Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Dunlop Tire Company has bought up existing test dates scheduled by factory AMA teams fielded by Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, to limit testing by AMA teams and riders that do not use Dunlop tires. The company made the move just before 2004-season testing went into full swing, catching Michelin teams–which have tested with the Dunlop-sponsored teams in the past and which had signed up for specific 2004 dates with them–off guard and without an alternative plan.

Up until this point, a group of AMA teams frequently tested together and shared costs associated with testing, including track rental, ambulance, insurance, cornerworkers and haybales, with no regard to the brand of motorcycle or tire used by participating teams. The typical direct cost for a participating team can run between $1500 and $15,000 per co-op test, depending upon the individual racetrack and the number of teams participating in a given test. Travel expenses, air freight for special parts, hotel costs and fees paid to contracted mechanics are additional expenses.

Cooperative testing involving AMA teams regardless of tire brand dates back to at least 1997. Tire company representatives have frequently attended the co-op tests to work with their sponsored teams, but tire companies have not contributed to the track rental, set-up and operational costs split by the team co-op, instead covering just their own direct costs and the cost of bringing test tires. Having both Dunlop and Michelin trucks and technicians at co-op tests has been commonplace, especially in the last two years.

In making this move, Dunlop has not gained any track time, because it already had access to all test sessions scheduled by members of the team co-op. Therefore, Dunlop did not make the move to gain track time or increase its R&D efforts to counteract its recent problems with not only 16.5-inch tires exploding on Superbikes but also with 17-inch tires exploding on a relatively stock Superstock bike. Dunlop also did not gain any R&D secrecy, since members of the press have not been banned from the tests, which have been extensively covered in recent years.

Which leads to the conclusion that Dunlop made the move simply to restrict competition.

Sources at several of the involved Dunlop-sponsored teams confirmed the deal to roadracingworld.com, as did a ranking executive at one of the OEMs; none were willing to be quoted or identified by name for fear of retribution by Dunlop–in the form of their team being supplied less-competitive tires. “Yeah, they called up and said they wanted to buy all our test dates,” said a member of a Superbike team that frequently is the lead renter for co-op test dates, and who asked not to be identified. “They said they wanted to be able to keep non-Dunlop teams out of the tests.”

Dunlop is estimated to have spent between $300,000 and $600,000 buying up all the test dates, based on the amount of testing Dunlop-sponsored teams do in a typical calendar year and the cost of renting tracks and paying for ambulance crews, insurance, cornerworkers and haybales.

Available test dates that fit around the AMA schedule are a hot commodity, in limited supply. With Yoshimura Suzuki, for example, testing for 22 days at stand-alone test sessions in 2003, this move by Dunlop will severely limit testing opportunities by non-Dunlop teams and thus inhibit competition in AMA Pro Racing.

Although the IRL car racing series recently outlawed independent (or private) testing in favor of IRL-sanctioned and controlled test dates open to all competitors, observers believe that AMA Pro Racing is unlikely to make such a move due to Dunlop’s deep-seated influence within the organization.

Dunlop Vice President Mike Buckley, who insiders say had to sign off on the company’s move to inhibit competition, sits on the Board of Directors of the AMA as well as on the Board of the non-profit association’s for-profit subsidiary, AMA Pro Racing.

AMA teams that have tested in the past at co-op tests and currently do not use Dunlop tires include Ducati Austin (fielding Eric Bostrom) and Valvoline EMGO Suzuki (fielding Steve Rapp, Vincent Haskovec and Chris Peris). In 2003, No Limits Racing, Annandale Racing and Dream Team Ducati also tested at co-op tests, when they did not use Dunlop tires.