26 July 2011

Dunlop has beaten rival manufacturers to continue as the official control tyre supplier of Australia's premier motorsport category, the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Currently in their 10th year as the exclusive tyre suppler to both the V8 Supercar and the Fujitsu development series, Dunlop's new contract is its fourth in succession and will run from 2013-2017.

The start of the new agreement will also coincide with the V8 Supercar 'Car of the Future' debut, which Dunlop will now be sponsoring and developing all-new 18 inch tyres for.

"Dunlop has a long and proud association with motorsport in Australia and around the world, and we are excited to be continuing the long-term relationship we have with the V8 Supercar Championship," said Dunlop Tyres Managing Director Mike Martens.

"The Dunlop brand stands for technology, performance and quality, making it the perfect fit as the official tyre for the series. Our V8 Supercar program will also continue to be a key aspect of our Dunlop brand marketing for our business.

"The decision by V8 Supercars to award us the tyre contract highlights their confidence in our ability to supply high quality tyres, as well as an experienced and efficient operations group to service the race teams.

"We look forward to growing both the Dunlop and V8 Supercar brands and businesses together for many years to come."

Dunlop is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high and ultra high performance tyres with an impressive track record of motorsport success. Since 2002, Dunlop has exclusively supplied the V8 Supercar Championship Series control tyres, which are hand-made at the company's specialised racing tyre factory in Nagoya, Japan.

"This is a fantastic result for Dunlop and strong validation of the good job we have done in the Championship over the years, the results of which are clear to see," said Dunlop V8 Supercars Operations Manager Kevin Fitzsimons.

"By the time the new contract expires, we will have supplied around 200,000 tyres to the teams since first winning it in 2002.

"With the V8 Supercar CotF (Car of the Future) program well underway for a 2013 implementation, we will also be working very closely with the V8 Supercars to develop the new 18 inch tyres that will be put into action."

V8 Supercars Chief Executive Officer Martin Whitaker said the interest in the tender was the strongest it had ever been, showing that partnering with one of the world's premiere forms of motorsport brings great benefits to the tyre supplier and any brand.

'It was a hard won tender process which shows the global popularity of V8 Supercars and underlines the brand value in associating with our sport,' Mr Whitaker said.

"Dunlop in the end was the worthy recipient and continues our long association with this great company in a critical time for the sport with the Car of the Future just around the corner."