FROM RACE TRACK TO ROAD
Dunlop has an unparalleled record in touring car and sportscar racing, with more wins at Le Mans than any other tyre manufacturer. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Dunlop will be demonstrating how their racing success leads to high technology road tyres as a result of development partnerships with premium performance car manufacturers.
For example, the Dunlop and Jaguar partnership embraces many of the iconic successes in the history of both brands. Six Le Mans victories were shared between the two companies, with the success story spanning the 1951 Jaguar XK120C through the legendary C and D-Type era to the Jaguar XJR-9LM that won in 1988. At Goodwood, Dunlop will showcase the latest XKR road car alongside examples of Le Mans winning Jaguars.
Dunlop are pacesetters in the world of international sportscar racing, and the Dunlop tyres used in the current Le Mans Endurance Series are designed, developed and manufactured at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, England, directly adjacent to the Castle Bromwich factory where the new XK is manufactured. Jaguar and Dunlop have worked together to fine tune bespoke tyres that provide the fluent handling, responsiveness and roadholding demanded by Jaguar engineers and customers.
The XK and XKR are fitted with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyres. The Sport Maxx features a sophisticated Multi Radius Tread design. This technology permits the calculation of an exceptionally accurate tread surface. The more accurate the tread shape is calculated the more homogeneous the pressure deployment in the contact patch becomes. The more even the pressure deployment, the more the tyre is on the road.
In touring car racing, Dunlop are the tyre of choice in the German DTM, Australian V8 Supercars and the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship. This year the BTCC celebrates its 50th year, and Dunlop will be celebrating their success by displaying the only four wheel drive car to win the BTCC – the 1996 Audi A4 Quattro, driven by Frank Biela, who will appear on the stand in the Stable Yard to talk about that epic year of racing.
Today, Dunlop work closely with Audi, supplying tyres for their latest A4 DTM race cars, whilst The latest Audi S5 road car is homologated with Dunlop Sport Maxx GT tyres using Dunlop’s unique ‘Touch Technology’ derived from lessons learned on the racetrack.
About Dunlop
Dunlop is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high and ultra high performance tyres with an impressive track record of motor sport successes. Dunlop’s extensive racing experience has led to innovative technologies for tyres designed for everyday motoring. Always looking to maximize driving pleasure, Dunlop offers all types of motorists the performance and durability of the latest tyre technologies, including tyres with RunOnFlat technology, which is fitted to award winning vehicles such as the BMW One, Three, Five Series and X5.
Many of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers’ fit Dunlop tyres as standard, which include premium sports cars such as Alfa Romeo, AMG, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and TVR.
