Team Bruichladdich Radical has signed a deal with Dunlop to become a key part of the tyre company’s international motorsport strategy for 2007, becoming a Technical Development Partner. The deal involves far more than tyre supply and engineering support – the Radical SR9 is to be modelled by computer so that the boffins at the Birmingham plant can develop tyres for the car and be as close as possible to the optimum compounds and constructions before a tyre is put anywhere near the car itself. The technology has been successfully used to design tyres for the Bentley EXP Speed 8 and the Dome as well as record breaking ‘contract to first race’ timescale for the highly successful British Touring Car tyre introduced in 2003.  

The Team Bruichladdich Radical raced on Dunlop tyres in its 2006 debut year but having bespoke development work is going to mean that the team can raise its game for 2007. Following initial designs, the Radical SR9 will take part in three Dunlop tyre tests to refine the tyre design and receive strong track support from Dunlop engineers at events.

Michael Butler, Dunlop Motorsport: “We’re very pleased to be taking our relationship with Radical to the highest level. We’ve supported the one make series’ since Radical began and so we’re very happy to be working with them in partnership in our quest to get Dunlop caps on the top steps of podiums across the world. The computer simulation is a critical part of us being able to find the right solutions for the variety of conditions that the tyres will be put through. We know that we can work well together and this is definitely going to be a good team effort to get the most from the tyre and car combination. The SR9 did exceptionally well in its debut year and deserves to be a winner in 2007.”

Tim Greaves, Team Owner: “Having driven every model that Radical has ever made on Dunlops I’ve had first hand experience of what’s been on offer to date. The prospect of having tyres that are specially designed to work with the Radical SR9’s geometry is very exciting and I can’t wait to get on the track to try them out. Until then I’ll be satisfied looking at the car performance on the simulation screens. I know that this is a major commitment from Dunlop’s head office in Europe and we’ll do our very best to work with Michael and the Dunlop team to get the results we’re all looking for.”