Dunlop tires chosen by top teams from Europe and Japan for Suzuka 8 Hours

Dunlop tires are the choice of leading teams from both Europe and Japan at this weekend’s Suzuka 8 Hours, the third round of the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC). 

After a strong start to the EWC season with 24-hour races at Le Mans and Spa-Francorchamps, EWC heads to Japan for its only race outside of Europe, where the top endurance teams from Europe and Japan go head-to-head for eight hours. 

Dunlop partners BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and KM99 are amongst the European teams making the trip to Japan to race against some of the country’s leading endurance teams.

The two European teams will benefit from the same Dunlop tire options as they normally race with in European rounds, with two front and four rear specifications to choose from Dunlop’s KR racing slick range. 

The No. 37 BMW outfit is third in the teams’ championship standings, so a strong finish this weekend would solidify its position heading into the season finale Bol d’Or at Le Castellet next month. New team KM99, meanwhile, will be looking for another strong result in its Suzuka debut. Last time out at Spa, the Belgian operation was the highest-placed privateer team, having shown great potential with its Yamaha YZF-R1. 

The majority of the field will be made up of leading Japanese endurance teams in both the Formula EWC class for outright prototypes and the near-standard Superstock class. Seven local Formula EWC teams have chosen Dunlop tires, along with a further seven Superstock teams, representing Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. All will receive a selection of tire choices from Dunlop Japan’s range.

These teams include the Team Frontier BMW, run by 90s 125cc regular Nobby Ueda, and piloted by a trio that includes former 125cc/Moto3 rider Danny Webb. Also of note are the TERAMOTO@J-TRIP Racing Suzuki and the TONE RT SYNCEDGE 4413 BMW that finished on the podium last year and features former WSBK racer Shinichi Nakatomi.

David Auerbacher, Event Leader EWC, Dunlop: “We’re looking forward to what’s sure to be another exciting EWC race at Suzuka. Working closely with Dunlop Japan, we can ensure that Dunlop teams from both continents have a high level of support and a range of tires for all conditions and race strategies. We completed a test recently to learn the track and validate the tires, which also included the BMW team coming over from Europe, which further helped our preparation for the 8 Hours.”