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LE MANS SPECIAL

InISSUE Touch23 NEWS

Dunlop Take it to The Bridge All the Teams at Dunlop Art Car Competition winner unveileD!

JUNE 2012 MOTORSPORT Dunlop a history 34 OVERALL of RACE WINS! Le Mans glory From the world famous bridge to the annual art car competition, Le Mans is part of Dunlop’s DNA This year Dunlop returns to La with 23 cars competing using , including the entirety of the LMP2 class who have chosen Dunlop tyres rather than any competitors’. In recognition of an entire class on one manufacturers’ tyres, Dunlop has announced a special prize structure for LMP2 which will be topped by the fantastic opportunity for one team to receive free tyres for the rest of the season should an LMP2 car take an overall podium at Le Mans. A difficult goal, yes. Impossible? Well look at the results of the FIA World Endurance Championship and opener at the Sebring 12 Hours where a Dunlop-shod LMP2 did make it to the overall podium. Dunlop’s proud history at Le Mans incorporates 34 overall race wins – comfortably more than any other tyre manufacturer. Dunlop has won with , , Bugatti, Jaguar, , and to name but a few. From and Frank Clement taking their Bentley 3-litre across the line first in the second-ever running of the event in 1924, to the iconic 1991 victory for Mazda’s wailing with , and Bertrand Gashot at the wheel, Dunlop has shown time and again that it has what it takes at the most gruelling of test beds for the tyre makers art. Since that last overall win there have been countless class victories, not least last year’s LMP2 triumph for in their #41 Zytek . This year sees the 80th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours, and it’s sure to be filled with drama, excitement and, for the fortunate few, glory. Dunlop will be in the thick of it from the off. Get on board for the ride.

01 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu JUNE 2012 02 Dunlop set for descentsFORT into DUNLOP’S LE MANS FORCE

Once again this season, Dunlop will have a The remainder of the LMP2 field is made major presence on the grid for the 2012 up of single car entries from teams running of the most famous endurance including Level 5 , Starworks race of them all – the Le Mans 24 Hours. Motorsport, JOTA, ADR-Delta and Lotus. Dunlop teams will again compete for No fewer than six different honours in all four classes of the race and manufacturers – , Morgan (OAK), while victory is a given in LMP2, there is Lola, HPD, Zytek and Norma – are every opportunity that Dunlop-shod teams represented in the fight for LMP2 honours. could come away from the Circuit de la As in LMP1, the premier GT class - GTE Sarthe having clinched success in the two Pro - features just one Dunlop team in the GT classes. shape of JMW Motorsport; with Dunlop In total, 23 of the 56 cars on the entry technical partner BMW having elected to list will use Dunlop tyres for the round the focus on its American Le Mans and clock classic, led in the premier LMP1 Nurburgring 24H programmes. The British class by development partner OAK Racing team has already tasted success at Paul with a single car. The French team are the Ricard this season and will once again sole Dunlop team in LMP1 and will again carry a livery designed by the winner of this challenge the major factory teams in the year’s Dunlop Art Car Competition. race for honours. The final Dunlop entry comes in However, LMP2 is a different story GTE-Am, with the American team Krohn altogether, with all 20 cars on the entry list Racing having switched to the newer choosing the championship winning for this season. Krohn go into Dunlop tyres. Defending champions the race amongst the fancied runners for Greaves Motorsport return in an attempt class success. to defend the title secured last year, with OAK Racing, Signatech Nissan and Gulf Racing Middle East also having two cars in the race.

JUNE 2012 03 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu 04 A New World Order Dunlop’s WEC contenders

Of the 23 Dunlop-shod cars competing team’s three drivers are the best-placed at Le Mans, 13 will be chasing a strong Dunlop representatives in the drivers’ result to score points towards the World championship, where they sit in sixth Endurance Championship. spot. In LMP1, OAK Racing will seek to will seek to uphold GT get its challenge back on track after honours with a strong showing in the suspension issues just three minutes GTE-Am class. from the end saw the team retire from Heading to Le Mans, the team sits the second race of the season at Spa. third in the class standings having taken A strong run at Le Mans however, with a pair of fifth place finishes at Sebring double points on offer, would bring the and Spa. team right back into contention. OAK’s LMP2 team is in a stronger position, going into Le Mans second in the class standings behind ADR-Delta after the British team took victory at Spa. sit third in class thanks to a stunning overall podium at Sebring which means the

World ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

In 2012, the Le Mans 24 Hours becomes part of the new FIA World must run at least one ‘gentleman’ driver. While the GTE-Pro class is Endurance Championship (WEC); a global championship created to open in terms of drivers, GTE-Am is aimed at ‘gentleman’ drivers with provide sportscar entrants with the chance to compete for a fully- teams required to run at least one pro-driver in the line-up. fledged FIA world title. Points are awarded on the same scale as in F1 to the top ten cars, Le Mans is one of eight races that make up the calendar for the with every car finishing lower than tenth being awarded 0.5 points. inaugural season, with the Sebring 12 Hours and the Six Hours of For Le Mans however, double points will be awarded to reflect the Spa having been run already. Following the French classic, six hour challenging nature of the race, with the six best scores from the races at Silverstone, Interlagos, Bahrain, Fuji and complete season being used to determine the championship winner. the schedule. At the end of the year, the FIA World Endurance Champion Driver Four classes compete in the series: LMP1, LMP2, GTE-Pro and and Champion Manufacturer LMP1 will be crowned, while a range of GTE-Am. LMP1 is where the major manufacturer teams from other trophies are also on offer. and are found, with LMP2 restricted to privateer outfits who

05 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eumotorsport.dunlop.eu J JUUNENE 2012 2012 0606 The combined start of the WEC and American Le Mans Series (ALMS) One of the coldest May Saturdays in recent memory proved to be the perfect proved successful for Dunlop with wins in prototypes and GTs. test ground for Dunlop’s Le Mans preparations in the second round of the FIA Dunlop and BMW Team RLL set out to start the defence of their 2011 World Endurance Championship at Spa Francorchamps, Belgium on May 5. American Le Mans Series win with the top step of the podium in their A bumper grid of eighteen LMP2 cars – all choosing to use Dunlop tyres – Spa’s were entered for the Spa 6 Hours, with the WEC ranks bolstered by invited class, whilst Dunlop’s progress stateside was further highlighted by the Double cars. Chopard Racing Porsche of Paul Miller Racing, driven by , and Rob Bell finished in a strong fifth place. Despite an uncharacteristically mild build-up, come race day the heavens took the ALMS victory with their new Lola-Mazda at perfect opened. Fog was followed by heavy rain, while the cold temperatures meant Sebring. The car, shared by , former Le Mans winner Guy that spectators’ frozen breath joined the fog and rain to reduce visibility further. Dunlop Smith and , won on its latest Dunlop LMP1 tyres, despite “There was a lot of water, but not always steady rain falling so we had to only being tested for the first time a week prior. cold & wet deal with a wide range of conditions, from full wet all the way through to slick The entire LMP2 field chose Dunlop for the Sebring 12 hour race, tyres, so for us it was a very good exercise in tyre performance,” said Dunlop wins and marking a testament of Dunlop’s tyre performance for prototypes Motorsport Europe General Manager, Jean-Felix Bazelin. through the previous year. workout Making the correct calls were the ELMS-entered Jota Zytek Z11SN-Nissan overall Level 5 Motorsport came through to be top of the American driven by and to take the LMP2 win after fast- entrants at Sebring, but the sensational story from the class was paced and strategic battle with the #25 ADR-Delta Oreca of pole-man John that the first ever FIA World Championship LMP2 victors, (Stephane Martin, and , which was the first of the WEC-entered podium at Sarrazin, Vicente Potolicchio and sharing an HPD- cars home. ) finished on the overall podium, ahead of many of the runners Sebring from the LMP1 class.

07 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu JUNE 2012 08 Race derived Grip and Braking for the road

DUNLOP BOOST FOR LMP2 After the first two rounds of the World Endurance Championship DUNLOP LE MANS PODIUM AWARD (WEC) at Sebring, where a Dunlop-shod car was on the podium, If any team gets a Dunlop-shod LMP2 car on the overall Le Mans and Spa, where the LMP2 race was one of the most exciting battles podium, repeating the incredible feat at Sebring, they will be in the overall field, it is clear that the class creates some of the rewarded with free tyres for the remainder of the 2012 WEC or closest and most exciting racing in this new championship, and European Le Mans (ELMS) season. Dunlop are introducing some new awards that will help to raise the profile of this category even higher. LMP2 is a very important category to Dunlop. With this category DUNLOP LE MANS TOP SIX AWARD New short breaking Massive outer New adaptive Light construction now attracting more top level talent than ever before, and Dunlop blocks for reduced shoulder blocks for compound for enhanced carcass to improve If any team gets a Dunlop-shod LMP2 car into the top six overall breaking distance improved stability grip on wet and dry fuel efficiency committed to developing the tyres that won the 2011 International finishers, Dunlop will supply free of charge tyres for the Silverstone and European Championships, Dunlop have introduced new WEC or Donington ELMS race. awards for podium and top six finishes at Le Mans and fastest lap awards for the rest of the season. DUNLOP LAP RECORD AWARD To prove the pace of development Dunlop will award a set of tyres to the team that achieves fastest lap at Le Mans 24H and the subsequent ELMS and WEC races. If this lap time is faster than the existing lap-record at Le Mans, Silverstone, Donington, Brno or Portimao (the circuits which have hosted ILMC or ELMS LMP2 races in the past), we will award two sets of Dunlop tyres as the prize. www.dunlop.eu 09 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu LE MANS SPECIAL Dunlop & Le Mans Dunlop has been part of endurance racing since the early conditions which can be encountered over the 24 hour especially true at Le Mans, where part of the circuit has a days of Le Mans when the achieved serial duration of the race. highly polished surface from the millions of cars and trucks success, through the glamour years of the 1950s, when To win at Le Mans, tyres need to balance grip, durability that pound the tarmac. Add particles from road tyres and Jaguar did the same. and consistency with low weight and low rolling resistance. even diesel spills, and in wet weather this can create a much Endurance racing is a demanding but rewarding discipline The demands are very close to those of a GT road car. greasier track than usual. This capricious nature is what a for Dunlop’s engineers. The requirement is not only for Wet weather takes the relationship further. The tread driver can find every day on a normal road. The processes endurance but also consistency of performance. The lessons pattern developed on Dunlop wet race tyres was the used by Dunlop’s tyre designers to understand and of the long-distance races are learned to the benefit of inspiration for the design of many of Dunlop’s overcome this changeability through compound production tyres: a cornerstone of Dunlop’s race-to-road high-performance road tyres. The Dunlop SP QuattroMaxx development are exactly the same for road and race tyres. philosophy. road tyre features different zones in the tread pattern like Dunlop’s recently launched Ultra High Performance tyre, Dunlop races to push forward our technology, challenge those of the new Dunlop endurance wet race tyre. This the Sport Maxx Race, makes use of race-proven polymers our engineers and bring benefits from the to the improves grip and driver feedback in changeable conditions together with plastifier for higher compound adaptability to road. The Le Mans 24 Hour race is a fantastic test for tyre and under different loads. the road surface meaning superior grip. performance and technology due to its endurance nature, Tyre compounds developed in the hothouse of racing also the crucial aspect of tyre strategy and the wide race of play their part in improving production tyres. This is

11 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu JUNE 2012 12 LE MANS SPECIAL

Franck Mailleux - Frenchman Mailleux will be racing with the team for the #28 LOLA B12/80 COUPE-NISSAN (LMP2, WEC) fourth straight season at Le Mans and was part of the line-up that took second in LMP2 last year. That result was also his best overall finish in ninth - Giroix, who has extensive experience of racing in a range of place. series, made his return to Le Mans last season having previously competed in a McLaren F1 GTR on two occasions back in the early 1990s, although - Lombard will be competing at Le Mans for the second he failed to make it to the finish. This season will be his fourth attempt on time and enters the race as defending LMP2 champion having been part of the race. the winning Greaves Motorsport line-up last season. Maxime Jousse - Youngster Jousse will be making his debut at Le Mans #26 -NISSAN (LMP2) having switched to sportscar racing for 2012.

Pierre Ragues - Ragues returns to the former to take part - Experienced Swede Stefan Johansson will be in his fifth Le Mans 24 Hours having competed in LMP1 with OAK Racing returning to Le Mans for the first time since 2008. The former F1 driver will TEAM FOCUS last year. The French driver took third in LMP2 with Saulnier Racing back in be competing in the race for the 15th time and has three class wins to his 2008. name, including an overall success in 1997 with . - Lahaye will return to Le Mans for the fourth time this OAK RACING - Former single-seater racer Rusinov returns to Le Mans #29 LOLA B12/80 COUPE-NISSAN (LMP2, WEC) season having been forced to miss the race last year following an accident for his first appearance in a prototype car having previously competed in the in qualifying at Spa. Finished third in LMP2 in 2008 and then second in OAK Racing are one of Dunlop’s official partners and again field cars across round the clock classic in both GT1 and GT2. - Japanese female racer Ihara is another driver set to debut in class in 2010; both with the OAK Racing team. two classes at Le Mans; with one car in LMP1 and two in LMP2. The #15 the Le Mans 24 Hours, with her previous experience including races in entry, which is registered for the WEC, will hope for a more trouble-free race - Another driver from a single-seater background, Super GT, Formula BMW and British F3. -Pla will be racing at Le Mans with OAK Racing for the first time than at Sebring and Spa where engine issues and suspension failure hit its Panciatici moves into sportscars having previously raced in F3, GP2 and the after joining the team in the second half of 2011 but has plenty of challenge, but the team will aim to challenge for petrol honours with a solid World Series. This season will mark his debut in the Le Mans 24 Jean-Denis Deletraz - Deletraz will be competing at Le Mans for the experience of competing in the French classic having made four previous driver line-up that is capable of bringing home a strong result. Hours. eighth time, with 2012 being his first appearance since retiring from the race starts with the Quifel-ASM team. The LMP2 challenge sees OAK fielding two cars, both badged as Morgans in 2007. His best result was fifth overall back in 2001, the first of two class and one of which – the #23 – is registered for the WEC. The second car will victories in successive seasons. run at Le Mans with a new Nissan engine as the team takes the opportunity #35 MORGAN-NISSAN (LMP2) ADR-DELTA to use Le Mans to look at the performance of the powerplant alongside the Steve Quick - Quick will be making his debut at Le Mans this season but - Experienced Belgian driver Leinders will be competing at The ADR-Delta team has been formed for 2012 after Automotive and it already campaigns. has previous experience of endurance racing having competed in series Le Mans for the third time, with his best result being seventh in LMP1 last Motorsport Engineering company Delta Motorsport joined forces with Alan including British GT, Dutch Supercar and International GT Open. #15 PESCAROLO-JUDD (LMP1, WEC) season with the Kronos Racing team. Leinders made his first appearance in Docking Racing to expand into sportscar competition. OAK Racing colours at Spa, finishing in fourth place in class. - OAK regular Moreau returns to lead the line-up for the Thus far, the debut season has been a success with a maximum score in STATUS GRAND PRIX LMP1 programme again and will be eager to avoid a repeat of the retirement - Martin will be making his second appearance at Le Mans the second round of the WEC at Spa meaning the team heads into Le Mans he suffered last season. The former single-seater racer has a Le Mans series, having debuted alongside Leinders in the Kronos Racing Lola Aston on top of the LMP2 standings. Founded in 2005, Status Grand Prix has enjoyed success in single-seaters, podium to his name having helped OAK to second in LMP2 back in 2010. Martin last year. The Belgian has been a race winner in a range of series, winning the A1GP title with Team Ireland in 2009 and finishing second in including the GT1 World Championship and Blancpain Endurance. #25 ORECA 03-NISSAN (LMP2) GP3 in 2010. Having been a technical partner to teams competing at Le - Another driver from a single-seater background, Mans on a number of occasions in the past, the team elected to launch its Baguette will be making his debut at Le Mans having joined OAK Racing at David Heinmeier Hansson - Hansson will be making his Le Mans debut John Martin - Martin will be making his debut in the Le Mans 24 Hours own sportscar programme with an entry in the European Le Mans Series for the start of the year. A former Renault World Series champion, Baguette’s this season with OAK Racing but already has three podium finishes to his having spent recent seasons competing with the ADR team in Superleague 2012. Initially on the reserve list, the team earned a slot at Le Mans when only previous sportscar experience came in a one-off outing in a GT2 car at name in the ALMS, where he drives a similar Morgan-Nissan for the Formula, where he secured the title last year. Dyson Racing withdrew. Spa and in two rounds of the GT1 World Championship last year. Conquest Endurance team. Robbie Kerr - Former British F3 champion Kerr will be returning to Le Mans #30 LOLA-JUDD (LMP2) - Kraihamer will be making his LMP1 debut at Le SIGNATECH NISSAN for the first time since 2007, when he helped Barazi Epsilon to second place Mans having made it’s first appearance at the last in the LMP2 class. Alexander Sims - British driver Sims will be making his debut at Le Mans season in Team Oreca’s LMP2 entry. The Austrian joins OAK Racing this Signatech Nissan was formed out of the Signature Racing team last season having enjoyed success in a range of single-seater categories, with wins in Tor Graves - Thai racer Graves raced with Alan Docking Racing back in season having taken two podium finishes with the Boutsen Energy team in when it went into a two-year partnership with Nissan. It’s Oreca 03-Nissan , F3 and GP3, where he raced for the Status team last year. 2000-2001 and will now be competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first last year’s Le Mans Series. was quick throughout 2011, taking second in LMP2 at Le Mans and then time. securing the LMP2 title in the Intercontinental Le Mans Challenge – the - Former single-seater racer Buurman will be racing at Le #24 MORGAN-JUDD (LMP2, WEC) pre-cursor to the WEC. Mans for the first time this season having enjoyed success in the GT1 World GULF RACING MIDDLE EAST Championship in recent seasons following a switch to sportscar -Team boss Nicolet returns to the LMP2 class this #23 ORECA 03-NISSAN (LMP2, WEC) competition. season having been part of OAK’s second LMP1 entry last year. Nicolet Having debuted in the Le Mans 24 Hours last season in the GT2 class, Gulf was part of the OAK line-up that finished on the LMP2 podium in 2009 and - Tresson will be making his debut in the Le Mans 24 Racing Middle East returns to the race this year having moved up to LMP2 - Iannetta will be making his fifth appearance at Le Mans started 2012 with a second in class at Sebring. Hours and is another graduate of the Nissan GT Academy. The 24-year old with a pair of Lola Coupes. After a difficult start to the season at Sebring but his first since 2009, when he finished 24th overall as part of the Creation moves into prototype racing having won the GT4 crown in the Blancpain where only one car raced, the team picked up a top six finish at Spa in Autosportif team. Endurance Series last year. round two.

13 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu JUNE 2012 14 LE MANS SPECIALLOTUS RACE PERFORMANCE Philippe Thirion - Thirion will be making his Le Mans debut this season having returned to LMP2 racing with the Extreme Limite team. The Lotus LMP2 programme is being run by former F1 team boss Colin Race Performance will be competing at Le Mans for the third straight season Kolles and his Kodewa team, with one car confirmed on the entry list for Le having finished sixth in the LMP2 class for the past two years – firstly with a - Haezebrouck will be competing in the race for the Mans. However, the team’s second car – which made its first appearance at Radical SR9 and then with the Oreca-Judd package being campaigned fourth time having returned at the wheel of the Norma last season. His 2001 Spa – is the first reserve of those left on the list should any team withdraw. again in 2012. debut saw him finish on the GT class podium. The team returns to Le Mans for the first time since 2010 when it failed to see the finish with either of the two Audi R10s entered. #40 ORECA 03-JUDD (LMP2) STARWORKS MOTORSPORT #31 LOLA B12/80 COUPE-LOTUS (LMP2, WEC) Michel Frey - Frey will be racing at Le Mans for the second time having Grand-Am front-runners Starworks expand for 2012 having lodged an entry made his debut with the Race Performance team last season. for the full World Endurance Championship season. The season started with Thomas Holzer - Former F3 racer Holzer is set to make his debut at Le an overall podium finish and LMP2 victory in the opening round at Sebring Mans having switched to prototype competition for 2012. His past Jonathan Hirschi - Hirschi will be competing at Le Mans for the third time and, despite a tougher weekend at Spa during round two, the team heads to experience of sportscar racing comes from a season in the ADAC GT having raced in both GT1 and then GTE-Pro in recent years – making 2012 Le Mans as one of the fancied runners. Masters in 2011. his first Le Mans in a prototype car. #44 HPD ARX 03b-HONDA (LMP2, WEC) Mirco Schultis - Schultis is also set to make his debut at Le Mans this Ralph Meichtry - Meichtry returns for his third attempt at the Le Mans 24 season, having taken victory in the Formula Le Mans class of the Le Mans Hours, having been part of the Race Performance line-up for the past two - Potolicchio will be making his debut at Le Mans but has Series last year. years. shown his ability in endurance racing having been part of the Starworks team that finished second in the Daytona 24 Hours earlier this year. Luca Moro - Moro will be making his debut at Le Mans, with his past GREAVES MOTORSPORT experience of prototype competition coming from Formula Le Mans and the Ryan Dalziel - Dalziel, a former winner of the Daytona 24 Hours, will be LMPC class in the ALMS. Greaves Motorsport turned out to be one of the success stories of the 2011 competing at Le Mans for the second time having debuted with Jaguar RSR season, winning the LMP2 class at Le Mans thanks to , Tom back in 2010. This season will however be his first appearance in a prototype. Kimber-Smith and Olivier Lombard and then wrapping up the LMP2 title in the Le Mans Series. The team heads into Le Mans with its WEC entered car Tom Kimber-Smith - Kimber-Smith will be competing at Le Mans for the Level 5 Motorsports will fly the flag for the ALMS prototype teams at Le Mans sitting fourth in the LMP2 standings. fourth time after being called up to replace Stephane Sarrazin, who in turn has after Dyson’s withdrawal from the LMP1 class. The team heads to switched to Toyota. The Briton has won his class twice in the past, taking having taken LMP2 honours in all three ALMS races run so far, while it was #41 ZYTEK Z11SN-NISSAN (LMP2, WEC) GT2 honours on his debut in 2006 and being part of the Greaves Motorsport also first ALMS runner home in the opening round of the WEC at Sebring. team that won LMP2 last year. Running a Lola Coupe, the team took third in LMP2 last season and tenth Christian Zugel - Zugel will be racing at Le Mans for the first time having overall. previously competed in the LMPC and Formula Le Mans classes in the ALMS and Le Mans Series. BOUTSEN GINION RACING #33 HPD ARX 03b-HONDA (LMP2) Having run in the Le Mans Series last year, Boutsen Ginion Racing – part Ricardo Gonzalez - Gonzalez is another Le Mans debutant, having elected owned by former F1 racer Thierry – will race at Le Mans for the first time this Scott Tucker - Team boss Tucker returns to Le Mans for the third time to move up to LMP2 on the back of winning the LMPC class in the American season using the same Oreca-Nissan package it raced in the LMS last year. having debuted in a Kolles-run Audi in 2010. He was part of the line-up that Le Mans Series last year. took an LMP2 podium twelve months ago. #45 ORECA 03-NISSAN (LMP2) - Julian will be competing at Le Mans for the second time - Bouchut is one of the most experienced drivers in having finished seventh overall with the team back in Bastien Briere - Briere will be returning to Le Mans for his fourth attempt at the field, with 2012 set to be his 19th Le Mans 24 Hours. Including last 2005. the race with his three previous starts all ending in retirement – the most season, the Frenchman has four class podium finishes including an overall recent in 2005. win back in 1993. #42 ZYTEK Z11SN-NISSAN (LMP2) Jens Petersen - Petersen will be making his Le Mans debut in 2012 but has Luis Diaz - Diaz will be making his debut at Le Mans but brings plenty of - Former F1 racer Brundle will return to Le Mans for the first experience of prototype cars from competing in both Formula Le Mans and experience of sportscar competition, including winning the LMP2 title in the time since 2001 to race alongside his son Alex. His best finish was victory the LMPC class of the American Le Mans Series, where he won at Sebring ALMS back in 2009. with Jaguar in 1990, the only time he has actually seen the finish of the last year and finished ninth overall. French race. - Former F1 racer Nakano will be competing at Le Mans for JOTA - Brundle Jr will be racing at Le Mans for the first time this the sixth time, with fifth in LMP2 with OAK Racing last year being his best season having elected to make a switch into sportscars with the Greaves result to date. Having returned to Le Mans last season with an entry in the GTE-Pro class, team. His programme in the ELMS is alongside a GP3 entry with Carlin. Jota was set to move to LMP1 this season with an AMR-One only for those plans to be shelved after the demise of the programme. Instead, a multi-year Lucas Ordonez - Ordonez, the first winner of the Nissan GT Academy, will THIRIET BY TDS RACING deal sees the team returning to its roots to run a Zytek chassis in LMP2. be competing at Le Mans for the second time having finished second in the LMP2 class last year with Signatech Nissan. Thiriet by TDS Racing will be competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first #38 ZYTEK Z11SN-NISSAN (LMP2) time with its Oreca-Nissan. The team heads the European Le Mans Series standings having taken victory in the season opener at Paul Ricard. Sam Hancock - Hancock will be racing at Le Mans for the seventh time and EXTREME LIMITE ARIC returns to a prototype for the first time since he missed out on a top four #46 ORECA 03-NISSAN (LMP2) finish when his Racing-entered car was forced to retire in the The Extreme Limite team is due to compete at Le Mans for the second time, having earned a place in the race last year after initially only being on the final hour. - Experienced racer Tinseau will be the main man in the reserve list. TDS Racing line-up having competed at Le Mans ten times in the past – Simon Dolan - Dolan will be competing at Le Mans for the second time including four outings with in the past five years. having made his debut last season. That debut run ended in retirement. The plan is to once again field the only Norma chassis in the field, although a heavy accident at Spa has left the French team with work to do ahead of the - Beche, a multiple winner in Formula Le Mans, will be big race. Haruki Kurosawa - Kurosawa will be returning to Le Mans for the sixth time making his Le Mans debut. and has two class podiums to his name, taking second in GT in 2004 and #43 NORMA MP2000-JUDD (LMP2) second in LMP2 in 2007. - Thiriet will be competing at Le Mans for the second time, having failed to see the finish in a GTE Ferrari last year. Fabian Rosier - Rosier will be making his second appearance at Le Mans having debuted with the Extreme Limite team last season when it failed to make it to the finish. 15 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu JUNE 2012 16

LE MANS SPECIALMurphy Prototypes is the team that was known as RLR Msport for the 2011 Le Mans Series season and will be debuting at the Circuit de la Sarthe this year, having been promoted into TYRE SIMULATION the race from the reserve list. Tyre ENERGY In addition to the overall energy, we can look at the relative energy #48 ORECA 03-NISSAN (LMP2) going into each tyre. The long straights of Le Mans allow the front - Hughes will be competing at Le Mans for the ninth time, with his best TECHNIQUES tyres to cool, whilst the rears are working to accelerate the car result being LMP2 victory with RML back in 2005. giving a split between the front and rear tyres:

Jody Firth - Firth, a title winner in British GT4 and the SPEED Euroseries, will be making his debut at Le Mans. OVERVIEW - Hartley will be making his debut at Le Mans having moved into To assess the demands of each racetrack on the tyres sportscars for the first time this season, making his debut with the team at Spa. Prior to Dunlop Motorsport uses lap-time simulation tools to drive that, he was a race winner in F3 and a test and reserve driver for the Red Bull and Toro a virtual car around the circuit. All the key tyre parameters Rosso F1 teams. such as tyre loads, slip angles, camber, lateral and longitudinal forces are recorded and analysed. PECOM RACING The main parameter of interest is the amount of energy Pecom Racing returns to Le Mans again this season with a single car entry in the World going into the tyre as a result of generating the grip Endurance Championship. The Oreca-Nissan is once again handled by the leading Italian required for a fast lap time, and this can be calculated from the output of the simulation. team AF Corse, as was the case last season when the team entered a Lola Judd at La Lateral Sliding Whereas the longer corner entries of Silverstone and the fast Sarthe. A good comparison is the next two WEC circuits; Le If we take a look at what the left front tyre has to endure at Le sweeping corners load the front tyres a lot more. Silverstone Mans and Silverstone. Le Mans has many long straights Mans, you can see much of the lap is low energy (blue) before #49 ORECA 03-NISSAN (LMP2, WEC) that give the tyre time to recover from generating grip in the also works the left side tyres more than the right side tyres the tyre has to work very hard at the end of the lap in the Porsche previous corner. Silverstone on the other hand has many and this can make for some interesting strategies both on tyre Curves: Luis Perez-Companc - Former WRC driver Companc will be competing at Le Mans for the high- corners, and the tyre is constantly working. compound and the number of tyres changed at a pit-stop: third time, with his best result being 26th overall on his debut in a GT2 Ferrari back in 2009. The circuit for the opening WEC round, Sebring, is roughly - Kaffer will be racing at Le Mans for the sixth time in his career, and second between the two: as part of the Pecom Racing line-up. His best result to date was fifth overall on his 2004 debut with Audi while the German also took the GT2 crown with in 2009. 1.2

Soheil Ayari - Ayari will be making his eleventh appearance in the Le Mans 24 Hours this 1.0 Silverstone season, with his best finish being fourth overall in both 2004 with Pescarolo and in 2010 with PORSCHE CURVES Team Oreca. Ayari was part of the Signatech team that took second in LMP2 last year. 0.8 Sebring JMW MOTORSPORT 0.6 Le Mans 0.4 JMW are the sole Dunlop representative in the GTE-Pro class for 2012 and will aim to improve on the ninth place class finish secured last season. As has been the case in recent 0.2 years, the team will again carry a special livery designed by the winner of Dunlop’s Le Mans Art Car Competition. 0 #66 FERRARI 458 ITALIA (GTE-PRO) OVERALL ENergy Level Left Front Lateral Sliding

James Walker - Walker will be making his debut at Le Mans, having previously been a race winner in single-seaters. He made the switch to sportscars last season with JMW as part of its Le Mans Series programme. 1.2

Jonathan Cocker - Cocker will be returning to Le Mans for the third time, having driven for GRAINING RISK Drayson Racing in both 2009 and 2010. Alongside Walker, Cocker won the opening ELMS 1.0 GRAINING event of the year at Paul Ricard. 0.8 Graining is talked about in many championships, but Roger Wills - Wills will be making his second appearance at Le Mans, having made his what is it? Graining is heavy abrasion as a result of the debut last year with CRS Racing – although his car failed to make it to the finish. 0.6 tread rubber not having adequate shear strength to resist the forces applied to it. This can happen if a compound KROHN RACING 0.4 is too hard in cold conditions (“cold graining”) or if the compound is too soft in cold or hot conditions. Having entered Le Mans in its own right for the first time last season, Krohn Racing returns 0.2 To assess the risk of graining, many factors are again in 2012. While the driver line-up is unchanged, the team has swapped its Ferrari 430 considered: track surface, tyre compound type, chassis for a new 458 Italia and will hope for no repeat of the retirement suffered last year. 0 and set-up, driving style. Looking at the circuit layout, the longest corner will generally have the highest graining risk. #57 FERRARI 458 ITALIA (GTE-AM, WEC) PA ch S This is because a lot of energy is going through the tyre timore ard 1A Laguna Le Mans SEBRING without giving it an opportunity to recover. This can be - Team owner Krohn made his Le Mans debut in 2006 and took second in the Bal Long bea SILVERSTONE GT2 class the following season in a Risi-Krohn Ferrari 430. He claimed another GT2 podium Nürburgring assessed using the lap-time simulation. Paul RIc finish in 2009 finishing third. Nordschleife

Nic Jonsson - Krohn’s long-time driving partner, Jonsson also made his Le Mans debut in Paul Ricard is one of the most aggressive tracks due to the long Signes corner at the end of the Mistral straight. Le Mans is actually quite high due to the Porsche curves, and made worse due to low downforce levels. At the other end of the scale we can see the street circuits of Long Beach and Baltimore. In these cases a low graining 2006 before going on to secure GT2 podium finishes in both 2007 and 2009. risk means street soft compounds can be used to maximise grip without adversely affecting durability. - Rugolo will be competing at Le Mans for the third time, with last season’s race being his first appearance since finishing eleventh on his debut back in 2003. motorsport.dunlop.eu JUNE 2012 18 LE MANS SPECIAL ART CAR Competition

The winner of the 2012 Dunlop Art Car Competition, Egidijus Gužauskas from Lithuania, watched his design unveiled below the iconic ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours at the test day on June 3rd. Winner of 2012 is the fourth year of the competition and this year the judges were less prescriptive with their brief, looking for a more artistic rendition than in previous years. The entries did not disappoint and included a wide variety of interpretations including animal print, camouflage and 2012 Dunlop multitudes of colour and tributes to the British flag in honour of Dunlop and the UK team and drivers. 13 countries took part in the competition with four finalists chosen Art Car from 175 entrants. A jury and the public decided the outcome following a vote on the Dunlop Art Car website. Egidijus Gužauskas titled his prize winning work ‘Speed Rhythm’ and Competition is his interpretation of Dunlop tyres, speed, contrast, art and paint. The design is a clever portrayal of tyre treads over Dunlop yellow bodywork with speed being demonstrated by paint being seen to ‘run’ across the car. The artwork will be seen by over 200,000 spectators and millions of unveiled TV viewers worldwide when the car races at Le Mans 24H, June 16th and 17th.

“I have been a creative person from my early years. I started to practice large size paintings and murals in 2000. It is an interesting way to express myself and let out my creativity, and a chance to make something beautiful. I’m always interested in trying something new and exciting; the Dunlop Art Car Competition was an excellent opportunity to express myself on a sports car.”

Egidijus Gužauskas

“We are delighted by the entries we received this year and it was rewarding to see how race fans and budding designers alike were inspired to create great designs, especially the more artistic interpretations. The jury feel that Egidijus’ entry is a worthy winner because it maintains the Dunlop by use of colour while bringing in an artistic element with the tyre tread and paint splashes. It will be very eye-catching and I am looking forward to seeing the car take to the track.”

Sanjay Khanna, Managing Director, Dunlop Brand

19 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu JUNE 2012 20 Dunlop Pole and Pace at Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Dunlop demonstrated its tyre performance prowess in the fortieth running of the Nürburgring 24 Hours with pole position, the race’s fastest lap and some exceptional pace from its latest generation of racing tyres on May 19-20. Dunlop tyres, the #19 BMW Team Schubert BMW Z4 GT3 and the talents of Nordschleife specialist meant pole position went Dunlop’s way in the new individual time trial qualifying format. Alzen’s lap of 8m 18.382s was over 1.3secs faster than his nearest rival. Jörg Müller took the race start in the #19 BMW and emerged at the end of the first lap a phenomenal 9.1 seconds ahead of the next closest car, highlighting that the qualifying time of the Z4- Dunlop combination was not just a lucky run. Indeed, the #19 car kept up a relentless pace into the night, blasting through the transition from Saturday to Sunday until damage to the rear right at just past 03:00 hrs meant a stop to replace both driveshafts. Back in the fight, the #19 car charged back to ninth in the overall standings. Its race-winning potential was illustrated by setting the race’s fastest lap of 8m 27.161s at an average of 180.142 kph. In the early hours of the morning, Dunlop race lead focus then moved to the #22 AMG SLS which provided a ringing endorsement of Dunlop’s latest wet weather racing tyres when rain fell. Star of the wet conditions, , turned in a number of laps around 20 seconds faster than the opposition at this vital part of the race. Come the morning, a mechanical issue meant the #22 car had to make a long stop in the pits, and later was to stop out on track, out of the race. As one Dunlop challenge faded, so another asserted itself, as the #20 BMW Team Schubert sister Z4 to the pole car took up the reins and led the charge in the now dry morning race. Fighting for and taking the lead as the race approached midday on Sunday, the second Z4 looked as strong in the later stages of the race as its compadre had done in the early stages. Alas, as there was similar success, there was similar setback as the #20 headed to the pits to receive a fix for its driveshafts’ demise. Returning to the race, the #20 then found itself dicing with its sister car, eventually finishing one place behind in tenth at the chequered flag.

21 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu JUNE 2012 22 Although the motorsport season has yet to even reach the Dunlop’s endurance tyres were also on form during the halfway stage, Dunlop has already enjoyed plenty of success in Nürburgring 24 Hours, helping BMW Team Schubert to secure 2012 thus far, with a number of victories in the various pole position and the fastest lap of the race around the categories where it is represented on the grid. challenging Nordschleife. In total, three Dunlop cars would lead In the sportscar world, Dunlop’s teams in the World the event as the pace and durability of the latest racing tyres Endurance Championship enjoyed a fine start to the season at enabled them to show front-running pace, even though Sebring with an astonishing performance from Stephane mechanical issues would rule them out of the victory fight. Sarrazin, Vicente Potolicchio and Ryan Dalziel securing an overall Action aplenty has been the order of the day in the podium finish for LMP2 debutants Starworks Motorsport; ahead Dunlop-backed British Touring Car Championship, where five of a number of LMP1 runners. OAK Racing meanwhile finished different drivers have tasted victory after nine races. NGTC-spec just off the podium in fourth. cars running on a larger Dunlop tyre introduced into the series The second round of the season at Spa saw Dunlop’s LMP2 last year have won six times. Down under meanwhile, Dunlop’s teams again impress with three teams finishing inside the top ten control tyre has helped to create another exciting V8 Supercar overall. Victory in class went to , but with the Zytek title fight, with Will Davison and Jamie Whincup split by just ten team not competing in the WEC, maximum points went to points after eleven races. ADR-Delta instead – giving them the LMP2 points lead. In the Back in Europe, there has been podium success for Dunlop in GTE-Am class, Krohn Racing lead the Dunlop challenge in third the VLN Endurance Series while the new GT Open season – spot after a brace of fifth place finishes. where all cars run - saw Manthey Racing start Dunlop also enjoyed double success in the first European Le the campaign with a double win at Portimao thanks to Marco Mans Series race of the year at Paul Ricard, with victory in the Holzer and . In the F3 Open series, victories were race going to the TDS Racing pairing of Mathias Beche and shared by EmiliodeVillota Motorsport team-mates Juan Carlos Pierre Thiriet. In the GTE-Pro class, JMW Motorsport pair Jonny Sistos and Mans Grenhagen in Portugal. Cocker and James Walker were able to make their Dunlop tyres Be it sportscars, touring cars or single-seaters, Dunlop has last to open the season with a win having completed fewer once again struck a winning formula so far in 2012… stops than their rivals. In the ALMS, Dunlop has taken victory in all three classes it is represented in through the first three races. Defending champions Dyson Racing took LMP1 honours amongst the ALMS field at Sebring and followed it up with second at both Long Beach and Laguna Seca, while Level 5 Motorsport has emerged victorious in LMP2 in all three races and was top ALMS finisher at Sebring. Dunlop and BMW Team RLL also started the defence of the ALMS GT title in dramatic fashion with victory at Sebring, beating the WEC field to be the first GT car home despite being tipped into a spin on the final lap. Further podium finishes followed at Long Beach and Laguna Seca, while the Chopard Racing Porsche of Paul Miller Racing was first Porsche home at Sebring and has finished inside the top eight in all three races. Dunlop’s season actually started with another endurance race, the Dubai 24 Hours, where the tyre supplier provided rubber for every team for the third successive season. Showing the performance of the Dunlop tyres, the seventh running of the race saw the winning Black Falcon Mercedes SLS of Khaled Al Qubaisi, Sean Edwards, and Thomas Jäger establish a new distance record for the event; completing wonders more than 3,380km during the race.

23 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu JUNE 2012 24 Dunlop’s 2012 motorcycle sport campaign is now in full swing, In American , Dunlop continues as the exclusive with yellow cap competitors doing battle on every type of terrain tyre supplier for the AMA Supersport, Daytona Sportbike and and championships ranging from domestic series to grand prix American Superbike classes. racing. After six races, Blake Young (Suzuki) and Josh Hayes The all-Dunlop Moto2 World Championship began its third (Yamaha) are separated by four points at the head of the season at Qatar in April. Three different riders have won from the Superbike standings, with three wins each. Martin Cardenas opening four rounds, with last year’s title runner-up Marc (Suzuki) holds the early advantage in the Sportbike class, with Marquez (Suter) - presently only a single point from Pol Jake Lewis (Suzuki) enjoying the strongest start in Supersport. Espargaro (Kalex) who is leading the standings. The opening round of the marathon-style Endurance World Espargaro took his maiden win at Jerez, while Thomas Luthi Championship saw Dunlop continue its winning streak in the Bol (Suter) conquered wet conditions at Le Mans and completes a d’Or, courtesy of a SuperStock class victory for Endurance Moto top three covered by just three points! Machine and tyre Center (Kawasaki). development have allowed new lap records to be set in both dry Dunlop also came agonisingly close to another overall victory races, at Qatar and Estoril. with the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team - which was fastest for Qatar also marked the debut of the new Moto3 World 90% of the race, but left runner-up following a fall in the variable Championship, also boasting Dunlop as exclusive tyre supplier. weather conditions. Dunlop’s peerless 125GP knowledge proved an excellent The start of the new Alpe Adria season saw Dunlop romp to foundation for the replacement four-stroke championship, which four victories (125GP, Stock 600, Stock 1000 and Superbike) has produced four different winners (Maverick Viñales, Romano with four different manufacturers, plus two further wins in the Fenati, Sandro Cortese and Louis Rossi) from four rounds! Czech Open races. KTM’s Cortese leads the early standings, while the rate of Dunlop has also helped Robert Bugden (Suzuki) take a record technical progress means Moto3 is already on the verge of fourth New Zealand Superbike Championship, thanks to breaking all-time 125cc lap records. back-to-back wins at the final round in Taupo. 2012 marks the second season in Dunlop’s comeback to Quite a start to 2012! the MX1 Motocross World Championship. The Kawasaki Racing Team switched to Dunlop over the winter and was Racing with Confidence rewarded with victory for MX1 rookie Gautier Paulin in only the second grand prix of the season. Five rounds in and the young This season we take you behind the scenes at MotoGP with Frenchman holds a close fourth in the championship aseries of short films to explain how Dunlop tyres play an integral standings. Team-mate Xavier Boog is eighth with one moto win role in the set-up, handling and overall riding performance of under his belt. Moto2 /Moto3 race machines. Click here to watch the first Honda World Motocross, starting its second season on edition about braking performance. Dunlops after a victory and numerous podiums with Evgeny Bobryshev and Rui Goncalves last season, has seen its early challenge hampered by injuries. The pair continue to bravely rack-up points while awaiting full fitness. Grand Prix motocross offers arguably the purest test of man, machine and terrain, but there are few championships that rival the glitz and glamour of the US-based World/AMA Supercross Series. Racing through the winter months on specially constructed stadium circuits, the riders are among the most famous and well paid motorsports stars in the USA. They also know tyres are crucial to their success and Dunlop completed a perfect sweep of all three 2012 classes, courtesy TWO of Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki) in the premier 450cc championship, plus Eli Tomac (Honda, SX West) and Justin GOOD! Barcia (Honda, SX East) in the 250cc categories. 25 JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu motorsport.dunlop.eu JUNE 2012 26 CATWLENDERO WHEELS CAFLENOUDER r WHEELS

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Moto2 World Championship AMA Superbike CIV AMA FIM WORLD FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP International GT Open MSA British Endurance Championship 8 Apr Qatar 15-17 Mar Daytona 200 25 Mar Mugello SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP 17 Mar 28 Apr Portimao (Portugal) 24 Mar silverstone 29 Apr Jerez 20-22 Apr road Atlanta 8 Apr iMola 7 Jan anaheim 5 May 6 Heures de Spa-Francorchamps 26 May nürbUrgring () 21 Apr Donington 6 May estoril 4-6 May infineon 29 Apr Monza 14 Jan Phoenix 16–17 June 24 Heures du Mans 23 June sPa (Belgium) 12 May snetterton 20 May Le Mans 26-28 May Miller Motorsports 23 June Mugello 21 Jan Los Angeles 26 Aug 6 Hours of Silverstone 14 Jul Hatch () 2 June Indy 3 June Catalunya Park 24 June Mugello 28 Jan oakland 15 Sept 6 Hours of São Paulo 21 Jul Paul Ricard (France) 23 June 17 June silverstone 1-3 June 28 Jul Misano 4 FeB anaheim 29 Sept 6 Hours of Bahrain 8 Sept (Hungary) 14-15 Jul Brands Hatch 30 June assen 22-24 June Barber Motorsports 29 Jul Misano 11 FeB san Diego 14 Oct 28 Sept Monza (Italy) 18-19 Aug snetterton 8 JuL Park 14 Oct Vallelunga 18 FeB arlington 27 Oct 6 Hours of Shanghai 3 Nov Barcelona (Spain) 21-23 Sept silverstone 24 Hours 15 Jul Mugello 13-15 Jul Mid-Ohio 25 FeB atlanta 2-3 Nov 19 Aug indianapolis 27-29 Jul Laguna Seca 3 Mar st Louis European Le Mans Series V8 Supercar FFM PROMOSPORT CUP 1 Apr 6 Hours of Castellet 1-4 Mar Clipsal 500 Adelaide Supercar Challenge powered by Dunlop 26 Aug BRNO 7-9 Sept new Jersey 8 apr Ledenon 10 Mar Daytona 16 Sept Misano Motorsports Park 17 Mar indianapolis 20 May 6 Hours of Zolder 30 Mar-1 Apr Tasmania Challenge 22 Apr Zolder 13 May Croix 15 Jul 6 Hours of Donington 20-22 Apr itM Hamilton, New Zealand 6 May Zandvoort 30 Sept aragón 21-23 Sept homestead-Miami 3 June nogaro 24 Mar toronto 14 Oct Motegi 5-7 Oct noLA Motorsports 31 Mar houston 9 Sept 6 Hours of Brno 4-6 May trading Post Perth Challenge 27 May nürburgring 24 June Pau Arnos 4 Nov 6 Hours of Algarve 18-20 May Phillip Island 24 June sPa Francorchamps 21 Oct sePANG Park 22 Jul Le Mans 14 Apr new Orleans 28 Oct Phillip Island 21 Apr seattle 15-17 June sKycity Triple Crown, Darwin 8 Jul Zolder 5 Aug M Cours American Le Mans Series 6-8 JuL sucrogen Townsville 400 5 Aug assen 11 Nov Valencia CEV 19 Aug aLÉs 28 Apr salt Lake City 17 Mar 12 Hours of Sebring 3-5 Aug Coates Hire Ipswich 300 26 Aug Zandvoort 1 Apr Jerez 2 Sept Ledenon 5 May Las Vegas 14 April Long Beach 24-26 Aug Winton 2 Sept assen Moto3 World Championship 22 Apr navarra 30 Sept Carole 8 Apr Qatar 27 May aragón AMA PRO Motocross 2012 Calendar 12 May Laguna Seca 14-16 Sept sandown 500 14 Oct sPa Francorchamps 29 Apr Jerez 24 June Catalunya 19 May Prarie City OHV Park, CA 7 Jul Lime Rock 4-7 Oct supercheap Auto 28 Oct assen 6 May estoril 22 JuL aLBacete FIM Motocross World 26 May freestone Raceway, TX 22 Jul Mosport 19-21 Oct armor All Gold Coast 600, 20 May Le Mans 9 Sept aLBacete Championship 2 June thunder Valley, CO 4 Aug Mid-Ohio Surfers Paradise 18 Aug eLKhart Lake 2-4 NoV yas V8 400, Abu Dhabi 3 June Catalunya 18 Nov Valencia 9 Apr Valkenswaard, 9 June high Point Raceway, PA 1 Sept Baltimore 9-11 NoV tBC 17 June silverstone 16 June Budds Creek, MD 15 Sept Virginia International Raceway 30 Nov-2 DeC sydney Telstra 500 30 June assen IDM 22 Apr Wsevlievo, Bulgaria 7 July redBud, MI 20 Oct , Road Atlanta 8 JuL sachsenring 20-22 Apr Lausitzring 29 Apr fermo, Italy 14 July sPring Creek, MN Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship 15 Jul Mugello 4-6 May oschersleben 13 May guadalajara, Mexico 21 July Washougal, WA 24-HOUR GT 1 Apr Brands Hatch 19 Aug indianapolis 15-17 June nürburgring 20 May Beto Carrero, Brazil 11 Aug Moto-X 338, MA 13-14 Jan Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai 15 April Donington Park 26 Aug BRNO 29 June-1 Jul Österreichring 3 June st Jean d’Angely, 18 Aug unadilla, NY 19-20 May 24 Hours Nürburgring 29 ApriL thruxton 16 Sept Misano 20-22 July assen France 1 Sept steel City, PA 8-9 Sept Barcelona 24 Hours 10 June oulton Park 30 Sept aragón 3-5 Aug sChleizer Dreieck 10 June agueda, Portugal 8 Sept Lake Elsinore, CA 22-23 Sept silverstone 24 Hours 24 June Croft 14 Oct Motegi 1-2 Sept sachsenring 17 June Bastogne, Belgium 12 Aug snetterton 21 Oct sePANG 14-16 Sept 1 JuL uDDevalla, Sweden World Enduro Championship 26 Aug 28 Oct Phillip Island 15 Jul Kegums, Latvia 24-25 Mar Chile 23 Sept rockingham 11 Nov Valencia Alpe Adria Cup 22 JuL semigorje, Russia 31 Mar-1 Apr argentina 7 Oct silverstone 22 Apr sLovakiaring 5 Aug Loket, Czech Republic 5-6 May sPain 21 Oct Brands Hatch FIM Endurance World 13 May Brno 19 Aug Matterley Basin, UK 12-13 May Portugal Championship 3 June Panoniaring 2 Sept Lierop, Netherlands 30 Jun-1 JuL italy 14-15 Apr Bol d’Or 24 Hours 17 June grobnik 9 Sept tBC 25-26 Aug sWeden 10 June 8 Hours of Doha 15 Jul Most 23 Sept teutschenthal, 1-2 Sept finland 29 JuL suzuka 8 Hours 29 Jul Poznan Germany 20-21 Oct france 11-12 Aug oschersleben 8 Hours 19 Aug grobnik 8-9 Sept Le Mans 24 Hours 26 Aug Vransko FIM Motocross of Nations 2 Sept hungaroring 30 Sept Lommel, Belgium 16 Sept grobnik ali Adria motorsport.dunlop.eu JUNE 2012 28 Bring on the sand

The MX11 perfectly illustrates Dunlop’s strategy of using the racetrack as a development lab for new products. In terms of competitive off-road riding, there is no more demanding arena than the World Motocross Championship, which is where the MX11 was created and honed. The result is a tyre with top level performance for grip, braking stability and durability. The combination of advanced Dunlop technology and race development feedback has produced a superior tyre – one that will allow riders to push their machines with total confidence in the toughest conditions.

“It’s important to have a soft surface tyre you can trust; one that holds the line and doesn’t move about. Over the last 18 months we’ve been working with the Dunlop team to refine it and now what we have is the best front tyre I’ve used in those conditions.”

Evgeny Bobryshev, Honda World Motocross squad rider.

“The best compliment I can pay this tyre is that you don’t have to think about it. You can just get on with concentrating on picking the best lines and braking points because you know the tyre will work.”

Rui Gonçalves, Honda World Motocross squad rider. To see the Geomax MX11 in action, view our video here

JUNE 2012 motorsport.dunlop.eu