Dunlop is once again the tyre of choice for the majority of FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) teams as the 2023 season gets underway with the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans this weekend.
In total, Dunlop will supply tyres to 39 of the 54 bikes racing at Le Mans, the first of the four-round EWC season. In the top Formula EWC class, one of the few classes in international motorsport that still features open tyre competition, Dunlop is the choice of leading teams such as long-term partner BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team (pictured above left). Their riders Markus Reiterberger, Ilya Mykhalchyk and Jeremy Guarnoni were second fastest in the recent pre-event test at Le Mans, showing a strong statement of intent for the season ahead.
A new team this season is KM99, a Belgian squad racing a Yamaha YZF-R1 for outright Formula EWC honours. Their riders Florian Marino, Lucas Mahias and Bastien Mackels are also expected to perform well following a strong performance in the pre-event test.
Close racing in Superstock
Last season was the first with Dunlop as the exclusive tyre supplier to the Superstock category, which features bikes that are very closely related to those available to buy in the showroom. At Le Mans, no fewer than 34 bikes representing five manufacturers (BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) will race for the Superstock honours. Teams to watch include the No. 9 Tecmas MRP BMW (pictured above right), which was fastest in the recent test, and the reigning champions No. 18 Sapeurs Pompiers Yamaha, but this highly competitive class could produce any number of surprises.
All Superstock teams will race with the same range of Dunlop KR109 front and KR108 rear tyres. This family of Dunlop KR tyres won two EWC rounds last year, including the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps, where the overall victory was claimed by the No. 37 BMW team. In mixed weather conditions, they raced on the same range of slick, intermediate and wet tyres that are available to every Dunlop team on the grid. Both classes have access to similar specifications of tyres, which are also available for sale for track day and amateur usage.
David Auerbacher, EWC Event Leader, Dunlop: "We're thrilled for another season of EWC action starting with the legendary 24 Heures Motos. This is our second year as the exclusive supplier to Superstock and it is exciting to see the class growing with new teams, and the level of professionalism and competition increasing with every year. Our close partners in the No. 37 BMW team are a strong contender for the overall win but we're interested to see how the other Formula EWC teams do, especially the new KM99 Yamaha.
"Throughout the season we'll be bringing a range of race-proven tyres for both classes, ensuring every team we service has the right tools for different weather and track conditions. Whereas the challenge in Formula EWC is outright pace versus competitor brands, in Superstock we still push for performance to help maintain such a high level of competition and close racing."
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario