From a press release issued by Dunlop’s advertising and public relations agency, Vreeke & Associates:

What it takes: Dunlop’s AMA road racing support effort

Buffalo, NY – What does it take to support the tire needs of four major OEM’s, their support teams and numerous privateers in the American Motorcyclist Association’s four road racing series? As Dunlop Tire Company’s well-oiled support effort rolls into Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota this weekend for round seven of the AMA’s 2004 Superbike season, a snapshot view reveals a logistical tour-de-force of product and personnel.

For a typical race weekend, two Dunlop 18-wheel transports arrive Wednesday morning of race week with as many as 2000 tires for a “doubleheader”: two Superbike races and three support-class competitions – Superstock, Supersport and Formula Xtreme. The tires vary from racing slicks to DOT-approved tread patterns, in numerous diameters and profiles and a range of compounds. A full complement of rain tires is also included for tracks that are AMA-approved for wet-weather racing.

A brace of seasoned technicians and engineers also arrive on Wednesday and setup begins just after noon. “We’ll bring in as many as 15 tire techs from one of our motorcycle tire distributors for a doubleheader weekend,” says Jim Allen, Dunlop’s manager of U.S. road racing. “On top of that, three service engineers and a development technician will arrive from Europe, and our own support guys arrive from Buffalo, of course – in total, nearly two dozen experienced staff.”

When the race teams arrive in the paddock for practice, Dunlop’s signature yellow and black flags seem signal that this traveling high-tech tire shop is open for business.

Every day of a race weekend is an exercise in adaptive planning and frenetic time management that revolves around track conditions, temperature, weather and race team strategies. It’s not unusual for Dunlop to offer each Superbike factory team up to six rear and three front slick tire tires options, ranging from soft to medium to hard compounds, depending on Dunlop’s extensive track database.

“At a number of races this year, we’ve made tires for specific tracks just two weeks before the race,” says Allen. “It’s our way of bringing the latest know-how to the track using a just-in-time process.” Similar slick tire options are provided to the Superstock and Formula Xtreme teams.

“Our crew’s 12-hour days start at 7:00 am and we’ll run that pace right through Sunday, when we pack up,” says Allen. “By Monday, we’re on the road, headed back to our offices around the world to prep for the next round.”

What drives the Dunlop team to work so hard? “In our hearts, we’re all competitors and we want to win,” Allen says. “We spend so many hours and days together that we become a family. Our will-to-win and our knowledge of the product, the tracks and each other have evolved and sharpened over many years of AMA support. It’s a competitive advantage. But we never take it for granted.”


About Dunlop Tires

Dunlop Tires is the largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the U.S. and the only manufacturer of motorcycle tires in North America. With North American operations headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Dunlop has been making and selling high-quality tires in the U.S. since 1923. For more information, please contact visit www.dunlopmotorcycle.com.