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InTouchISSUE MOTORSPORT NEWS18OCTOBER 2011IN THIS ISSUE:2011 FIM Motocross of NationsLe Mans series reviewAlpe Adria ChampionshipBTCC goes down the wireEight Titlesand ‘Olympics’ won inone weekend

Dunlop secures Eight Championships andthe Motocross ‘Olympics’ in One Weekend.The weekend of 17/18 September proved to be highly successfulfor Dunlop, with eight major motorsport championship titles wonby Dunlop, as well as the Olympics of Motocross.In the penultimate round of the American Le Mans Series atLaguna Seca, California, another podium finish for Joey Hand(USA) and Dirk Müller (Germany) in BMW’s Rahal LettermanLanigan (RLL) Racing Team Dunlop equipped BMW M3 GT meantthe drivers, team and tyre manufacturer achieved theirchampionship ambitions with one race still to run.In the LMP1 class for prototype cars, British driver Guy SmithAmerican Chris Dyson and the Dyson Racing team clinched theirrespective championship titles, and Dunlop were crowned asLMP1 Champion Tyre Manufacturer.Dunlop’s success wasn’t just limited to the highest levels of carendurance racing. On two wheels in the highly competitive IDMchampionships three champions were crowned – and once morethe three crowned were using Dunlop tyres. At theHockenheimring, Austrian Martin Bauer won the Superbikechampionship, German Jesco Guenther won the Supersport andAustralian Jack Miller won the 125.It’s not only on Tarmac and concrete where Dunlop wasvictorious, hard packed stone and mud also offered a suitablebackdrop. In the Motorcross of Nations - the Motocross equivalentof the Olympics and the biggest motocross event of the year- Team USA won with all three team riders – Ryan Dungey, RyanVillopoto and Blake Baggett using Dunlops, indeed of the nineriders on the podium, six wore Dunlop caps.American Le Mans Series LMP1 Driver Champions - Guy Smith, Chris Dyson, DunlopAmerican Le Mans Series LMP1 Team Champions – Dyson Racing, DunlopAmerican Le Mans Series GT Team Champions – BMW Team RLL, DunlopAmerican Le Mans Series GT Driver Champions – Joey Hand and Dirk Müller, DunlopAmerican Le Mans Series LMP1 Tyre Manufacturer Champion – DunlopGerman IDM Superbike Champions – Martin Bauer - Motorex KTM Superbike Team, DunlopGerman IDM Supersport Champions – Jesco Guenther – Vector Yamaha, DunlopGerman IDM 125cc Champions – Jack Miller – RZT Racing, DunlopMotocross of Nations – Champions – Team USA - Ryan Dungey (Dunlop), Ryan Villopoto (Dunlop), Blake Baggett (Dunlop).

ALMSseason reviewDunlop’s 2011 American Le Mans Series season was itsstrongest ever, culminating in multiple titles across the LMP1 andGT classes for the band of Birmingham’s finest motorsport rubberproducers who headed Stateside.The season-opening Sebring 12 Hours in March gave notice ofthings to come with Dunlop winning the LMP1 category withChris Dyson, Guy Smith and Jay Cochran in the #16 DysonRacing Lola-Mazda, scoring a 1-2 in the GT class with BMW, withthe #56 car of Dirk Müller, Joey Hand and Andy Priaulx leadingthe sister #55 car of Dirk Werner, Bill Auberlen and AugustoFarfus across the line.“Sebring was the biggest result of the year as it gave us theplatform for the whole season,” said Michael McGregor, DunlopMotorsport Service Engineer - Car Motorsport EU. “To win there,and win so strongly was really something. We’d done all the testsand gone in with a definite plan of what we were going to do. Westuck to the plan, and it showed in our strength in the race as wewere constantly up front.”Long Beach came next, and Dyson’s season-long rivals in theMuscle Milk Aston Martin countered with their first win in whatwould be become a fascinating one-on-one LMP1 battle betweenthe teams and tyre manufacturers, with Muscle Milk opting forFrench rubber.In the GT class, BMW took their second in a row with the #56car, this time minus Priaulx on driving duties. Lime Rock camenext where Dyson and Smith took their second win in the Lola,whilst BMW notched up three in a row for the #56.Crossing the border to Canada and Mosport saw a 2-3 forDyson Racing with the second #20 car of Humaid Al Masaoodand Steven Kane now on song, whilst in GT BMW’s run of winscame to an end with the #55 car of Werner and Auberlen scoringthe top result with third.Mid-Ohio saw Dyson and Smith take second, and Werner andAuberlen also take third once more, whilst Road America saw the#16 take silver again, and a 2-3 for BMW with the #55 leading the#56 across the line.It took the all-new street venue of Baltimore to see Dunlop backto winning ways, with a dream LMP1 podium lock-out with AlMasaood and Kane taking their first win to lead the sister DysonRacing Lola-Mazda across the line. Third went to Chris McMurryand Tony Burgess in the #12 Lola AER. The #56 BMW meanwhiletook second in class.Dunlop wished they all could be Californian grids, as LagunaSeca proved to be a momentous event with a Dyson 2-3 sufficientto secure the LMP1 drivers’ title for Chris Dyson and Guy Smith,the team title for Dyson Racing and the tyre manufacturers’ title forDunlop.“We really had a great season in 2011! The target was to win allthe championships and we achieved that,” said Chris Dyson, driverof the #16 G-OIL ModSpace/Construct Corps Lola-Mazda.“I couldn’t be more happy for our partners at Mazda, oursponsors G-OIL ModSpace Construct Corps, everyone at DysonRacing, Lola, Martin Birrane and of course, my tyre partner,Dunlop. We worked so hard over the winter to develop the tyresand the performance and durability kept going up through the roof.We met and raised our opposition at every turn.”Second in class at Laguna with the #56 car secured BMW theGT team title for BMW Team RLL, gaining the drivers Joey Handand Dirk Müller the drivers’ title.Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta provided the season finale whereDunlop added the manufacturers’ title with BMW, with the GT tyremanufacturers’ title eluding by just 0.182 seconds.“I’ve been saying it all year long, and it’s not just something I sayin front of the cameras or the microphones; Dunlop has workedgreat with this programme,” said Joey Hand, driver #56 BMWMotorsports BMW M3 GT.“When you look at where we started in 2009, the progressthrough 2010 and then where we are in 2011; coming out of thetrailer at every event and being strong. This is a testament toeveryone working together: BMW, Team RLL and Dunlop. I’veworked with a lot of tyre manufacturers and I’ve never seen theamount of dedication, preparation that I’ve seen in my time workingwith Dunlop.”For Dunlop it was the culmination of a three year project to cometo the American Le Mans Series with full support and development.“It’s not just about having the best tyres available, it’s abouthaving the team to put it all together and seize the benefit of all thebest product,” said Phil Plater, Manager ALMS Goodyear DunlopTyres. “It starts from the ground up, with a good solid team, meanswe have good solid results. What we’ve built over the three yearsshould give us dividends for the future.”

LMSseasonreviewDunlop team Greaves Motorsport scored an impressive title win in the LMP2 classwith one race to go, whilst Dunlop’s GT partner JMW Motorsport book ended theseason with race wins in a strong season for Dunlop in the 2011 Le Mans Series(LMS).The year started in superb fashion at Paul Ricard in April for Le Castellet 6 Hourswhere two class victories and an overall podium marked a strong start to the newseason.It was Greaves Motorsport who led the Dunlop runners home with the LMP2class win and third overall in the team’s first outing with a new Nissan engine.Fellow LMP2 runners Boutsen Energy Racing took an impressive sixth overall andfourth in class.Further success for Dunlop came in GTE Pro, where JMW Motorsport won in itsfirst race with the new Ferrari 458. Not only did that give the team a debut win withthe 458, it also marked the first class win for the all-new car, which had appearedon track for the first time at Sebring in the previous month.

From France to Belgium and the Spa 6 Hours – also around of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) - gaveDunlop its next test. In the LMP2 class the Boutsen Energycar overcame a fuel pick-up problem to take top Dunlophonours with second in class and twelfth overall. RLRMotorsport also finished inside the top six in LMP2, whilstGreaves had a nightmare by their standards, with multipleincidents on track, damage and a drive through resulting inan eighth in class finish.In GTE Pro, Paul Ricard winners JMW Motorsportdropped out of contention for victory with radiator damagebut made the most of its Dunlop tyres to set the secondquickest GTE lap of the race. Kessel Racing took a topeight finish in the GTE Am class.LMS went to Italy next for the first ever round at Imola,another event which was also an ILMC round. Variableweather added to the challenge of a new track, with heavystorms in practice however race day was a different matterwith searing hot conditions greeting teams.Greaves Motorsport bounced back from the Belgianbash to their title aspirations with their second win, movingthe team into the lead of the LMP2 standings. For JMW,the pace was good and a strong result looked to be on thecards before a tooth off one of the gear cogs broke off,causing their retirement.Dunlop headed to its home event at the Silverstone 6Hours next, where Greaves was the first of the top sevencars in the LMP2 class using Dunlop tyres – with also ILMCcars again in action. JMW’s incident-filled seasoncontinued, with its race disrupted by contact from one ofthe faster LMP1 cars, and then a resultant drive-throughpenalty.Greaves’ win in Silverstone gave them an all butunassailable lead in the LMP2 teams’ points standingsheading to the season finale at Estoril, where the LMS wasonce more shorn of the ILMC runners.Pole was the target for Greaves, as with it came the onepoint they required to secure the title, and that was dulydelivered by a blistering 1min 31.800secs lap by TomKimber-Smith to give Greaves Motorsport the LMP2 TeamChampionship title and Kimber-Smith and Karim OjjehLMP2 Drivers’ Championship titles.Greaves went on to finish in second position, whichmeant the third driver – Olivier Lombard – finished secondin the drivers’ standings for the season, despite notattending two of the events.JMW Motorsport won the Estoril’s GTE Pro class withdrivers James Walker and Rob Bell, securing the squadsecond in the GTE Pro Teams’ Championship, and Walkerand Bell second in the GTE Pro Drivers’ Championship.The results for the two Dunlop teams secure themautomatic entries to the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours, whereGreaves achieved their class win in this year’s event.“Pole position was important as it gave us thechampionship win with Greaves Motorsport and it wasgreat that we could do it in style,” said Colin Johnson,Dunlop Motorsport Senior Analyst Car.“There are so many factors distinct from tyreperformance which can affect the race, but for qualifyingtyre performance is king, and in that respect we wereclearly very competitive all year.”For the GTE Pro class it was a strong show to end theyear.“When you analyse the data I think we had the strongesttyre package for the Ferrari, but we suffered with raceincidents in the mid-season,” said Ben Michell, ProjectManager – GT, Dunlop Motorsport, “so in that sense it’s acase of missed opportunities, but ultimately we had thetyres to win the championship.”

Dunlop rounds off 2011 MXseason in perfect fashionDunlop’s 2011 FIM Motocross season came to a perfectconclusion in the most prestigious race of the year - the Motocrossof Nations - held at St Jean D’Angely, France with the winningTeam USA all using Dunlop tyres.The epic 36-nation contest ended with three ‘yellow caps’ onthe top step of the podium as the all-Dunlop Team USA line-up ofRyan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey and Blake Baggett took overallvictory ahead of France and Australia.Six of the nine riders on the rostrum were backed by Dunlop,with Frenchman Marvin Musquin and Australians Chad Reed andBrett Metcalfe also proudly displaying the Dunlop brand.“The podium showed the worldwide dominance of Dunlop inMotocross. Congratulations to Team USA!” said Dunlop’s MX racecoordinator Eddy Seel.Riders relied heavily on their tyres when race-day sunshine waspunctuated by torrential showers, turning the hard-packed, hillycircuit, into a treacherous test of man and machine.The event represented the first time that Dunlop’s USmotocross personnel and riders came together with the WorldChampionship operation since Dunlop made a return to MX1 thisseason.“This was great,” enthused Broc Glover, 6 times AMA MXChampion & Senior offroad manager Dunlop USA. “Our Europeanand American MX team and our Japanese development comingtogether to the biggest MX event in the world to win. “We formed agreat team and I am really happy with the results! Congratulationsto team USA!”The end results were a glowing endorsement of Dunlop’sMotocross product.“That was perfect closure for our Motocross WorldChampionship comeback!” said Sharon Antonaros, EMEAMarketing and Sales Director - Dunlop Motorcycle Business Unit.“The best riders in the world chose our tyres to win and thismakes us very confident for 2012. Congratulations to all oursuccessful riders and, of course, to our great Dunlop MX teamsfrom the USA, Europe and Asia!”Dunlop’s top grand prix rider and 2011 GP winner, EvgenyBobryshev, overcame his recent injuries to run up-front early inboth MX1 races, making a holeshot in the final race.Bobryshev was also part of an autograph session that sawmore than 1000 signed Dunlop mugs, frisbees and capssnapped-up by spectators, whilst the Dunlop Glove made it on thepodium of the MX of Nations and was signed by Team USA.Team USA has now won the Motocross of Nations, whichbegan in 1947, a record 22 times.Keep up to date with Dunlop’s MX activities on Twitter and onFacebook – which includes a gallery of the Motocross of Nations.

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LMP1Dunlop dominate at SILVERSTONEDunlop dominated the LMP2 class of the Silverstone 6 Hours withthe top seven finishers wearing Dunlop tyres. In the overall racestandings, Dunlop LMP1 partner Oak Racing achieved an impressivethird, and first petrol car home.The Silverstone 6 Hours – the fifth round of the Intercontinental LeMans Cup (ILMC) and the fourth of the Le Mans Series (LMS) – sawa superb LMP2 win for Dunlop with the #41 Greaves MotorsportZytek Z11SN-Nissan, driven by Karim Ojjeh, Tom Kimber-Smith andOlivier Lombard.The result left the Greaves Motorsport and Dunlop with an all butunassailable lead in the LMP2 teams’ points standings of the LMS.The seventh in class finishing #26 Signatech Nissan continued tolead the LMP2 standings of the ILMC.In LMP1, Dunlop led the petrol charge against the might of themanufacturer-backed diesel-powered prototypes with technicalpartner Oak Racing coming home third in class and third in theoverall standings with the #24 Oak Pescarolo Judd, driven by OliverPla and Alexandre Prémat.“It was a great day for Dunlop as we won at home,” said Jean-FelixBazelin, Dunlop Motorsport’s General Manager. “To finish in thirdposition overall and be the leading petrol car home is a momentousachievement for our development partner, Oak Racing.LMP2Dunlop takes LMP2 title at Petit Le MansThe Nürburgring 24 Hours is regarded as one of the most challengingraces in motorsport but Dunlop will aim to help BMW tame the circuitknown as ‘The Green Hell’ for a second successive season.Jörg Mueller, Augusto Farfus, Uwe Alzen and Pedro Lamy won theevent in 2010 – the latter for a record equally fifth time – and thequartet return to defend their title at the wheel of a BMW M3 GT, withAndy Priaulx, Dirk Müller, Dirk Werner and Dirk Adorf in the sister car.As well as the factory BMW entry, Dunlop will also supply tyres toVolkswagen as it’s part of an exclusive development partnership.While VW’s entry includes a number of Sciroccos, it is the striking440bhp Golf24 that will spearhead its challenge – with ex-F1 menJohnny Herbert and Mark Blundell amongst the drivers. In total, threeGolf24s are on the entry list for the event.Also using Dunlop rubber for the event are the Mercedes SLSAMG GT3s of the Rowe Racing and Horn Motorsport teams, whilereigning VLN title winners Need for Speed Team Schubert will chaseNürburgring honours with a pair of BMW Z4 GT3s.With each lap featuring well over 70 corners and running to morethan 24km, the Dunlop-shod teams will aim to benefit from theexpertise of Dunlop’s technicians to secure victory in a race where itcould be argued that the biggest challenge is against the track ratherthan the rivals on it.

MOTO 2MOTO 2IndianapolisMisanoAragonMOTEGIIndianapolis Motor Speedway provided one of the toughesttyre challenges yet seen in Moto2, with new asphalt fromturns 5-16 initially proving extremely abrasive.Conditions improved with each track session and, bythe time Marc Marquez (Suter) had won his fifth race of theseason, most riders had found an effective set-up. Indeed,despite the abrasion issues, Marquez broke last year’s laprecord by a massive 2.251sec!An all-rookie podium was completed by Pol Espargaro(FTR) and Esteve Rabat (FTR) - both making their firstappearance on a Moto2 rostrum - while title leader StefanBradl (Kalex) recovered from 22nd on the grid to sixth.Marc Marquez was the first of three riders covered by just0.7sec at the end of a thrilling San Marino GP at Misano.The Suter star took his sixth win after holding off titleleader Stefan Bradl (Kalex) and Andrea Iannone (Suter)following a thrilling victory battle, which also included Alexde Angelis (Motobi) and Scott Redding (Suter).Marquez used the softer-option 302 front and newATR05 3854 rear to cut 25.8sec off last year’s race-winningtime, while Bradl got almost equal performance from the717 front and 3868 rear.The fastest race lap, set by Iannone, was 0.8sec quickerthan in 2010.Marc Marquez (Suter) blew the World Championship wideopen with his seventh victory of the season, during aMoto2 classic at Aragon.With Stefan Bradl dropping to eighth, Marquez moved towithin six-points of the Kalex rider. An amazing feat giventhat rookie Marquez failed to score in the opening threerounds.Like Marquez, the 302 front tyre also claimed its thirdvictory in a row, while the ATR05 4886 - last seen at Brno- was the favoured choice of rear tyre.Marquez beat last year’s winning time by 12.7sec andbroke the lap record by over one-second.Moto2 got a new title leader at Motegi, when rookie MarcMarquez completed an incredible rise to topple StefanBradl from the head of the standings.Marquez finished second in a race won by AndreaIannone, with Thomas Luthi competing an all-Suter podiumin third. Bradl (Kalex) was fourth and lost the championshiplead he has held since round one by a single point.The softer 6838 rear was chosen by all but one rider,while personal preference was the deciding factor betweenthe equally-matched 753 and 717 fronts. Iannone’srace-winning time was 25.9sec faster than last year and hebroke the lap record by 1.3sec!Race Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship PointsRace Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship PointsRace Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship PointsRace Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship Points1. Marc Marquez DunlopMoto2302DunlopMoto238381. Stefan Bradl - 1931. Marc Marquez DunlopMoto2302DunlopATR0538541. Stefan Bradl - 2131. Marc Marquez DunlopMoto2302DunlopATR0548861. Stefan Bradl - 2211. Andrea Iannone DunlopMoto2753DunlopMoto268381. Marc Marquez - 2352. Pol Espargaro DunlopMoto2302DunlopMoto238382. Marc Marquez - 1652. Stefan Bradl DunlopMoto2717DunlopMoto238682. Marc Marquez - 1902. Andrea Iannone DunlopMoto2302DunlopATR0548862. Marc Marquez - 2152. Marc Marquez DunlopMoto2717DunlopMoto268382. Stefan Bradl - 2343. Esteve Rabat DunlopMoto2302DunlopMoto238383. Andrea Iannone - 963. Andrea Iannone DunlopMoto2302DunlopATR0538543. Andrea Iannone - 1123. Simone Corsi DunlopMoto2302DunlopATR0548863. Andrea Iannone - 1323. Thomas Luthi DunlopMoto2753DunlopMoto268383. Andrea Iannone - 157

125cc125ccIndianapolisMisanoAragonMOTEGIAfter a non-finish at Brno, Nicolas Terol reasserted hisauthority on the 125cc championship with a dominant winat Indianapolis.Ten-seconds clear by the middle of the race, Terol(Aprilia) eventually backed off to secure his sixth victory ofthe season by 3.6sec from rookie Maverick Vinales (Aprilia).Terol and Vinales used the KR149D front in partnershipwith the KR133F rear to tame the abrasive new tracksurface. Third-place Sandro Cortese (Aprilia) was theonly rider to choose the ‘H’ spec front compound, whichprovided greater endurance.Terol was 7.2sec faster than his own race-winning 2010time and set a new lap record on lap six of 23.Johann Zarco saw yet another debut grand prix win slipthrough his fingers, when title leader Nico Terol poweredpast the Frenchman on the run to the line at Misano.With the full range of Dunlop tyre options provingcompetitive, Terol (Aprilia) used the KR149D and KR133Cto claim his seventh victory of the season by just 0.022sec,while Zarco and third-placed Derbi team-mate EfrenVazquez opted for the F spec rear.Zarco now trailed Terol by 31 points with five roundsremaining in the final season of 125cc grand prix racing.Nico Terol made it three wins in a row for the second timein 2011 with a runaway home win at Aragon.The Aspar Aprilia rider was untouchable for all 20 laps,while title rival Johann Zarco (Derbi) spent much of the racelocked in a tight fight for second with Terol’s team-mateHector Faubel.That battle ended when Faubel crashed out trying topass Terol at the very final turn, putting rookie MaverickVinales (Aprilia) into a surprise third place.Cooler conditions on race day, relative to practice andqualifying, accelerated rear tyre wear, but the favoured ‘D’spec front tyre held up superbly.After numerous near misses, Johann Zarco (Derbi) finallybecame a 125cc grand prix winner at Motegi in Japan. TheFrenchman broke free from Nico Terol to win by almostsix-seconds and reduce Terol’s title lead to 31 points.Dunlop’s trusty D spec front was once again thepreferred choice of the podium finishers, although Zarcodiffered from Aspar Aprilia team-mates Terol and HectorFaubel by choosing the F spec rear.Rookie Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) used the D-F tyrecombination to charge from last to fourth after a problemon the grid, while fifth place Sandro Cortese (Aprilia) wasthe leading rider with the H-spec front.Race Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship PointsRace Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship PointsRace Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship PointsRace Front Tyre Rear Tyre Championship Points1. Nicolas Terol DunlopKR149 DDunlop KR133F1. Nicolas Terol - 1911. Nicolas Terol DunlopKR149 DDunlopKR133 C1. Nicolas Terol - 2161. Nicolas Terol DunlopKR149 DDunlopKR133 F1. Nicolas Terol - 2411. Johann Zarco DunlopKR149 DDunlopKR133 F1. Nicolas Terol - 2612. MaverickVinalesDunlopKR149 DDunlop KR133F2. Johann Zarco - 1652. Johann Zarco DunlopKR149 DDunlopKR133 F2. Johann Zarco - 1852. Johann Zarco DunlopKR149 DDunlopKR133 F2. Johann Zarco - 2052. Nicolas Terol DunlopKR149 DDunlopKR133 C2. Johann Zarco - 2303. SandroCorteseDunlopKR149 HDunlop KR133F3. Maverick Vinales - 1523. Efren Vazquez DunlopKR149 DDunlopKR133 F3. Maverick Vinales - 1613. Maverick Vinales DunlopKR149 DDunlopKR133 C3. Maverick Vinales - 1773. Hector Faubel DunlopKR149 DDunlopKR133 C3. Maverick Vinales - 190

BTCCRockingham rumblesThe race for the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championshiptitle took a fresh twist at Rockingham during the eighth round of theseason; with heated action both on and off track and jointchampionship leaders at the end of the weekend.Heading into the weekend, Honda driver Gordon Shedden held aslender one point lead over team-mate Matt Neal but it wasdefending champion Jason Plato who secured pole after acontroversial qualifying session which ended with an altercation withlong-term rival Neal in pit-lane. Both drivers were later fined byofficials for their actions.Plato won the opening race of the weekend for Chevrolet ahead ofPaul O’Neill, while Neal outscored Shedden to move into thechampionship lead. However the Scot then reclaimed top spot whenhe came from sixth on the grid to win race two ahead of FrankWrathall’s Toyota.Early contact in race three left Shedden down in 21st while Nealtook sixth place, leaving the Honda pair level on points at the top ofthe standings with two rounds and six races left to run.Victory in race three went to James Nash, his maiden victory, whileRob Austin took second in his Audi on a weekend when NGTC-speccars finished on the podium in all three races.BTCCBTCC goes down to the wireThe Dunlop-backed British Touring Car Championship title fight willgo to the wire at Silverstone after the penultimate weekend of theseason at Brands Hatch saw Jason Plato and Matt Neal share thevictories.Neal went into the weekend level on points with Honda team-mateGordon Shedden, but both failed to score in race one as Plato tookhis seventh win of the season. A second win for the Chevrolet man inrace two then saw him move ahead in the standings as Neal andShedden had to settle for seventh and eighth places having startedtowards the rear of the field.A top ten reversal of the grid for the final race of the weekendplayed into Honda’s hands as Neal and Shedden quickly moved tothe front and claimed a 1-2 finish, briefly swapping positions toensure both drivers picked up a bonus point for leading a lap. Fromtenth on the grid, Plato managed to finish sixth and he will now go toSilverstone level on points with Shedden in the title race, but withNeal holding a five point advantage.Honda’s 1-2 finish in the final race was enough to provisionallysecure both the manufacturers’ and teams’ titles.

LOCAL RACESAlpe Adria ChampionshipDunlop riders won five out of the six classes in the 2011 Alpe AdriaChampionship, which concluded at Rijeka, Croatia, on August 28.Stefano Schillaci steered his Aprilia to four wins from nine rounds inthe 125SP category. The Italian finished 57 points clear of his nearestrival, while countryman Matteo Giacomazzo added a further victoryfor Dunlop.Julian Mayer’s triumph in the Dunlop-dominated 125GP class wasmuch closer: Victory for the Honda-mounted Austrian in the finalround, combined with a third place for rival Alessio Cappella (Sherco),made Mayer champion by just five points.Yamaha rider Lukas Jasensky took three victories on his way to acomfortable 44 point advantage in the STK600 class, while MartinChoy (BMW) finished his title season with a fifth win and 64-pointlead in the STK1000 category.Austrian Andreas Meklau had wrapped up the premier SBKtitle before the final round. The Suzuki rider finished the year withfour wins and a 69-point lead over fellow Dunlop rider JanuszOskaldowicz (BMW).Marko Jerman (Honda) and Fabrizio Pellizzon (Aprilia) took twowins each, meaning Dunlop riders won eight of the nine SBK races.LOCAL RACESCEVRound five of the Spanish CEV Championship was held atAlbacete on September 11.In the 125GP class, where the majority chose Dunloptyres, Francesco Bagnaia (Derbi) took his first win ofthe season in style, finishing comfortably ahead of JackMiller and Jorge Navarro. Title leaders Alex Rins andAlex Marquez both suffered non-scores, but still lead thestandings.In the Stock Extreme class, Enrique Ferrer (Ducati) ledthe Dunlop challenge with a fourth place finish and is thirdin the championship.The remaining CEV events will take place at Valencia andJerez, in November.CIVThe penultimate round of the Italian CIV Championship washeld at Vallelunga, also on September 11.The Dunlop-backed Italia Gabrielli Aprilia squad finishedone-two in the 125GP class, although eight-secondsseparated winner Romano Fenati from team-mate NiccoloAntonelli. Antonelli’s title lead is now just three points overFenati.The all-Dunlop Moto2 class saw a thrilling finish withAlessandro Andreozzi (FTR), Danilo Marrancone (Bimota)and Mattia Tarozzi (Suter) covered by just over one-second!Race winner Andreozzi has reduced Tarozzi’s titleadvantage to six points.Alessandro Gramigni (Yamaha) gave Dunlop a podium inthe Supersport class, while Ivan Goi (Aprilia) suffered withpower problems on his way to tenth in the SBK category.The eighth and final round will be held at Mugello onOctober 23.

Taking proven test-winning winter tyre technology toa new dimension.Incorporating the new 4D Sipe system. An industry firstIncreased Grip in Snow and IceDesigned to excel in the rainEngineered for performance and road feedbackLow weight means more performance – and efficiency

INSIDE RACING14th broadcast 07. OctobeRDunlop and Renault atLe Castellet.France is the perfectplace to try the firststeps in racing.Unsprung massesWhy is lightweightconstruction soimportant in racing?The Suzuki JuniorTeam.Trying hard to followin the footsteps of theSuzuki EnduranceRacing Team.Classic tyres forclassic carsCar collectors, Classicteams, old-timer rallies -Dunlop supports vintagecars with originalhandmade tyres.24TH OctoberIDM Finale atHockenheim.Get to know this challengingmotor cycleseries and follow thechampion at his finalrace in 2011.Dunlop andRenault at LeCastellet.France is the perfectplace to try the firststeps in racing.Sweden, Lapland isthe place to be to testnew winter tyres forroad cars. Episode IIwith rally legendSusanne Kotulinsky.Free4Style at Zürich,Switzerland.It is one of the fewracing events inSwitzerland and the fanswill be there to cheerfor the stars on theirmotorcycles!Racing in Macau:One of the mosttraditional race eventsin motor sports. Thewinners mostly workedtheir way up in motorsport. Famous winnersand the reason whyMacau is such a careerstepping stone.

10 QUESTIONSwith Phil PlaterHow old are you?My employment with Dunlop Tyres UK Ltd started in March 1976 at 21years of age, you do the math.Where do you live?Six miles from the Motorsport factory/offices in Streetly, SuttonColdfield.What are the key qualities required for your job?SMART would be my answer to this question, meaning – Spirit,Motivation, Agility, Resilience & Thinking. All these attributes help mewith my daily duties, which at the moment are managing the ALMSand Moto GP activities.Could you build a tyre yourself if left the keys to the factory?We have well trained and efficient tyre builders in the factory, so thisrole is best left to the men who manufacture world championshipwinning tyres, however with supervision and if required, I wouldhave a go.What is your favourite tyre?The last race winning tyre, but one that is special to me is from a racewinning TT which John McGuinness still holds the record on the IOM.Dunlop still have this tyre. For my own use I would choose SportsmartQll for my motorcycle and Sportmaxx TT for my car.What’s the best aspect about working for Dunlop?The working hours and salary….. ha! But seriously, whilst working longdays to earn my pay I get to travel the world, see great locations andmeet many different people. Also I get to work with terrific teams, bothcustomers and associates.If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?Probably driving, but I enjoy working with people and building greatteams (to get the best from a day’s work) so I would not rule outanother management role.What do you do away from work?Leisure, I spend as much time as I can with my wife and two daughtersCharlotte & Harriet. When they are busy, I have a garage full ofmotorcycles and a classic car.Which is your favourite circuit to visit and why?There are so many fabulous locations around the race circuits of theworld, so to drive; I would choose Donington Park, UK or LagunaSeca, USA. As a spectator it would be, Mallory Park, UK, or LimeRock Park, USA and to visit, I would go to Phillip Island, Australia orMosport, Canada. If I had to choose one it would be Mallory Park, UK,because it’s the closest to my home.What car do you drive / bike do you ride?BMW M3, when I get to borrow one, my daily drive is a Ford Mondeoand I also enjoy riding my Aprilia Tuono Factory, when I get the time.RACES TO COMEOCTOBEROctober 14-16 Moto2 Phillip Island, AustraliaOctober 15-16 British Touring Car Championship Silverstone, UKOctober 15-16 GT Open / F3 Open Jerez, SpainOctober 21-23 V8 Supercars Gold Coast, AustraliaOctober 21-23 Moto2 Sepang, MalaysiaOctober 23 Dutch Supercar Challenge Assen, NetherlandsOctober 29-30 GT Open / F3 Open Catalunya, SpainNOVEMBERNovember 4-6 Moto2 Valencia, SpainNovember 5-6 Britcar Donington, UKNovember 11-13 V8 Supercars Tasmania, AustraliaNovember 12 Endurance World Championship, Doha, QatarNovember 12 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup Zhuhai, ChinaNovember 13 CEV Valencia, SpainNovember 18-20 V8 Supercars Sandown, AustraliaNovember 18-19 Britcar Brands Hatch, UKNovember 20 CEV Jerez, Spain