access to a stock of 2,500 tyres. The number 2 Jaguar led at 18 of the 24 hours, a remarkable achievement given that the lead changed 22 times! After 3313 miles, Jaguar took victory by two minutes and 36 seconds. It was its first win since 1957, and Dunlop’s 33rd victory at Le Mans. Dunlop added its record in 1991 and remains the most successful tyre manufacturer at Le Mans.

Dunlop is the most successful tyre manufacturer at Le Mans, with a record of 34 victories stretching back to 1924 when and Frank Clement won the second ever running of the event in their Bentley “Sport”. Dunlop continued to win in 1925 and 1926 with Lorraine-Dietrich but 1927 marked the start of the Bentley era. Sammy Davis and John Benjafield won the 1927 race, and in 1928, Woolf Barnarto took the first of three successive wins, sharing with in 1928, Henry Birkin in 1929 and in 1930. Birkin’s team had developed the ‘Blower’ version of the Bentley, financed by the Hon. Dorothy Paget and were fast. On the Dunlop stand at Goodwood was the very car in which Birkin set the fastest lap of the 1930 race, and in which he led the race against the Mercedes of Rudi Carracciola. Ultimately, the car retired from the race that year with an engine failure.

For further information: Dunlop Motorsport Division, Jean-Felix Bazelin, General Manager, Motorsport, EU, jean_felix_bazelin@dunlop-.com Dunlop Tyres Ltd, , Jeremy Ferguson, International Motorsport Manager, [email protected] Birmingham, B24 9QT Gary Wassell, Manager, Car Motorsport, EU, [email protected] Tel: +44 121 306 6000 Stephen Male, Manager, Motorcycle Motorsport EU, [email protected] fax: +44 121 306 7000 Jason Dee, Sales and Product Manager Motorcycle EU, [email protected] e-mail; [email protected] Paul Bryant, Key Account Manager - Car Motorsport EU, [email protected]

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