• 24h-race debut for Dunlop’s latest GT3 tyre
• Team Premio Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 to race on Dunlop
• Walkenhorst Motorsport to run Dunlop-Art-Car BMW Z4 GT3
• Dunlop supports the spectacular Glickenhaus SCG003C entry
• Dunlop to supply the tyres for all the BMW M235i Racing cars
On the Ascension weekend (14th to 17th May, 2015), the Nürburgring will stage its motor-racing highlight of the year: the 24h race contested on the legendary Nordschleife.
With 160 cars on its grid, the motorsport marathon is the biggest and most gruelling race in the world. For Dunlop, it is a significant event as it marks the introduction its latest generation of GT3 tyres making their 24 hour race debut.
Alexander Kühn, Manager, Original Equipment at Dunlop Motorsport stated: “We tested extensively in the off-season, and developed tyre specs for the diverse weather conditions we can expect at the Nürburgring. With a range of new specifications we are well prepared for the 24h race. Dunlop have decades of success in endurance racing, highlighted by more wins at both the Nurburgring and Le Mans 24h than any other tyre manufacturer. I am convinced that our partner teams will benefit from our extensive Nordschleife know-how as well as the outstanding development competence and the excellent product quality from our multinational development team”
Team Premio Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 to race on Dunlop
One of the vehicles supplied with the latest generation of German GT3 racing tyres is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 of Team Premio. This car will be run by MCG AG with Team Principal Hans-Peter Naundorf at the helm. Former World Touring Car Champion Rob Huff (Great Britain) will alternate in the cockpit of the Dunlop shod AMG gull-wing racer with experienced Nordschleife ace Kenneth Heyer (Germany) as well as Philipp Frommenwiler (Switzerland) and Christian Krognes (Norway).
Dunlop and Walkenhorst present the stunning ‘Art Car’
‘Team Walkenhorst powered by Dunlop’ travels with two BMW Z4 GT3 racers to the Eifel. One of them, the Dunlop-Art-Car, will arguably be the most distinctive car on the 25.378-kilometre combination of GP circuit and Nordschleife. The GT3 sports car wears the Dunlop colours of yellow, black and red. The modern and impactful design of the livery was created by renowned artist Jean Pierre Kraemer.
Team Principal Henry Walkenhorst shares the work in the cockpit of #18 with the German trio of Ralf Oeverhaus, Christian Bollrath and Stefan Aust. The sister car, #17, will be raced by Felipe Fernández Laser (Ger), Michela Cerruti (Italy) John Edwards (USA) and Daniel Keilwitz (Ger).
Dunlop supports Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus
A lot of interest will be created by the two highly advanced prototype sports cars from Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus – the SCG003C. Dunlop supplies the racing tyres for the two supercars which resemble Le Mans prototypes. “Thanks to their numerous Nürburgring appearances, Dunlop have got an excellent wealth of experience and have proven that they know how to design a tyre that has got what it takes to win on this demanding race track,” says car collector and race-team owner James Glickenhaus. “That’s why Dunlop are the ideal partners for our ambitious project.”
Manuel Lauck (Germany), Marino Franchitti (Great Britain), David Jahn and Franck Mailleux (France) will contest the race through the Green Hell in car #9, with SCG0003C #40 being raced by Ken Dobson (USA), Jeff Westphal (USA), Thomas Mutsch (Germany) and Mailleux who will make appearances in both cockpits.
BMW M235i Racing Cup to be exclusively contested on Dunlop
Dunlop is technical partner of BMW Motorsport and all of the BMW M235i Racing cars competing in their own Cup class will race on Dunlop tyres.
“Last year, in the debut season, the excellent performance of the Dunlop tyres wasn’t the only convincing factor. The same applied to the professional service and the technical competence of the Dunlop engineers,” underlines BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “Therefore, we are delighted with continuing the successful partnership, this year.” The cars will be shod with racing tyres in the dimensions 265/660 R18 that were designed and developed in cooperation with BMW Motorsport for the use on the BMW M235i Racing.
“We adapted and tuned the tyre for the 333bhp BMW M235i Racing to the Nordschleife. There, with the continuously changing weather conditions, optimum grip and outstanding handling properties are crucial,” underlines Alexander Kühn, “In the past season, the BMW M235i Racing teams covered a total of 87,500 kilometres, on our tyres, and the feedback was consistently positive. This demonstrates that the tyres feature a broad operating window and that they also provide the confidence to suit motor-racing newcomers.”