Goodyear has launched its new EfficientGrip Performance 2 with a bold claim. The manufacturer believes the new tyre can reach around 50 per cent higher mileage than the first edition of its car tyre product line. In internal tests, driving open roads in Luxembourg and France in a VW Golf fitted with 205/55R16 91V size tyres, this is what Goodyear says the second edition EfficientGrip Performance achieved.
Goodyear claims that it has achieved an industry first, having developed an all-season tyre with both the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) sidewall marking an A-rated fuel efficiency on the EU tyre label. The new tyre, which Goodyear confirmed to Tyres & Accessories is the third generation of its test-winning Vector 4Seasons line, was conducted jointly by Goodyear’s technology teams in Luxembourg and Germany, in conjunction with original equipment manufacturers, leveraging tread pattern developments present in its all-season lines for the replacement market, as well as new rubber compounding formulations.
Porsche has homologated the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport RS – the most race-focused member of the new Eagle F1 SuperSport range, for the 911 GT2 RS and Porsche 911 GT3 RS. This approval covers the sizes 265/35 ZR 20 (99Y) XL and 325/30 ZR 21 (108Y) XL. The homologated Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport RS tyres bear the Porsche N0 marking and will be sold through the Porsche dealer network.
Since the Moto2 category of the F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship was launched in 2010, it has known only one tyre supplier. The same applies to the Moto3 class, which began in 2012 – both have run solely on Dunlop tyres since their inauguration. This status as official tyre supplier for both classes – which form an integral part of MotoGP race weekends – has now been extended to cover the 2018 to 2020 seasons. In addition to remaining as tyre supplier, Dunlop will also continue to promote its #ForeverForward Award.
The most prolific overtaker in FIM Moto2 and Moto3 this year is Andrea Migno. The winner of the Moto3 Italian Grand Prix in June has thus been crowned
the 2017 Dunlop Forever Forward Champion after topping #ForeverForward league.
With the 6 Hours of Bahrain, the current FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season drew to a close. Reflecting on an “amazing season of racing,” Dunlop has congratulated Aston Martin Racing and Vaillante Rebellion for their class victories. Both raced on Dunlop tyres in open tyre classes; Aston Martin Racing won the FIA World Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Am Teams and Vaillante Rebellion won the FIA World Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams. Each of the teams began the event leading the standings and both claimed race victories in Bahrain to secure the crowns.
Dunlop has received motorcycle manufacturer KTM’s Supplier Quality Excellence Award. The Austrian manufacturer rated Dunlop as an A+ supplier for the perfect supply of motorcycle tyres in 2016. Dunlop states that KTM is currently the fastest growing motorcycle manufacturer in the world.
Dunlop’s Le Mans 24 Hours 2017 is one to remember with records broken, overall race laps led, and overall podiums in addition to the more typical class wins and podiums, in a race with high temperatures testing cars and drivers. Track temperatures exceeded 50 degrees towards the end of Sunday’s race in France’s Sarthe region.
FIA World Endurance Championship Porsche teams Dempsey-Proton and Gulf Racing will run on Dunlop tyres in their global campaigns following comparative testing. Both teams have experience of working with Dunlop in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), where the brand is the sole tyre supplier to the LMGTE class. Both teams will race in the LMGTE AM class of WEC, including the Le Mans 24 hour race.
Dunlop has announced an increased commitment to the FIM MXGP World Championship by signing a new three-year partnership agreement to be an Official Tyre Supplier to the series.
Aston Martin Racing’s two titles at the 6 Hours of Bahrain FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season finale came in its first season working with Dunlop. In total Dunlop-shod vehicles won five times this year in the WEC. Following prior successes in the prototype category, Dunlop chose to take on an FIA World Endurance GTE Partnership this year with the Aston team, and will seek to provide more championship standard tyres through a testing programme started in September. Xavier Fraipont, managing director, Dunlop Motorsport and motorcycle EMEA, said the tyre manufacturer is “developing new technologies for both LMP and GT with an intensive schedule of evaluation until the start of the 2017 ELMS, VLN and WEC seasons.” Tyres & Accessories caught up with Fraipont after the end of the 2016 WEC season, beginning the conversation by asking how Dunlop was able to achieve so much in endurance racing this year.
Aston Martin Racing has claimed two titles at the 6 Hours of Bahrain FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season finale in its first season working with Dunlop. Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen won the FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers, while the team was victorious in the FIA World Endurance Trophy for GTE Pro Teams.
The fifth and penultimate round of the 2016 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium saw Dunlop drivers claim all three podium positions, maintaining its 100 per cent success for the season.
Dunlop and Aston Martin Racing describe the test of the manufacturer’s GT tyres for the first time in November in Bahrain as “a key turning point for both parties.” Dunlop committed to a full GT class development programme and Aston Martin began a return to lifting trophies. Le Mans is of great importance to both companies who are proud of their respective success there: Dunlop has 34 overall victories, more than any other tyre manufacturer, and Aston Martin took GT class wins in 2007and 2008 and the GTE Am class win in 2014.
European motorsport fans have made John McGuinness’ remarkable comeback to take victory in the 2015 Isle of Man TT their “greatest fightback in motorsport history. Mike Hailwood, Marc Marquez, and Jackie Stewart finished as runners-up as voting in Dunlop’s Great Fightbacks campaign concluded.
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