Dunlop came away from the Spa 24 hours in Belgium at the weekend delighted with the performance of its tyres, although the British manufacturer did not get the hoped-for results. British twins David and Godfrey Jones, with team boss Mike Jordan, finished eighth overall and fourth in the N-GT class, the first Dunlop runners home. They considered themselves fortunate to have finished at all after a scare just two laps from the end of the 24-hour event.

“I allowed a Ferrari and a BMW past me two laps from the end with the intention of following them over the line,” said Jordan. “They kicked up a huge lump of rubber which punctured my radiator. The temperatures started to rise quickly, and kept on going. I elected not to stop and wait for them to come around again. I crossed the line just before the engine blew up on the slowing down lap! It was the only technical problem we had all race.”

Dunlop technicians were delighted with the performance of the Birmingham-prepared rubber in unusual conditions for a 24-hour race. “Normally, we get some rain and moisture during the night which cleans the track, but this year there was nothing at all so there was just rubber being laid all through the meeting,” said Dunlop manager Graham Shuter. “We only had one puncture throughout the 24 hours, for the Creation team, and that was due to debris on the track, which was particularly dirty.

“The air temperature never dipped below 16 degrees centigrade but the Dunlop tyres worked very well throughout the 24 hours, and showed that they were capable of double and triple stints.

“It was a very good 24-hour race for us and we are particularly delighted for the little JWR team. To bring their car home in the top ten was a really major achievement and I congratulate them.”

The next round of the FIA GT Championship is at Imola, Italy, on September 5.