From a press release issued by Dunlop: Dunlop Introduces Sportmax D211GP Buffalo, NY – Dunlop Motorcycle Tires proudly introduces the Sportmax D211GP, the finest production Supersport road racing tire available. Dunlop’s latest creation will make its national racing debut at Daytona International Speedway at the opening round of the 2008 AMA Superbike Series. The new D211GP embodies the experience and tire technology amassed by Dunlop over years of racing in the USA. The D211GP is based upon the latest race Dunlop tire designs – N-Tec radial slick tires and the N-Tec radial D209 Sportmax GP – that have dominated the AMA Superbike series in recent years, winning championship after championship in all four classes. The 2007 racing season serves as proof of Dunlop’s dominance. In the 19 AMA Superbike events, Dunlop riders swept every podium and took every top-10 position in every race except one (189 out of 190 possible). In the 10 AMA Supersport races, Dunlop riders collected 80 percent of the podium positions (including five sweeps) and 66 percent of the top 10 finishing positions. Overall in the four AMA classes, Dunlop riders represented a whopping 84 percent of the top-three positions and 77 percent of the top-10 finishers. The radial-construction D211GP rear tire features a nylon carcass overlaid with two nylon breaker belts and a continuously wound, aramid-fiber tread belt for cooler-running, excellent straight-line stability and virtually no circumferential tire growth. Dunlop’s N-Tec steel bead and its high-modulus bead apex combine to offer improved feel for the rider as the tire nears its cornering limit, producing the “predictability” that has become a signature characteristic of Dunlop roadracing tires. The multi-compound rear tread is an ingenious design that results in the first production racing tire to utilize seven tread zones: a high-modulus traction compound in the center and two lateral grip sections on each side, both separated by a triangular support region”¹all extruded as a one-piece unit. The high-modulus traction compound is extruded as a base layer and when positioned on the tire it spans the distance from one tread edge of the tire to the other. It extends to the tire’s surface only in the center, forming a central band that contacts the pavement when the motorcycle is in vertical or near-vertical attitudes. The flanking bands of lateral-grip “working” compound are situated on either side of the central traction compound. Engineered into the design of the underlying high-modulus compound is a triangular-shaped support that rises radially toward the surface of the tread, bisecting the lateral grip “working” compounds. Viewed in cross-section, the peak appears as an inverted trumpet bell – wider at the base and narrowing as it ascends to the tread surface – that in effect creates two lateral grip zones on each side of the tire’s centerline. Sharing the spotlight with the D211GP rear is the D211GP front tire. Dunlop’s first multi-compound front for production-based racing motorcycles utilizes radial construction and features two nylon carcass plies and two aramid cut-breaker carcass belts. A thin, high-modulus carcass compound is layered under these belts to minimize and distribute the forces transmitted from the aramid belts to the carcass plies under hard braking. The D211GP front tire also combines Dunlop’s N-Tec steel bead and unique bead apex design to further stabilize handling at full lean. For the multi-compound front tread, two compounds – the lateral compound and the high-modulus traction compound – are extruded as a one-piece nit. Like the rear, the high-modulus traction compound of the front tire is extruded as a base layer spanning the distance from one tread edge of the tire to the other and it also extends to the tire’s surface in the center. The flanking bands of lateral-grip “working” compound that contact the road surface when cornering are again situated on either side of the central traction compound, producing three tread zones: the high-modulus compound in the center and a lateral grip compound on either side. The D211GP features a next-generation cosecant-curve tread pattern developed with the assistance of FEA (finite element analysis). With this new tread pattern, carefully placed tread grooves continuously coincide with the forces running through the tread face of the tire during cornering, resulting in reduced tread wear and extended grip levels. The D211GP incorporates enhanced longitudinal elements in the center of the tread for improved wet-surface grip and is distinguished from the D209 Sportmax GP by the chevrons visible in the grooves. The D211GP is a singular accomplishment, delivering Dunlop’s latest technology to the racing market less than a year after the earliest pre-production designs first appeared at the track. Able to deliver excellent stability, consistent grip and feel, and quick laps from the start of a race to the end, the D211GP is the next big step in Supersport race tire design. And it will surely make life even more difficult for the competition. 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, visit www.dunlopmotorcycle.com.