MARCH | 2009

MARCH | 2009
CONTENTS
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4
WHO IS THE LATEST ATHLETE TO JOIN THE DUNLOP FAMILY?
4
BENNY SOLIS JUNIOR
5
BRUCE OGILVIE LEGENDS POSTER NOW AVAILABLE
5
THE MOTOCROSS FILES
6
2009 INDIANAPOLIS DEALER EXPO
6
DUNLOP STICKERS NOW AVAILABLE
7
2009 WORCS BIKES AND ATV UPDATE
7
ATTENTION ALL RACERS
8
AMERICA STRIKES BACK
12
2009 SUPERCROSS EAST AND WEST LITES SERIES UPDATE
14
BREATHE EASY ROAD STAR 1700
18
DUNLOP LAUNCHES ALL-NEW GEOMAX MX51
22
LOOKING FORWARD: 2009 FONTANA TIRE TEST
24
UPCOMING EVENTS
3
BRUCE OGILVIE LEGENDS POSTER NOW AVAILABLE
The annals of Baja racing history hold one name that
For 2009, Dunlop has commissioned the creation of a
stands above all others: Bruce Ogilvie. Ogilvie is the
Bruce Ogilvie Legends poster to benefit the Clayton
only rider to achieve overall race victories in Baja over
Memorial Foundation, which lends financial assistance
the course of four decades, 11 in all, including the
to injured motorcycle racers. This limited-edition, col-
triple crown of Baja races, the San Felipe 250, the Baja
lectible 19x26-inch poster is available for $29.95 and
500 and the Baja 1000. During the course of his re-
may be purchased through the Cycle News Website at
markable off-road racing career, Ogilvie also earned
www.cyclenews.com or by calling 800-831-2220.
three ISDE medals for the USA.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT CYCLENEWS.COM
WHO IS THE LATEST ATHLETE TO JOIN THE DUNLOP FAMILY?
Who is the latest athlete to join the Dunlop family? Here’s a
his skills to the streets. Between stunt exhibitions and Super
hint: He’s an extreme rider who has won dozens of champi-
Bikes—his Speed television show—Britton also handles
onships and currently does riding exhibitions all around the
executive editor duties at 2Wheel Tuner magazine and does
If you count yourself among the legions of genuine motorheads, you certainly know
world. Oh yeah, and he has his own hit television show on
motorcycle stunt work for Hollywood productions.
about The Motocross Files. These fascinating half-hour Speed Channel programs
Speed. We’re talking Jason Britton here, and Dunlop is proud
to have him in the family.
showcase the careers of the most legendary motocross riders from the golden era of
Check out Jason’s Website (www.jasonbritton.com) to find out
Motocross and Supercross, and are extremely well done. If we have a single gripe,
when he and his No Limits team will be at an event near you.
it’s that a half-hour show (actually, about 22 minutes and 30 seconds, discounting
Britton started riding when he was two, had a successful amateur career as a motocrosser and then at the age of 16 took
THE MOTOCROSS FILES
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT JASON’S WEBSITE
commercial breaks) is barely long enough to whet your appetite.
Well, we’re happy to report that the producers of The Motocross Files are now
offering full-length DVDs for sale, which cover the careers of some of our sport’s
BENNY SOLIS JUNIOR
favorite stars. Right now you can purchase a DVD with more than two hours’ worth
Benny Solis Junior is the 2008 U.S. Red Bull Rookies Cup Champion. He started out racing dirtbikes, but
each. Other upcoming DVDs in the works will feature Roger DeCoster, Marty Smith
at the tender age of 11 he switched to road racing. He won his first championship the next year. Last
and Brad Lackey—legends all! In addition, DVDs with coverage of the 1980 USGP
year at the age of 13 he went big time, racing and winning the U.S. Red Bull Rookies Cup national
at Carlsbad, the 1977 USGP at Carlsbad and the historic 1981 Motocross Des
championship. That title got Benny an invitation to compete in the European Red Bull Rookies Cup in
Nations win by the USA will soon be in the pipeline as well.
of fascinating viewing featuring Bob Hannah or Rick Johnson for a mere $29.95
2009. We caught up with Benny for this video interview.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO
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CLICK HERE TO GET THE LATEST SCOOP ON DVDs FROM THE MOTOCROSS FILES
5
2009 WORCS BIKES AND ATV UPDATE
The opening round of the 2009 World Off Road
top 10. Woods raced his RM-Z450 to third on the podium,
Championship Series (WORCS) kicked off in Phoenix, AZ,
and Johnny Campbell Racing’s Tim Weigand finished
and Dunlop racers Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ricky
fourth. Dunlop racers embrace seven of the top 10
Dietrich, Valli Motorsports’ Bobby Bonds and Team FMF
positions in the WORCS Championship point standings,
Suzuki Off Road’s Nathan Woods clean-swept the podium.
with Nathan Woods in second and Bobby Bonds and his
Piloting a KX450F, Dietrich, the 2008 series runner-up, held
CRF450R in third position.
off fellow Dunlop racer and 2008 champion Bonds to claim
victory at the first race of the season: Woods finished
At the opening round of the WORCS ATV series in
third. Seven of the top-10 finishers rode Dunlop. At round
Surprise, AZ, it was Dunlop racer Josh Frederick who put
two in Adelanto, CA, Dunlop finished with five racers in the
Dunlop on the top step of the podium. Aboard his Can-Am
DS 450, the Team Motoworks pilot and defending 2008
champion rode a solid race to claim his first victory of the
season. Teammate Jeremie Warina finished just shy of the
podium in fourth.
2009 INDIANAPOLIS DEALER EXPO
The annual 2009 Indianapolis Dealer Expo took place in
This huge expo—not open to the public—gives powersports
February, and it was hard to tell by the number of exhibitors
companies an opportunity to show their wares and introduce
and the crowd on hand that we are going through tough
new product to dealers nationwide. Dunlop, of course, was
economic times. By the looks of this year’s show, the after-
there debuting the new Geomax line of off-road tires, the
market is booming. There wasn’t an empty spot in the main
all-new Sportmax GP-A—the DOT-spec racing tire approved
hall, and the all-new Lucas Oil Stadium was also packed
for AMA pro road-racers this year—and the new Quadmax
with exhibitors.
Sport ATV tires.
ATTENTION ALL RACERS
No matter which off-road racing venue you¹ve chosen, Dunlop
has the right tire and specific recommendations‹for your racing
DUNLOP STICKERS NOW AVAILABLE
needs. From professional Supercross and Arenacross to
Since you’re riding on the best tires available—Dunlops—you might as well tell it to the world. That’s
info you¹ll need to get ready to win!
Off-Road/Enduro and Amateur National MX, we have all the tire
easier than ever now that free Dunlop stickers are contained in our 2009 Dunlop tire brochures available at
all IMS shows and wherever you see a Dunlop race truck at Supercross, road races and various other
events throughout the year. Adorn your bike or helmet with these stickers, and ride with pride!
6
CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE TIRE USAGE GUIDE
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AMERICA STRIKES BACK
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“TO ME, A HYPERMOTARD IS THE IDEAL BIKE FOR THE
WAY PEOPLE RIDE ON THE STREET NOWADAYS.”
Take a long look at this newest custom proj-
“To me, a hypermotard is the ideal bike for the way people
ect from renown bike builder Jesse Rooke
ride on the street nowadays. It offers a much better option
and what do you see? Well, first off we all
than a full-on sportbike in terms of riding position and usabil-
have to agree that it’s simply jaw-dropping
ity. I wanted to take a Harley and put it into that sport-ori-
gorgeous. But to get the complete low-down
ented market and also in a direction that younger riders are
on this machine we went right to the source
going. Older riders can appreciate this bike too because of
and asked Jesse what his intentions were
the more relaxed seating position, and maybe it will take them
from the get-go.
back to sportbikes from the 1960s and 1970s that were more
fun to ride.
“The overall concept behind this bike was to
create a response to the Ducati hypermotard,
“I used a lot of different parts readily available through the in-
but from an American standpoint. I like V-
dustry, but I focused on premium-grade products: Brembo
twins and wanted to work with a V-twin pow-
brakes, Storz Performance exhaust and hand-formed alu-
erplant, so I began with a 2008
minum tank, Performance Machine wheels, Marzocchi fork,
Harley-Davidson 1200 Nightster. It’s one of
Works Connection levers, paintwork by Ten Ten Custom
the coolest bikes Harley-Davidson offers,
Paint, and my Rooke triple trees, handlebar raisers, front axle
and it’s also affordable. The Nightster offers
and spacers, and monoshock swingarm setup that’s a 100
good performance for displacement, and it
percent bolt-on package. And Dunlop tires, of course, a wide
also incorporates the newer technology from
rear 240/40-18 Elite 3 radial, plus a radial 120/70-19 D208 ZR
Harley-Davidson. And another thing I like
Sportmax up front. These are the best components in the
about this project, which I call the Dunlop
industry, so this bike is like a Shelby or Roush custom
MXR1200, is that the powerplant and frame
Mustang—the best parts incorporated into a whole that
are 100 percent OEM; I used only bolt-on
becomes greater than the sum of the parts.
parts in making up this bike.
“I’m really happy with the end product. The whole package
came together well; it wasn’t just thrown together quickly, it
took me quite a while to figure it out completely. But in the
end we got to where I wanted to go. This Dunlop MXR1200 is
an American sportbike concept that looks great and works really well for today’s riders.”
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT JESSE’S WEBSITE
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The 2009 Supercross Championship
In the Supercross Championship, Honda Red Bull Racing’s
continues to gain momentum with eight
Davi Millsaps recorded his first podium of the season at the
Supercross, six Supercross West Lites and
sixth round held in Anaheim, CA, finishing third. Teammate
two Supercross East Lites Championship
Andrew Short went on to replicate Millsap’s podium result the
rounds completed. After the second round of
following week in San Diego. Short’s third-place finish in San
East Lites action, Dunlop racers make up six
Diego opened the door to five Dunlop racers finishing in the
of the top 10 positions in the series point
top 10 and was Short’s second podium finish of the season.
standings; they also hold five of the top 10
09
SX
EAST AND WEST LITES SERIES UPDATE
12
places in West Lites competition. Four
In the Supercross West Lites Championship, KTM’s Justin
Dunlop pilots are positioned in the
Brayton finished third on the podium at Anaheim three. The
Supercross Championship top-10 points.
KTM250SX-F pilot was the first of five Dunlop riders to finish
in the top 10. In San Francisco, Dunlop racers led the charge
with six Dunlop competitors finishing in the top 10–including
third place on the podium by 2008 East Lites Champion Trey
Canard. It was Canard’s first podium in the West Lites series
for GEICO Powersports Honda. Teammate Brett Metcalfe
piloted his Honda CRF250R to second on the podium in his
debut race for the Honda team in the East Lites
Championship opener in Houston, TX, and KTM’s Martin
Davalos battled and held out fellow Dunlop racer GEICO
Powersports Honda’s Blake Wharton in Atlanta to finish on
the podium in third.
CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR SX PHOTO GALLERY
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BREATHE EASY
ROAD STAR 1700
A partnership between Cobra and Broc Glover to help in
the fight against cystic fibrosis led to the development of
this very custom Road Star 1700, a bike that’s destined to
be given away to some lucky winner. A few years ago, AMA
Hall of Fame motocross champion Broc Glover learned his
6-year-old son, Dayne, had cystic fibrosis. In 2008 Glover
began raising funds and awareness about the disease from
within the motorcycle community with a ride and a motorcycle giveaway. This year he’s back at it and with the help
of Cobra, and he’s using this Road Star as a key element in
the fundraising plans for a Grand Prize Opportunity. Tickets
are $10 a chance.
This bike needed to retain its real-world rideability, but
Denny Berg, Cobra’s chief designer and fabricator, along
with Cobra principal Ken Boyko, decided it also had to look
like a ground-up one-of-a-kind motorcycle. So the bike was
stripped to the frame and shipped with all body parts to
Buck Wilds, in Covina, CA, for its stunning Root Beer and
Gold paint. Berg had already removed many frame tabs and
ground down the factory welds so the painted frame would
have a custom look to it.
Berg also cleaned up the engine by chroming some black
engine covers and painting black some of the ancillary
pieces, such as the shift linkage. He also replaced the
stock air-box cover with a billet MoFlo unit originally designed for a Harley, fabricating a special backing plate so
the MoFlo would match up to the Road Star intake. These
alterations were to showcase the V-twin engine and give it
a more unified design.
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THIS BIKE NEEDED TO RETAIN ITS REAL-WORLD
RIDEABILITY BUT HAD TO LOOK LIKE A GROUND-UP
ONE-OF-A-KIND MOTORCYCLE.
In addition, Berg mounted Performance Ma-
A number of other Berg trademarks include wiring run inside
chine Wrath wheels front and rear, shod with
the handlebars and lightbar, leaving no exposed or zip-tied
Dunlop tires. He also installed PM brake
electrical connectors, plus chromed foot controls. The stock
calipers, hand controls and Contour mirrors.
rear brake-pedal pad was replaced by a fabricated piece that
He then used PM Contour Renthal rubber
uses the same rubber inserts as the shift lever, for a symmetry
grips. During the final assembly Berg in-
lacking on the stock version. At the rear, Berg drilled a series
stalled Progressive Suspension fork springs
of holes in the belt-drive guard, an artistic touch giving the
and rear shock, which lowered the bike
appearance of a much lighter but still substantial item.
about an inch for the proper stance.
This bike will be on display at select events around the
country and at the Breathe Easy Ride in Temecula, CA,
on March 29.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
A TICKET TO WIN THIS BIKE
CLICK HERE FOR MORE BIKE IMAGES
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DUNLOP LAUNCHES ALL-NEW
Dunlop Tires introduced the all-new Geomax MX51 tire to members of the
Following torrential rainfall over Southern
Before the group hit the track, Dunlop unveiled its latest
California in the days leading up to the event,
Legends poster, this one featuring desert racer Bruce Ogilvie.
the track was groomed and prepped, ready
The Dunlop Legends series of posters raises funds for injured
for a day of MX51 testing action.
riders through the Clayton Memorial Foundation. Previous
motorcycle media at a press launch held at Southern California’s Perris
Dunlop Legends Ricky Johnson, Jeff Ward, Broc Glover and
Raceway on Wednesday, February 11, 2009. In addition to the media,
First up, media and guests enjoyed a
Dunlop management and technical staff, Dunlop Legends, past and present
continental breakfast trackside while Dunlop
champions and pro racers—including Jeremy McGrath, Erik Kehoe, Doug
technicians fitted MX51 tires—successor to
At the completion of the presentation the track was opened up
Dubach, Nick Wey and Ryan Hughes—all gathered to take part in the
Dunlop’s D756 series—on a plethora of
to the media, giving them the opportunity to ride on the new
launch of Dunlop’s newest off-road tire.
bikes. Dunlop staff next delivered a technical
Geomax tire. After an hour, it was time for the pros to join in
presentation about the all-new Geomax tires
and Short, Wey, six-time WMA Champion Jessica Patterson,
and recognized several professional racers
Kehoe, Ward, Dubach and Hughes put the MX51 through
in attendance who played an integral role in
its paces.
Malcolm Smith were on hand to help launch the Ogilvie poster.
the development and testing, including Kevin
Windham, Andrew Short and Trey Canard.
A well-earned barbecue lunch was served under the patio at
midday, and many journalists utilized this time to gather
quotes and information from riders and Dunlop’s technical
personnel before hitting the track again in the afternoon.
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CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT
The new Geomax MX51 excelled on the intermediate Perris Raceway terrain,
and everyone went home impressed with the performance of Dunlop’s latest
tire. To see what some of the media had to say, check out these links.
TransworldMX
Motorcycle USA
MX Action Magazine
Team Dunlop
Racer X
Final Lap Magazine
Cycle News
Pit Pass Radio (interview with Broc Glover)
CLICK HERE TO SEE A VIDEO FROM THE LAUNCH
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LOOKING
FORWARD
2009 FONTANA TIRE TEST
With numerous changes afoot for the 2009
Dunlop technicians assisted teams during this first 2009 stan-
AMA road race season, the early February
dard-product test. The December 2008 tire test held at Daytona
test session held at Auto Club Speedway in
International Speedway focused on tires suitable to the particu-
Fontana, CA, provided many teams with
lar needs at that track only, whereas the Fontana test data will
valuable set-up data for the pending season.
carry over to virtually all other tracks visited during 2009.
This test included Yoshimura Suzuki, the
Yamaha team including the Graves
Given the many new machine guidelines and additional speci-
Motorsports contingent, Corona Extra
fications established for 2009, including the naming of Dunlop
Honda, Erion Racing Honda, Attack
Motorcycle Tires as the exclusive tire supplier for the AMA se-
Kawasaki and others.
ries through 2011, the Fontana test provided an excellent opportunity for many teams to get up to speed—literally and
figuratively.
According to Dunlop Senior Road Race Manager Jim Allen,
the Fontana tests were flawless. “We had no issues during
this test, and in some cases the racers found they could go
double race distance on these tires. This newfound durability
makes a big difference because tire allotments to each racer
are limited this year. We’re really just getting started, but it
looks like the performance characteristics with these tires are
broad enough to suit all race tracks all year.”
Regarding tire development during the course of the racing
season, Allen said, “We’re free to develop new tires, but it will
be at a slower pace than in years past, which is just part of
the process of being a spec tire. But we always want to do
more development, we want to learn and move the state of
the art forward.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMAGES FROM THE TEST
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UPCOMING EVENTS
2009 AMA SUPERCROSS
2009 AMA ROAD RACING
AMATEUR MOTOCROSS
AMA ATV MOTOCROSS
March 14
March 20-22
GNC International MX Finals
March 21-22
Superdome
Auto Club Speedway
March 17-22
Millcreek Raceway
New Orleans, LA
Fontana, CA
Decatur, TX
Pell City, AL
March 21
April 35
April 4-5
Edward Jones Dome
Road Atlanta
Ballance Moto X
St. Louis, MO
Braselton, GA
Bowling Green, KY
March 28
May 1 - 3
April 18-19
Rogers Centre
Barber Motorsports Park
Birch Creek Motorsports
Toronto, Ont., Canada
Birmingham, AL
Danville, VA
©2009 Dunlop Tires • P. O. Box 1109, Buffalo, New York 14240-1109 • 1-800-845-8378 • dunlopmotorcycle.com