From a press release issued on behalf of Dunlop:

Dunlop previews Road America race weekend

Elkhart Lake, WI–An invigorating 4.1-mile road course and cool springtime weather greeted America’s top road racers at the sixth stop on the American Motorcyclist Association’s (AMA) 2004 Superbike tour at Road America, June 4-6. Dunlop Motorcycle Tire Company, winner of 18 AMA Superbike titles, including the last 14 in a row, is the dominant brand of tire used in the four series featured here – Superbike, Superstock, Supersport and Formula Extreme. To support the factory teams of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha – not to mention numerous up-and-coming support riders – Dunlop arrived with over 2000 tires and a brace of seasoned technicians.

The race course at Road America is a favorite of the riders and it places significant demands on the tires. “The two long straightaways here put a lot of heat into the center portion of the tread on the rear tire,” said Jim Allen, U.S. manager of road racing. “The factory Honda and Suzuki Superbike teams will have six rear tires options, ranging from medium compounds to hard.” Allen noted that, although the front tires do not see the same degree of abrasion that was apparent at the Infineon and Barber race courses, the teams will nevertheless have three front tire options from which to select.

For Superstock racing, the AMA’s newly-revised class featuring nearly-stock 1000cc open-class sport motorcycles, the factory teams of Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha will have three compound choices each for front and rear racing tires. Since these machines make almost as much horsepower as the Superbikes, the available compounds fall in the medium to hard range.

Qualifying tires will also be provided to the Superbike and Superstock teams.

Road America is one of the AMA’s approved wet-track venues and Dunlop brought rain tires to cope with the ever-changing weather conditions common to Wisconsin’s late spring weather. Superbike and Superstock riders will be provided “intermediate” tires for damp conditions, which are hand-cut versions of the medium and hard compounds noted above. In the event of a steady rain, teams will have two front and two rear “full rain” tire options, which differ basically in tread pattern.

Coming into the mid-season of the 2004 AMA tour, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin leads the Superbike series with 268 points, followed by Erion Racing’s Jake Zemke with 249 and Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel with 245. In Superstock competition, Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking leads teammate Aaron Gobert 173 to 150 points, respectively, while Kawasaki Road Racing’s Tommy Hayden holds third position with 150.