Mat Mladin’s Dunlop front tire chunked before he crashed in the infield while leading the Daytona Superbike race last Saturday. Several other riders in the race had problems with Dunlop front tires chunking, including Eric Bostrom, Matt Lynn and Jake Holden. The chunk missing from Mladin’s tire can be seen during the TV broadcast of the event. “I guess I’m a little perplexed how a front tire can overheat and throw a chunk out on lap three of a race,” Mladin told Roadracingworld.com in a phone interview. “Pretty much from there I had a vibration and a lap later or whatever it was I crashed. I got up and from there the front tire just deteriorated more and more as the race went on. With four laps to go I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it around or have to come in and pit or whatever. I just slowed it down as much as possible. I left the track then because I didn’t have much good to say at the time.” Daytona International Speedway officials insisted that the Daytona 200 become a 600cc-class race starting in 2005 due to repeated problems with Dunlop rear tires on 1000cc Superbike and Superstock motorcycles chunking and losing air, throwing riders Ben Spies and Jason DiSalvo down the track at well over 175 mph during tests. Ben Bostrom was also thrown down the track at Daytona due to a Dunlop Superbike tire failure on the banking. But despite the Superbike class being relegated to a relatively short, 15-lap sprint event and despite the Daytona road course being modified to eliminate the west banking, 1000cc motorcycles continue to chunk tires as tire companies push the performance envelope and tweak the balance between traction and durability.