Motocross SUCCESS! AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
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IMOTORSPORTNT NEWS Ouch AUGuST ‘11 ISSuE 17 IN ThIS ISSuE DuNlOP DOMINaTE ThE ulster GP 24 hOuR PODIuM PlacINGS DuNlOP 1-2 aT IMOla sportscaR DEbuT aMERICAN lE MaNS SERIES DuNlop MOtOcrOss sUCCEss! AMErIcAN LE MANs sErIEs alMS GTE PROTOTYPE GTE Having started the season with a maximum score at Dyson also heads the team championship while the A fine season for Dunlop’s technical partner BMW means Sebring, Mosport, Mid-Ohio and Road America – to help Sebring, the Dunlop-shod Dyson Racing team has results secured by Dyson and Smith mean Dunlop lead the team leads the GTE championship standings into the BMW top the manufacturer and team’s championships continued to lead the way in the standings as the American rivals Michelin in the tyre battle. second half of the ALMS season having taken a podium while the three wins give Dunlop the edge over rivals Le Mans Series passes the half-way stage, with an Dyson’s title challenge has been aided by the addition finish in each of the six races run so far. Michelin, Falken and Yokohama in the tyre standings. intriguing battle emerging with rivals Muscle Milk AMR. of a second car, running under the Oryx Dyson Racing After their victory at Sebring, Dirk Muller and Joey Hand Aside from BMW, Dunlop also provides tyres for the Chris Dyson and Guy Smith clinched their second win of banner, which joined proceedings at Lime Rock. Humaid Al clinched back-to-back wins at Long Beach and Lime JaguarRSR team and played a key role in the team setting the season at Lime Rock and leave Road America with an Masaood and Steven Kane secured third place finishes at Rock with a brace of fourth place finishes at Mosport and the fastest GTE race lap with its improving XKR GT at 18 point lead in the standings over Muscle Milk AMR pair both Lime Rock and Mosport, although they failed to finish Mid-Ohio and third at Road America, helping to cement Mosport – arguably the high point of its season so far. Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf. Dyson’s success at Sebring at Mid-Ohio after an accident in the opening hour. their position as championship leaders. Showing the pace “Our Dunlop tyres were fantastic today,” driver Bruno could yet prove to be the crucial result of the year, with That retirement gave the Autocon Racing team an LMP1 of the BMW/Dunlop package, the pair have also started Junqueira said after the Canadian race. “Consistent and the 30 points gained there giving it the advantage in the podium for Tony Burgess and Chris McMurry as they on class pole for every race bar Sebring. fast for the entire stint, they were obviously good enough standings over its only rival, who failed to finish the twelve claimed third in class with their Dunlop-shod Lola B06/10 The sister car of Dirk Werner and Bill Auberlen have to help us achieve the fastest race lap.” hour event. AER having rejoined the grid at Mosport. finished on the podium four times this season – at MOTO 2 MOTO 2 aSSEN MuGEllO SACHSENRING bRNO The legendary Dutch TT saw Spanish rookie Marc Marquez If Assen made Moto2 rookie Marc Marquez a mathematical Marc Marquez made it three victories in a row by inflicting a Andrea Iannone returned to the top step of the podium for claim his second win of the season - and vault from eighth title contender, Mugello proved that the 125cc champion narrow home defeat on championship leader Stefan Bradl the first time since round two (Jerez) during a Moto2 classic to second in the championship! could beat Stefan Bradl in a straight fight. at the Sachsenring. in the Czech Republic. The Suter star overcame tricky damp conditions (wet Marquez (Suter), Bradl (Kalex) and Bradley Smith (Tech 3) Rookie Marquez (Suter) won his fourth race of the year The Speed Master rider locked horns with championship tyres were chosen by all) which caught out many of the all began the final lap in victory contention, with Marquez by 0.896sec from Bradl’s Kalex, with JiR’s Alex de Angelis leaders Stefan Bradl and Marc Marquez, plus former race frontrunners, including title leader Stefan Bradl. winning by just 0.071sec. The trio all chose the harder - who ran the 302 front tyre - just half-a-second further winner Alex de Angelis, in a thrilling encounter that saw all Bradl (Kalex) suffered his first DNF of the year when he option front and rear tyres. back for his first podium of the season. four covered by less than one-second at the finish! fell from seventh in the closing stages, while Marquez won Back-to-back victories for Marquez meant another five Marquez and Bradl headed for the summer break having Iannone used the 302 (medium) front and new 4886 rear by 2.4sec from first-time podium finisher Kenan Sofuoglu points from Bradl’s lead, while Smith moved up to third won the same number of races, but with Bradl holding a 47 tyre - featuring ‘evo tread’ technology - to break last year’s (Suter) and Bradley Smith (Tech 3). after finishing less than 0.5sec from victory. point title lead. lap record by a staggering 1.675sec and beat the Nevertheless, Bradl only lost five points from his overall Resurfacing at Mugello combined with rapid The 2011 Sachsenring race was over 20-seconds faster race-winning 2010 time by 38.460sec. title lead. development of Moto2 machinery and tyres meant the than last year. The Italian moved to third in the championship, while 2011 race was over one-minute faster than in 2010! Marquez trimmed another four points from Bradl’s lead. Race Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship Points Race Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship Points Race Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship Points Race Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship Points Marc Marquez Dunlop Dunlop KR393 1. Stefan Bradl - 127 1. Marc Marquez Dunlop Dunlop 1. Stefan Bradl - 147 1. Marc Marquez Dunlop Dunlop 1. Stefan Bradl - 167 1. Andrea Iannone Dunlop Dunlop 1. Stefan Bradl - 183 KR191 414 414 717 3838 717 W919 302 4886 Kenan Sofuoglu Dunlop Dunlop KR393 2. Marc Marquez - 70 2. Stefan Bradl Dunlop Dunlop 2. Marc Marquez - 95 2. Stefan Bradl Dunlop Dunlop 2. Marc Marquez- 120 2. Marc Marquez Dunlop Dunlop 2. Marc Marquez - 140 KR191 414 414 717 3838 717 W919 302 4886 Bradley Smith Dunlop Dunlop KR393 3. Simone Corsi - 67 3. Bradley Smith Dunlop Dunlop 3. Bradley Smith - 79 3. Alex de Angelis Dunlop Dunlop 3. Simone Corsi - 84 3. Stefan Bradl Dunlop Dunlop 3. Alex de Angelis - 95 KR191 414 414 717 3838 302 W919 302 4886 125cc SuZuKa - 8 hOuRS After four wins from the first six rounds and a healthy title advantage more dramatic circumstances after crossing the line equal with Dunlop provided 31 out of a field of 52 teams entered in the world- The Dunlop-backed Sakurai Honda team had been holding a safe of 35 points, Nico Terol’s fortunes took a turn for the worse at Zarco in Germany - Dunlop’s 125th consecutive 125cc win. famous Suzuka 8 Hours on July 31. fourth until a pit stop problem. Assen, when a hand injury ruled the Aspar Aprilia star out of the The 125cc riders thus headed for their summer break with Terol’s As well as being a round of the FIM Endurance World BMW Motorrad France went on to claim that position and move race. lead back up to 32 points, over Zarco, but it would plummet to just Championship, it’s an event with tremendous national importance narrowly ahead of the Dunlop-shod Suzuki Endurance Racing Team But Terol’s nearest championship rivals failed to capitalise and 12 points after a dramatic day in the Czech Republic. to Japan, meaning the home Japanese manufacturers boost their (SERT) to the top of the EWC standings. instead it was rookie Maverick Vinales - sixth in the standings for Terol suffered his first non-finish of the season when a mechanical chances by entering Suzuka-specific factory bikes and teams, SERT - which overcame minor technical problems to finish ninth Paris Hilton Aprilia - who took his second win of the year in the rain- problem forced him out of the lead at Brno, while Sandro Cortese featuring very strong rider line-ups. with Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Daisaku Sakai - was shortened Dutch TT. went on to claim his first ever win after a bar-to-bar showdown with “For a permanent EWC team to break into the top ten will be a one of only three permanent EWC teams to crack the top ten. Terol then made a perfect comeback with a close victory over Zarco at the final turn. real achievement,” predicted Dunlop Motorsport Service Engineer Among those not reaching the chequered flag was the Honda Johann Zarco (Ajo Derbi) one week later at Mugello, before team- Peter Chapman. TT Legends team of John McGuinness, Keith Amor and Donald mate Hector Faubel claimed his first victory since 2007 in even That proved an accurate assessment, with Japanese ‘specials’ Cameron, which retired due to mechanical problems. filling the podium in the form of FCC Honda, Yoshimura Suzuki and Harc-Pro Honda, who all finished on the same lap. Round Event Winner Front Tyre Rear Tyre 7 Dutch TT, Assen Maverick Vinales Dunlop KR149 D Dunlop KR133 C 8 Italian GP, Mugello Nicolas Terol Dunlop KR149 D Dunlop KR133 F 9 German GP, Sachsenring Hector Faubel Dunlop KR149 D Dunlop KR133 F 10 Czech Republic GP, Brno Sandro Cortese Dunlop KR149 D Dunlop KR133 F INTERNaTIONal lE MaNS cuP INTERNaTIONal lE MaNS cuP DuNlOP 1-2 aT IMOla DuNlOP hOPING fOR hOME aDvaNTaGE The first ever rounds of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and Le Making it two sets of Dunlop caps on the podium, the Signatech Dunlop is hoping for home advantage when it heads to the fifth Dunlop teams Mans Series at the Imola 6 Hours in Italy saw a 1-2 for Dunlop in Nissan Oreca took silver and continues to lead the teams’ points rounds of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and Le Mans Series at LMP1 GTE Pro the LMP2 class.