It’s a big week for Dunlop Motorsport in South Africa. Hot off the heels of the first races of its new season, and leading up to the opening National racing weekend in support of the Kyalami 9Hour this coming weekend, Dunlop also welcomes three more major championships to its South African racing family.
“We are delighted to welcome DOE Formula Vee and the Backdraft Production Series to the Dunlop Racing family, and the BMW M Performance Parts Race Series,” Sumitomo Rubber and Dunlop SA CEO Lubin Ozoux confirms. “These series join our well established existing racing championships on the National and Regional Extreme Festivals, as Dunlop continues to strive to prove our world class road tyre tech on the racetrack.”
“DOE Formula Vee, Backdraft Production Series and soon the BMW M Performance Race Series join our existing tyre supply deals with SA National series, Global Touring Cars, GTC SupaCup, Polo Cup and Gazoo Cup,” Dunlop PR and events manager Joanne de Freitas adds. “Dunlop also supports The Pabar VW Challenge, Lotus Challenge and Superhatch in Regional Extreme Festival, and the GTi Challenge Racing Series in the Cape.
“All of the above series now race on Dunlop tyres. “Our ATS Motorsport Dunlop Service Crew supports all National and upcountry meetings, looking after the entire paddock’s wheel and tyre needs on track. “We also support some categories with Pole Position awards, National drivers racing Dunlop Tyres score a R2,500 cash prize.
“Dunlop Tyres South Africa sees top local motorsport as the ideal means of showcasing our world-leading Dunlop Sport Maxx road tyres and this increased involvement is a nod to that great success,” de Freitas concludes. “Dunlop wishes all our racing competitors across South Africa the very best of luck in our biggest season on track this year!”
Dunlop’s racing season is already well underway following the opening races of 2023. Jurie Swart won Class A, Kyle Visser Class B and Matthew Rowe Class C at the GTi Challenge Killarney season opener in February.
This last weekend saw the opening round of the Regional Extreme Festival at Zwartkops, where young drivers stole the Dunlop Racing show. Two young karters, Sa’aad Variawa in the Toyota Gazoo Yaris Cup, and Bjorn Berthold in Class C of the Pabar VW Challenge, won races on their main circuit race debuts.
Champion Peter Hills won Formula Vee’s first Dunlop race, Wayne Masters won VW Challenge Class A, Stiaan Kriel Class B and Stelio Nousias Class C overall. Karel Stolts won Class A Superhatch and Christiaan Van Wyk Class B. Thomas Falkiner took 1st at the GR86 Cup.
Dunlop Motorsport’s attention now shifts to Kyalami and the 9Hour race program this coming Friday 24 and Saturday 25 February, where its blue chip National Championship Global Touring Cars, GTC SupaCup and CompCare Polo Cup seasons kicks off. See you at Kyalami!