INTOUCH MOTORSPORT NEWS dunLop Leads the way fantastic ENdURANcE SUccESS ISSUE 15 APRIL‘11 IN THIS ISSUE: Moto2 is Go! Le Mans 24hr preview i.o.M.TT preview worLd supercross BTCC action THIS ISSUE: DUNLOP ENTERS MX1-GP LMS 1000KM CASTELLET t’s been a fantastic start to In the realm of national four wheel 2011 for Dunlop, with tyre motorsport championships, the Iperformance proven time and Dunlop-supported British Touring again in the most competitive areas Car Championship has seen a raft of motorsport competition. of changes for 2011, with new 18” After the opening rounds of Dunlop tyres for the new car, and a the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup fantastic season-opener at Brands (ILMC), American Le Mans Series Hatch was the result, with lap (ALMS), and Le Mans Series (LMS), records falling in that domain. Dunlop has established itself as the In Germany, the VLN opening tyre to beat. race was won by the Dunlop-shod Dunlop-shod contenders lead the BMW M3 of the Schnitzer squad. way in the LMP2 and GT Pro and As spring leads to summer, so AM classes of the ILMC, the LMP1 two big hitting motorsport events and GT class of the ALMS and the come to the fore. In the realm of four LMP2 and GT Pro classes of the wheels, there’s the Le Mans 24 hour LMS. To add to its honours, Dunlop race in June, with Dunlop battling tyres also carried the Ferrari F458 to hard in the petrol competitors in the its first ever win in the LMS GT Pro leading LMP1 class, and strongly class in the Le Castellet 6 hours. represented in LMP2 and the new The Dunlop 24 Hour of Dubai GTE Pro and Amateur classes. back in January started the season On two wheels, the Isle of Man with Dunlop Motorsport’s biggest- TT is a world famous meeting of the ever event as 6500 tyres were best road racers and motorcycle made available to the 87 teams manufacturers in the world, all contesting the sixth edition of this competing on the legendary emerging endurance race for which Mountain course, which is public Dunlop will be title sponsor again in highway when not closed for 2012. motorsport. Dunlop tyres were on In the realm of two-wheeled every TT winner in 2010, the five motorsport with open tyre wins by one tyre manufacturer is competition, Dunlop has an enviable a new record. Will this continue in record of ten wins in a row at the 2011? Bol d’Or which takes place in For those who enjoy their mid-April, which is this season the motorsport in a flatscreen opening race of the FIM Endurance format, the new season of the World Championship. Will it be Dunlop supported Inside Racing eleven wins in a row? programme is airing on a television In the realm of motorsport station near you, with highlights championships where Dunlop available on Youtube. is the control tyre, Moto2 got underway in Qatar: tyre and chassis Just a taster of the content within, developments means the season we hope you enjoy! has started so far with lap record breaking performances, something The Dunlop In Touch team which looks set to continue. The FIM Moto2 World Championship, last year’s exciting replacement for the 250cc grand prix class, returns stronger and faster for 2011, the second Moto2 season is season with Dunlop as sole tyre supplier. Sandwiched between 125cc and MotoGP, Moto2 features motorcycles with a prototype chassis, powered by identical 600cc four-stroke engines. There are sixteen Dunlop slick tyres provided per rider, per event- seven front and nine rear - with only two compounds - a softer and harder option - available at each race. Wet tyres are unlimited. With these constraints, Dunlop’s engineers focus their expertise on tyres that not only produce high levels of grip, consistently, but do so over a wide operating-range. Exactly the kind of versatility needed for a successful road tyre, which must perform in go! cold mornings as well as hot afternoons… Dunlop’s 2010 tyres helped nine different riders win a Moto2 race, using six different types of chassis, while 17 different riders claimed a podium! The popularity of Moto2 scuppered attempts to slim-down grid numbers and almost 40 riders were accepted for 2011. Inaugural Moto2 champion Toni Elias and Valencia winner Karel Abraham have moved to MotoGP, but Mika Kallio (Marc VDS) and Aleix Espargaro (Pons) switched the other way - such is the prestige of the class. They face established race winners Andrea Iannone (Speed Master), Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer), Alex de Angelis (JiR), Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing) and Yuki Takahashi (Gresini), as well as last year’s title runner-up Julian Simon (Aspar) and podium finishers Thomas Luthi (Interwetten), Simone Corsi (Ioda) and Scott Redding (Marc VDS). 125cc world champion Marc Marquez (Caixa Repsol) and fellow two-stroke grand prix winners Pol Espargaro (Speed Up) and Bradley Smith (Tech 3) made their Moto2 debuts this year. World Superbike race winner Max Neukirchner (MZ) and double World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Technomag-CIP) have also signed full- season deals. Seven different chassis manufacturers contest the new season: Suter, Moriwaki, FTR, Kalex, MotoBI, Tech 3 and MZ. Qatar review Jerez review Moto2 Round #1 - Qatar Moto2 Round #2 - Jerez The 2011 Qatar Grand Prix marked Moto2’s A night race in the desert often means cool The 2011 Spanish Grand Prix produced the first charge forwards in the tricky conditions, reaching one-year anniversary and the start of Dunlop’s temperatures and sand blown on the track - ever wet race in Moto2 history. race leader Luthi by lap 7 of 26. After shadowing second season as official tyre supplier. unique technical challenges, made harder by the Free practice and qualifying had been dry and Luthi for seven laps Iannone burst past and rode The event was dominated by Stefan Bradl, who absence of any Moto2 testing at the 5.380km bright at Jerez, but rain clouds blew over the to a 7.8sec victory over the Swiss star. followed up his first-ever grand prix pole with Losail Circuit prior to the race weekend. 4.423km Andalusian circuit on Sunday morning “I’ve never had good results at Jerez, but the victory in his first race with a Kalex chassis. Three of the four Dunlop tyres on offer for the and remained in place for the rest of the day. rain changed everything for the race,” said The Viessmann Kiefer rider, winner of last year’s grand prix - two different front compounds and Viessmann Kiefer’s Stefan Bradl, winner from Iannone. “At the beginning I was in a bit of trouble, Portuguese GP on Suter machinery, took pole by two rear - coped well with the conditions, but the pole in Qatar, was once again the top qualifier, with but then I managed to pass the riders ahead and 0.2sec from 125cc world champion Marc Marquez new hard rear (239) did not work as expected with Gresini’s Yuki Takahashi 0.282sec slower and catch Luthi. After taking the lead I was able to pull (Caixa Repsol) with Thomas Luthi (Interwetten) the cooler than predicted track temperatures. Thomas Luthi third on the grid for Interwetten away and build a big gap, which was crucial in completing the new three-rider front row. Dunlop reacted by issuing another of the 6838 (+0.582sec). these conditions. I want to thank the team and all Race night – the season opener is the only medium-hard rears to each rider, ensuring no As at round one, progress compared with 2010 those who work with me.” non-daylight race - saw a dream display from restriction in track time, and this was used by all was impressive - Bradl lapping 1.666sec faster Ioda Racing’s Simone Corsi rose from 18th on Bradl, who led all 20 laps en route to taking his 38 riders in the race. Only four riders raced with than last year’s pole time, using Dunlop’s new the grid to take the final podium position, with second grand prix victory by 4.330sec over Speed the medium 753 compound front tyre - the best of 3854 soft-medium rear. Had the weather remained rookie Bradley Smith also producing a stand-out Master’s Andrea Iannone. whom was Iannone. All others opted for the 717 dry, all but two riders would have chosen to race ride to lead the opening lap on his way to fourth for Iannone, a triple Moto2 winner in 2010, was hard compound. the 717 front tyre, rather than the 753. Tech 3. followed onto the podium by another new Suter With a season of bike and tyre development, Meanwhile, Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone, Fellow 125cc graduate and reigning champion rider, Luthi, who passed Yuki Takahashi (Gresini) Moto2 speeds are sure to improve in 2011 - but runner-up to Bradl in Qatar, began the wet race Marc Marquez was less fortunate, being eliminated and Alex de Angelis (JiR) late in the race. few predicted the size of the leap forward seen in from eleventh place, at a circuit where he had after a clash with Jules Cluzel. “It’s unbelievable!” smiled Bradl. “We were so Qatar. Pole was 1.736sec faster than 2010 and the never finished higher than twelfth. Heading to Estoril, Iannone leads the competitive right from the beginning of free race-winning time 33.219sec quicker. But the change in weather played into the championship by nine points from Bradl, who rode practice and the whole weekend went perfectly.” Italian’s hands and he delivered an exceptional to a mature fifth place.