Dunlop celebrates a weekend to remember in off-road racing

Buffalo, NY–Dunlop Motorcycle Tires congratulates the many winners who rode Dunlop tires to victory in what was an amazing weekend of off-road racing across America this past Saturday and Sunday, September 11-12.

The most amazing feat of all was accomplished by Honda Racing’s Ricky Carmichael. One round after sewing up the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) 250 National Motocross Championship at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, PA on September 5, the Dunlop-supported rider completed the perfect season with 1-1 moto finishes at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, CA on his CRF450R four-stroke racer. In so doing, the 24-year old wrapped up his 11th national AMA championship and repeated the perfect outdoor season he accomplished in 2002, when he first took 24 moto wins. The championship is Carmichael’s fifth consecutive title in the 250cc outdoor class; in fact, since entering the premier class in 2000, he has never lost the title. The motocross weekend was equally successful for the Dunlop-shod motorcycles of the top ten finishers; 7 out of the top ten rode on Dunlops in both the 125 and 250 classes. Carmichael’s feat adds another notch to an impressive collection of AMA titles; since 1972, Dunlop-supported riders have won 102 out of 159 supercross/motocross championships.

Meanwhile, across the country in Nashville, TN, Team Troy Lee Designs’ Jeff Ward claimed his second consecutive AMA Supermoto victory on Saturday night at the Music City Motorplex. For nearly half of the 24-lap race, Ward shadowed teammate Doug Henry. But on lap 11, Henry stalled and Ward took the lead and then held on for the win. Teammate Chris Fillmore took second and Red Bull KTM rider Jurgen Kunzel was third as 9 of the top ten finishers crossed the line on Dunlop tires, the Official Tire of the 2004 AMA Supermoto Championship. As the series heads to the South Boston, VA Speedway on September 18, Ward leads the series with 73 points over Kunzel with 61, followed by A. Thiebault with 58.

Across the state line in Sparta, KY, GNCC (Grand National Cross Country) fans enjoyed the make-up round of The Spartan GNCC, originally scheduled for May before being postponed by heavy rains. GNCC series leader Rodney Smith kept his championship hopes alive for Suzuki, taking the win against the determined challenges of Yamaha’s defending GNCC champ Barry Hawk and Jason Raines, who finished second and third. Smith now leads the championship by 14 points (276) over Raines in his quest for a fifth GNCC title. Teammates Fred Andrews and Mike Kiedrowski hold down fourth and seventh places, respectively, in the season’s standings as Dunlop-supported riders hold five of the top 10 positions in the series with three rounds to go.

About Dunlop Tires
Dunlop Tires is the largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the U.S. and the only manufacturer of motorcycle tires in North America. With North American operations headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Dunlop has been making and selling high-quality tires in the U.S. since 1923. For more information, please visit dunlopmotorcycle.com.

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