Dunlop is a winner twice over in the latest winter tyres tests conducted by German motoring association ADAC, taking first place in both the 195/65 R15 T and 225/50 R17 V categories. The Dunlop tyres were two of five products that ADAC rated as ‘good’, as were two tyres from sister brand Goodyear.
Toyota has a new flagship SUV that it will sell in 170 countries and regions around the world – but not in the UK or Western Europe. This 13th generation of the Toyota Landcruiser is called the Landcruiser 300, and the Japanese manufacturer considers it a “complete redesign” of the 2007-launched 200 series. Sumitomo Rubber Group continues as a key supplier and will provide the Landcruiser 300 with two Dunlop tyre models.
Dunlop rider Romain Febvre scored his first Grand Prix win of the FIM Motocross World Championship season at Lommel, Belgium, on Sunday. The Frenchman shared the podium with fellow Dunlop rider Pauls Jonass, who placed third. Both riders tackled one of the championship’s toughest circuits on Dunlop’s Geomax tyres. Dunlop also continued its success in the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship; Shana van der Vlist won the second round of the season, beating six-time champion Kiara Fontanesi to lead a Dunlop 1-2 result. The brand is by far the most successful tyre brand in WMX competition, having taken Fontanesi or Duncan to the championship win in eight of the nine last seasons.
Tyre maker Ralson India Ltd, manufacturer of the Ralco tyre brand and a firm that calls itself “India’s fastest growing automotive tyre company,” has entered into an agreement to acquire rights to the Dunlop name in India. The company intends to produce premium Dunlop tyres for the powered two- and three-wheeler segments at its Kot Panech plant in Punjab.
The Harley-Davidson Sportster S is one of the most anticipated motorcycle launches of 2021. Continuing a Sportster saga that began in 1957, the all-new S model is one of the most powerful bikes in the Harley-Davidson range. The manufacturer tasked Dunlop with developing a tyre designed specifically for its needs, and the result is the Dunlop GT503. The tyre features a new construction and compound, as well as aesthetics to complement the Sportster S.
Dunlop is to act as an official sponsor of the 2021 FIM International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE). After a gap of one year, the ISDE returns with a demanding route in Italy’s Apennines Mountains between Lombardy and Piedmont. The 95th edition of ISDE begins on 30 August and will feature 29 competing nations and 200 teams, including eight national teams in the Women’s World Trophy.
Two motorcycle tyre tests from PS. The German sports bike magazine took a look at slick pairs for professional riders in its 6/2021 issue, and followed this up by looking at four brands of track day tyres in its 7/2021 edition. The PS testers declared Dunlop and Continental the respective winners.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries has begun supplying the Dunlop Enasave EC300+ to Lexus for certain versions of its first all-electric model, the UX300e. Meanwhile, Hankook Tire shares that it will equip the 2021 Honda Vezel hybrid for the Japanese market with its Kinergy Eco² tyre ex works.
A new test by German motorcycle magazine PS has declared Dunlop the top slick track tyre following an extensive test. The magazine chose the Dunlop KR106 (front) and KR108 (rear) pairing as the overall winner in its comparison of seven different track tyres. The PS test crew used a Honda Fireblade SP at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, home of MotoGP’s Catalan Grand Prix. The results were published in PS (6/2021) as part of its Pro-Slick Test feature.
The FIM Moto2 World Championship’s teams will be able to test Dunlop’s new soft rear tyre during practice and qualifying at Jerez this weekend. Dunlop says the in-event test will help new riders and teams get accustomed to the softer end of the Dunlop Moto2 range, which hasn’t been used since last October’s Teruel Grand Prix. It will also provide Dunlop with data on how the Jerez surface has evolved since its resurfacing in 2018.
Dunlop has expanded its Mutant range with the introduction of two new rear sizes, enabling 142 models to use the “world’s first crossover tyre” for two-wheelers. The new 150/60ZR17 and 160/60ZR17 sizes cover a comprehensive range of bikes covering the naked, roadster and crossover sectors.
Dunlop has introduced the SP346+ steer tyre for “fleets and hauliers who demand a wide variety of performances in all on-road applications”. According to the company, the Dunlop SP346+ features a range of technologies designed to achieve high mileage, robust durability and improved fuel efficiency or low energy consumption for electric vehicles. It offers advanced winter grip, “making it a tyre for all seasons and all purposes” in Dunlop’s words.
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