In a year which has seen more entries than available grid places 36 teams shod with Dunlop tyres will be looking to qualify and race at the Suzuka 8 Hour endurance in Japan.
The Suzuka 8 Hour is the second round of the 2014 FIM Endurance World Championship, and attracts huge interest from Japanese motorcycle manufacturers and local teams who all vie for the opportunity to take a victory on home soil. This year Dunlop’s Japanese design team has produced a bespoke rear race tyre specifically for the Suzuka circuit which will be available for the race which takes place on Sunday 27th July. The new regulations will mean at least one “double stint” on a set of tyres. If teams can manage a 60 minute relay including their out lap and in lap they will only need to do a “double stint” on one set of tyres. Any shorter relay teams will mean at least three “double stints”.
New regulations in 2014 see each bike restricted to just 15 tyres for the whole 8 hour race, and Dunlop’s development work has shifted from focusing on tyre life in previous seasons to improving performance over a wider operating window. The two Dunlop works teams in the shape of Suzuki Endurance Racing Team and Honda Racing have both completed race distance tests in preparation for the event, as well as carrying out wet and dry testing.
Two other regular Dunlop teams in the paddock include last year’s 10th placed finishers Team R2CL, as well as the 2013 Endurance World Cup winners Team Motors Events April Moto. Also making a return will be local outfit Team Kagayama who came 3rd in 2013 along with reknowned superbike riders Yukio Kagayama and Noriyuki Haga along with Moto2 rider Dominic Aegerter. The 2014 Bol d’Or winner Gregory Leblanc is competing on a Dunlop-shod Kawasaki for the SynergyForce Trickstar team.
Peter Chapman, Dunlop EWC Race Coordinator said:
“The local teams make this race very different to the other EWC rounds. It’s tough for the championship contenders because they have to battle much harder to secure valuable championship points. The local bikes are bespoke to this circuit and the teams test here week after week so it’s a tall order for the European entries to challenge them for overall victory. SERT did very well last year to finish fourth and the field is the largest since 2008. If we can have a regular EWC finish or two in the top ten we would be very pleased.”
