Suzuka 8 Hours - Dunlop & Suzuki aim for EWC title

• The Suzuka 8 hours plays host to a title showdown.

• Dunlop’s tyre technology to help Team SERT’s Championship attack.

The Suzuka 8 hours is the final round of the 2018-19 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) season. Dunlop head to the Suzuka circuit hoping that the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) can wrap up the FIM EWC teams championship. 

Team SERT currently sit in second place in the championship standings with 127 points, only five points behind the leader. There is extra pressure on the teams and tyre manufacturers to have a strong result as the points allocated for the final round have been increased by 150%.

As well as Team SERT challenging for overall victory in the EWC class, VRD Igol Pierret Experiences and Honda Endurance Racing are still pushing for a strong result in the FIM EWC teams ranking, while in the Superstock class the Moto AIN team have already been crowned FIM World Cup champions. 

With the hotly contested EWC and Superstock standings coming to an exciting conclusion, the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy ends its fourth season in similar fashion. This separate series supports privateer teams with financial incentives and a league table.

The Suzuka 8 hours represents a major test for the tyres, Dunlop’s NTEC and Jointless Belt Technology have been developed to cope with the demands of endurance racing and give riders the confidence and stability to consistently push throughout the 8 hours. 

Significance of Suzuka 8 Hours

First contested in 1978, the rich history of the Suzuka 8 hours has seen multiple MotoGP World Champions Valentino Rossi and Mick Doohan winning in 2001 and 1991 respectively. 

The Suzuka 8 hours plays a huge role in deciding this season’s champions of the EWC and Superstock team titles. Increased points and a decision by factory teams to introduce top riders from other series will have an impact on the final result.

Roland Wozniak, International Event Manager, Dunlop Motorsport, understands the importance of a strong Suzuka 8 Hours: “Competing against the top teams and other tyre manufacturers at the challenging Suzuka 8 hours and coming away with the 2018-19 EWC teams title will be extra special. Dunlop have worked tirelessly to give their partners the optimal tyre performance at every round and we believe it will give Team SERT the best chance of wrapping up the teams title.”

Dunlop’s milestone with Team SERT

Dunlop are celebrating 20 years of a hugely successful partnership with Team SERT. Supplying tyres to Team SERT has been a huge honour for Dunlop, with the fruitful partnership rewarding 13 World Endurance Championship titles, 7 Le Mans 24hr race victories, 11 Bol d’Or wins and multiple EWC victories.

The Suzuka 8 Hours will take place on 28th July 2019 at the Suzuka circuit.