From a press release issued by Dunlop Tire Company’s advertising and public relations agency, Vreeke & Associates:

Buffalo, NY: Mike Buckley, Vice President Dunlop Motorcycle Tires, issues the following statement regarding the history and future of Dunlop tires in American racing:

“For many years, Dunlop has maintained an unequaled commitment to road racing in the United States. When other tire manufacturers chose to abandon the American road racing scene in the early 1990s, Dunlop stayed the course and continued to develop new technology and supply state-of-the-art tires to road racers in all classes and venues in the U.S. In doing so, Dunlop cultivated strong and positive working relationships with virtually every top-tier race team in America, and to this day Dunlop continues to strive to provide every advantage possible to these teams.

“To a large degree, the success enjoyed by Dunlop and the many teams sponsored by Dunlop has been the result of an incredible amount of hard work including behind-the-scenes testing during the off-season and between races. During these testing sessions, all teams enjoy a free exchange of information with Dunlop tire engineers, and this open and cooperative environment has proven most valuable, yielding new tire data that is then incorporated into next-generation tires for the race track, and street applications as well.

“This hard-earned data needs to be closely guarded, as is true of proprietary information gathered through top-level research in any other field or setting. As other tire manufacturers begin to renew their race support efforts once again in the U.S. during the 2004 season, we welcome the challenge; rigorous competition only makes for better racing.

“In a release dated December 9, 2003, Dunlop clearly stated that the company ‘has intensified its tire development program in the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship and Dunlop-sponsored tests in the coming 2004 season.’

“Having established an effective R&D/testing system for the many teams we sponsor, we will continue to implement and expand upon our program in order to give every advantage possible to the teams who have chosen to race on Dunlop tires.

“As part of the first steps to expand this program and in order to safeguard this new technology, Dunlop has taken a lead role in select off-season and pre-race testing programs. Drawing on accepted practice in European, MotoGP, and World Superbike racing, this lead role will see some tests restricted to teams supported by Dunlop. These dedicated tests will accelerate our ability to deliver next-generation product improvements to racers and street consumers alike. In no way do these steps preclude other manufacturers from securing their own dates at AMA venues to do their own development work.

“In keeping with this direction, fans of U.S. racing will see a marked increase in the number of Dunlop personnel from our international MotoGP and World Superbike staff attending American race events this year. In addition, teams and riders who have selected Dunlop for the 2004 season will have access to an unprecedented variety of tires utilizing our latest development technology.

“We look forward to the new season and we continue to pledge our support to the many race teams who have chosen to partner with Dunlop Motorcycle Tires.”