Dunlop Names One-Brand Control Tire for FIM Supermoto

FUNCHAL, 08 March 2006 - Following the request from teams and MSMA to reduce the number of tire consumption per Grand Prix and to give an equal chance to all participants, an agreement has been finalized with Dunlop for a One-Brand Control tire for the 2006 FIM SuperMoto S1/ S2 World Championship and the 2006 UEM SuperMoto European Championship.

During the event the competitors shall only use the tires distributed by the official tire supplier, appointed by the Championship Promoter.

For each event, all tires must be made of the same quality of compound and shall be strictly identical.

Dunlop Motorsport will provide full tire support service to the FIM World and European SuperMoto Championships during 2006 including: - tire supply, transport, service and technical support.

Tire quantities to be limited to 10 tires per rider per event for the FIM World Championship and 8 tires per rider per event for the European Championship.

Dunlop Motorsport will make available for each round of the championships 2 specifications of “Dry” tires for front and rear and 1 specification of “Wet” tires for front and rear.

Dunlop Motorsport will use for the 2006 FIM World SuperMoto Championships and European SuperMoto Championship tires derived from their 2005 World Championship development programme.

There will not be special “Development” tires for the FIM World SuperMoto Championship or European SuperMoto Championship events.

Dunlop Motorsport will provide a Prize Fund of 2 sets of tires, supplied Free of Charge, for the highest placed privateer at each Grand Prix (S1 and S2) of the FIM World SuperMoto Championship.

Aside from the technical support, Dunlop will also be the Title Sponsor for every Grand Prix.  The financial support from Dunlop and Aprilia, together with additional investment from Youthstream will permit us to create a stable calendar and enable us to continue with the good quality of work and investment in television. 

Giuseppe Luongo, President of Youthstream said, ‘The good news on top of this is that aside from all the TV stations from last year (all confirmed) we will have also the highlights broadcasted also on Eurosport2 and Extreme Sports Channel.  The Live programme will be transmitted on Eurosport World that covers all Asia, New Zealand and Australia, the Live programme will all be broadcasted on ART in the Middle East.  Now we are in the condition to cover 83 countries with our live and highlight programmes.’

Mr. Luongo finished by saying, ‘I want to thank very much Dunlop for their belief in SuperMoto, the promotion work done by Youthstream and for joining us in this fantastic adventure.  SuperMoto is a great sport – at the moment it’s still a bit young, but give it some time and it will explode.’

Jose D’Alessandro, Director of Dunlop Motorcycle for Europe was very upbeat about Dunlop’s involvement.  “We recognise the value and attraction of being associated with this exciting young sport and also the rising costs faced by many of the privateer competitors. Dunlop has long been a supporter of Motorsport at grass-roots level and we are delighted to contribute to the growth and future of SuperMoto.

Steve Male, Manager of Dunlop Motorcycle Motorsport Europe expressed his view on the venture.  “The key thing here is that everyone will be on a level footing. The equal nature of the Dunlop arrangement means that factory riders and privateers alike will have to compete on additional ability rather than a competitive edge from a tire advantage. Our 2005 S1 Championship-winning tire has provided the benchmark for us to move forward. Further and ongoing development of that product will enable us to give the competitors a tire second to none.   We are very pleased that Youthstream has recognised that the 2005 S1 title winning tire as the brand to move forward with”.

Youthstream is the company that manages the exclusive television, marketing and promotional worldwide rights of the FIM SuperMoto World Championship, the FIM Motocross World Championship, the FIM Motocross Of Nations, the UEM Motocross European Championship, the UEM SuperMoto European Championship and the FIM Snowcross World Cup.