INISSUE TOUCH21 MOTORSPORT NEWS SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE MOTO3 IS GO! SENSATIONAL START IN ALMS Bol d’OR VICTORY RUN CONTINUES Dunlop’S FIRST 2012 CHAMPION CROWNED APRIL 2012 MOTORSPORT MOTO3 JEREZ PREVIEW After an exciting debut under the floodlights in Qatar, Moto3 will Fenati eventually finished second to Vinales by 4sec, but battle meet the masses when the new World Championship makes its could be renewed at Jerez, where Fenati hinted at his future form European debut in the Spanish Grand Prix on April 27-29. by setting the third best lap time during pre-season testing. While Losail attracts comparatively limited trackside spectators, a Either side of the Team Italia FMI rider on the March timesheets massive 123,750 fans flocked to last year’s (wet) Jerez event. The were factory KTM riders Danny Kent and Sandro Cortese. Spanish supporters will have good reason to return in 2012, with Cortese claimed pole in Qatar, then won a fierce seven-rider fight home rider Maverick Vinales leading the Moto3 championship after for the final podium position on race night, but crossed the line victory in Qatar. 18sec from Vinales and victory. Vinales’ FTR-Honda was one of five different machines to score “We have to work hard to catch Vinales,” said Cortese. points in round one, proving the level playing field created by Kent was two-seconds behind his team-mate, but only eighth, Dunlop’s exclusive supply of Moto3 tyres. 17 slicks are available to such is the intense level of competition. each rider at each Moto3 round, with two different options to choose Malaysian Zulfahmi Khairuddin (KTM) has taken to his new from for both the front and rear. four-stroke like a duck to water, sixth at Losail marking his best grand While Vinales’ victory was hardly a surprise - the Avintia rider won prix finish. Fifth in testing at Jerez, the 20-year-old will be another the last two races of the all-Dunlop 125cc era, then set the pace at rider to watch out for in Spain. MOTO3 the final Moto3 pre-season test - a surprise challenger emerged Although it’s very early days for Moto3, Jerez could see the first under the desert sky. Riding in his first ever grand prix, 16-year-old 125cc lap record broken. Vinales finished testing 0.2sec under Italian Romano Fenati (FTR-Honda) bolted into an early lead at Losail Julian Simon’s official record of 1m 47.057s, set on a - catching Vinales off-guard. Dunlop-Aprilia in 2009. Vinales said: “I was taking things steadily until I saw Fenati escape - then I had to make a big effort to try and cut the gap. I have to congratulate him, because he rode really well.” 2 APRIL 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu April 2012 3 MOTO3 QATAR RACE DUNLOP FRONT TYre DUNLOP rear TYre CHAMPIONSHIP The all-Dunlop Moto3 World Championship made a sparkling debut While the top two duelled for victory, the battle for the final podium 1. Maverick VINales 95/75R17 Moto3 M 115/75R17 Moto3 M 1. Maverick VINales - 25 poiNts under the floodlights at Losail in Qatar on April 8. position was a ‘bar-to-‘bar thriller. Seven riders from four different 2. RomaNO FENati 95/75R17 Moto3 H 115/75R17 Moto3 M 2. RomaNO FENati - 20 poiNts A modern replacement for the 125cc two-stroke class, the new constructors slugged it out for lap-after-lap, before KTM pole sitter 3. SANdro Cortese 95/75R17 Moto3 H 115/75R17 Moto3 M 3. SANdro Cortese - 16 poiNts 250cc four-strokes proved worthy racing successors with close Sandro Cortese seized third position by less than 0.2sec at the line. battles throughout the field, the emergence of a new rookie star and Luis Salom (Kalex-KTM) was the rider edged off the rostrum by five different manufacturers scoring points. Cortese, with Suter-Honda’s Miguel Oliveira making it four different Maverick Vinales, a four-time rookie winner with Dunlop’s 125cc bikes in the top six - underlining the versatility of the Dunlop tyres. tyres in 2011, claimed a place in history with victory in round one, but Moto3s hadn’t turned a lap at Losail before first practice, but the only after overcoming a surprise challenge from 16-year-old Italian Dunlop engineers had done their homework and the majority of Romano Fenati. the 32 riders considered both the front and rear compound Fenati, like Vinales last season, showed no signs of nerves as he options available to be well suited to the unique night-race and led the opening five laps of his first ever grand prix, before fellow desert track conditions. FTR-Honda rider Vinales moved ahead. But Fenati wasn’t finished Both front options finished on the podium, Vinales taking the ‘M’ and stuck with the Spanish star before retaking the lead at the compound to victory, while Fenati and Cortese decided on the halfway mark of the 18 laps. increased endurance of the harder ‘H’ spec tyre for the traditionally Vinales finally got the better of the Team Italia FMI rider soon after, abrasive surface. Rear tyre choice was more uniform, with the ‘M’ and this time made a concerted effort to shake-off his fellow teenager. spec proving around half-a-second quicker than the ‘H’ and still It worked and Vinales crossed the line 4.3sec in front of Fenati. able to last the distance. 4 APRIL 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu April 2012 5 MOTO3 TEAMS AND RIDERS MOTO3 TYRE SCIENCE 32 riders from 14 countries form the full time entry list for this year’s winner. Jonas Folger (Ioda Racing) starts Moto3 with a single GP For the move to Moto3, Dunlop had to consider a number of While Moto2 uses a single engine supplier, Moto3 has no such inaugural Moto3 World Championship, replacement for the 125cc victory under his belt. factors. Whereas the previous 125cc class saw two-stoke engines, restriction, adding a further level of challenge, and this is class and supported by Dunlop as exclusive tyre supplier. As well as prompting the welcome return of the factory KTM four strokes of twice the capacity now rule the roost. The longer accomplished with a smaller tyre range than in Moto2, with three 20 of the entrants were still teenagers at the opening race in Qatar, squad, Moto3 has attracted Gresini Racing, one of the top satellite combustion cycle means more engine braking, and the different different compounds for Moto3 – hard, medium and soft for front with ages ranging from 16-year-old Niccolo Antonelli to 28-year-old teams in MotoGP, while the Avintia and Ioda outfits will also contest all riding style putting different loads through the tyres. and rear, contrasting with the two front and five rear compounds Hector Faubel. three grand prix classes in 2012. Nine different motorcycle designs are entered for the 2012 in Moto2. Faubel (Kalex-KTM) is the most successful of four previous grand Just four different bikes signed-up for the final season of 125cc, season of Moto3, meaning the needs of which Dunlop must master prix winners committed to the new class, the Spaniard being an but eleven machines will do battle in Moto3: KTM, Honda, within the limited tyre range allowed for each event. A formidable eight-time winner and title runner-up in 125GP. Kalex-KTM, FTR Honda, Suter Honda, Mahindra, Oral, Ioda, TSR task, but nothing new to Dunlop, whose tyres took 14 different Maverick Vinales (FTR-Honda) won four 125cc races in his rookie Honda, FGR Honda and MZ-RE Honda. types of motorcycle to points - and eight to podiums - in the first 2011 campaign, while Sandro Cortese (KTM) is a double 125cc season of Moto2. 6 APRIL 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu April 2012 7 BUILDING ON Dunlop’s incrediBLE 125CC LEGACY MOTO3 A new chapter in the long and illustrious history of motorcycle grand As in Moto2, where Dunlop is also exclusive tyre supplier, all Moto3 2011 125GP CHAMPIONSHIP 2012 MOTO3 CHAMPIONSHIP prix racing began in Qatar on April 8, when the new Moto3 World competitors receive exactly the same choice of cutting-edge tyres, ENGINE SIZE: 125CC 250CC Championship opened the 2012 racing season. plus equal technical support from Dunlop engineers throughout a TYRE BRAND: OPEN (ALL RIDERS CHOSE DUNLOP) DUNlop (EXCLUSIVE SUPPLIER) TYRES PER RIDER: UNrestricted 17 SLICKS (8 FRONT, 9 REAR) PER EVENT. The 250cc four-stroke series - featuring open engine and chassis race weekend. CHOICE OF TWO COMPOUNDS FOR FRONT competition, combined with closely-controlled costs and an exclusive Whilst inspired by Moto2, unlike the 600cc championship Moto3 AND REAR. supply of Dunlop tyres - has big boots to fill. allows open engine competition, adding another level of challenge for ENGINE TYPE: TWO-stroke FOUR-stroke Moto3 replaces the popular 125cc class, which had been a part of Dunlop’s tyres and further interest for fans. CYLINDERS: SINGLE-CYLINDER SINGLE-CYLINDER the motorcycle Grand Prix racing world championships ever since the In the best spirit of grand prix racing, this year’s Moto3 MAX. CYLINDER BORE: UNrestricted 81MM MAX. RPM: UNrestricted 14,000 inaugural 1949 season and launched the careers of many of the championship will see a mix of machinery ranging from complete MAX. ENGINE PRICE: UNrestricted 12,000 EUROS sport’s biggest stars. bikes by the Honda, KTM and Mahindra brands through to entries by ENGINES PER RIDER: UNrestricted 8 (PER SEASON) But with mainstream manufacturers deserting two-strokes, specialist privateer constructors, building either their own frame or in GEARS: 6 6 mechanical technology was starting to stagnate and change some cases a full machine.