Isle of Man,
07
June
2019
|
18:00 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

Dunlop - the most successful tyre at this year's TT

  • Peter Hickman wins Superstock, Supersport and Superbike TT races

  • The D213 GP Pro tyre becomes a multiple TT winning tyre

  • Fastest lap in Senior TT and new TT Zero lap record

Dunlop tyres were the most successful tyre at this year's Isle of Man TT being used by nearly three-quarters of the race-winning riders, including wins in the headline Superbike, Supersport and Superstock races. Racing in seven races across three days, five of the races were won by Dunlop riders, with three won by 2018 Senior TT winner Peter Hickman.

Dunlop’s Motorsport Manager, Wim Van Achter describes the TT tyres success and performance: ‘Wins in the Superbike, Superstock and SuperSport races and fastest overall in the Senior TT prove Dunlop’s performance. The D213 GP Pro is now a multiple TT winning tyre in the road-legal classes, and our latest KR108 slick with a fast warm-up time gave riders the confidence to set new landmark lap records’

Hickman won the Superstock TT and Superbike races on board the Smiths Racing BMW, while he won the Supersport race on the Trooper Beer by Smiths Racing Triumph.

The Senior TT should have been number four for Hickman but a mechanical issue dropped him to second place. Setting a searing pace on the latest Dunlop slick, Hickman created a commanding lead and set the fastest lap of 16:51.495 (134.284mph/214.8kmh) but his technical issues meant he had to settle for second with fellow Dunlop rider Conor Cummins on board the Honda / Milenco by Padgett's bike finishing third.

Peter Hickman described the Senior TT: “The team did a fantastic job and did everything they could do to try and make that bike right for us. It managed four laps, didn’t quite manage six, but we’re still on the podium. We had an absolutely unbelievable TT, so to come away with a hat-trick and a win on the Supersport bike is something I’ve been trying to get for a while now and we’re still on the podium for the Senior so it’s not all bad!”

Being able to utilise the recently launched road-legal D213 GP Pro tyre in Superstock and Superbike allowed Hickman to set an impressive average lap speed of 130mph/208kmh across his three winning races.

The D213 GP Pro was developed to provide riders with confidence at high speed and under heavy braking. Its dramatic cutting-edge fin-shaped pattern ensures faster warm-up times, allowing the riders to push from the word go.

Lee Johnston took his maiden Isle of Man TT victory in the first Supersport race of the week riding the Ashcourt Racing Yamaha. Johnston spoke about winning his first TT race: “The feeling is something unbelievable and not many people get to experience that in the world, and I am one of them.”

Dunlop yet again won the all-electric TT zero with Michael Rutter claiming victory with John McGuinness finishing in second place Dunlop engineer John Higgins explained the effects of the TT zero Bathams Mugen bike on the Dunlop tyres:

“The setup for TT zero is a little different to other races run during the week. Due to the increased weight of the electric bikes, setup required changes in tyre pressure. As it is a one-lap race, riders opt for the softer compound tyres, allowing them to push during their single lap of the circuit. We saw this with Michael Rutter setting the fastest lap yesterday on the Bathams Mugen on Dunlop slicks”.

The TT zero is an electric bike class that was first introduced to the TT in 2010 and runs for one lap. Showing the pace of progress in electric technology, the bikes were hitting over 175mph/280kmh - faster than the Supersport racers.

With 12 podiums and five race wins in 2019, Dunlop remains the most successful tyre supplier at the Isle of Man TT.

About Dunlop

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 74,000 people and manufactures its products in 57 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.