Dunlop teams prove tire performance with 24h Le Mans success

BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team charges to P2 overall and Dunlop Superstock winner, National Motos Honda, finishes a remarkable P5 overall. The fastest laps were set towards the end of stints, demonstrating enduring tyre performance in demanding conditions,

The 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) season started with the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans. It was a particularly successful race for Dunlop as the tire supplier to 35 of the 48 teams that entered the traditional season opener. 

EWC is split into two classes. The top class, Formula EWC, features a free choice of tires with special development tires being permitted. The Dunlop Superstock category mandates the Dunlop KR range to provide an equal playing field for the smaller teams using near-standard superbikes. 

Formula EWC 

Dunlop’s leading partner teams, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and the KM99 Yamaha, were in contention from the moment that the tricolore was waved to start the 24 hours. Florian Marino (KM99) was revelling in the confidence of the quick warming Dunlops, making up four places in the first half-hour to move into fourth overall.

BMW was determined to build on the pace shown in the 2023 race, where the Dunlop-shod M1000RR set the outright race lap record at the Sarthe circuit with Ilya Mykhalchyk. The Ukrainian was following in Marino’s slipstream, both climbing to top-three positions before the handover to their teammates for the second and third stint. Marino was partnered by Randy De Puniet and Jeremy Guarnoni at KM99, with the BMW rider trio completed by Sylvain Guintoli and Markus Reiterberger. 

As the sun began to set at the four-hour mark, the two Dunlop teams were still in podium positions, with BMW second and KM99 third. A minute later, drama struck when De Puniet crashed the Yamaha, losing six minutes in the pits for repairs. Unfortunately, the team then suffered technical problems that left the Yamaha out of leading contention in only the team’s fifth EWC race, showing great potential ahead of the team’s home event at Spa in June. 

BMW then ran second for the remainder of the race, trading fastest laps with the leading bike, with the riders enjoying the wide operating window of the KR slicks in cold conditions.

David Auerbacher, International Motorcycle Race Event Leader, Dunlop Motorsport, explained the tire performance: “The race was notable for low temperatures, with 4°C ambient in the early hours of Sunday morning and the daytime temperature rarely rising over 13°C. The Dunlop KR range is renowned for its wide operating window and quick warm-up characteristics. Dunlop’s Heat Control Technology uses a different tread architecture on the crown and base of the tire, generating heat in the base that optimises the performance of the contact patch. It was significant that the fastest laps were set at the end of each stint, proving the enduring performance of the tires. In demanding conditions, consistent performance is key to success.”

Top five overall for Dunlop Superstock winners

To kick off the third season of the exclusive Dunlop Superstock Trophy, the No. 55 National Motos Honda team qualified a stunning ninth overall ahead of seven top class Formula EWC teams. 

The trio of Valentin Suchet, Sébastien Suchet and Guillaume Raymond battled with the 2023 winners, No.9 Tecmas MRP BMW Racing Team, in the opening stages, before securing a lead the team never lost. The ‘showroom-spec’ winning Honda was only beaten by four Formula EWC bikes, proving the competitiveness of the all-Dunlop category. Most teams opted for quadruple stints on the front tyres and double stints on the rear, marking an impressive 120 laps before a full replacement set was required.

The next EWC race is the 8 Hours of Spa Motos (8 June), followed by the Suzuka 8 Hours (21 July) and Bol d’Or (14-15 September).