Dunlop pulls out of ALMS for 2013 to focus on Europe

Dunlop's increased focus on European-based endurance racing, including the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) , International GT Open and the VLN series, as well as the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), means that Dunlop will not supply tyres to any teams in the 2013 American Le Mans Series.

"We have had a fantastic four years in the American Le Mans Series, winning both the LMP1 and GT championships with our partners in 2011, and winning races in all three open classes this year. It is a fantastic, highly competitive championship and we are incredibly proud of our successes. However, with an increased calendar in North America clashing with several of the other major international championships where we compete, we have had to make choices. I thank our American Le Mans teams and IMSA for their support over the last four years. Their recent merger with Grand-Am is a positive step towards building an even stronger championship and we wish them well" stated Jean-Felix Bazelin, General Manager, Dunlop Motorsport.

In ELMS and the WEC, Dunlop will continue active development of the LMP1, LMP2 and GT tyres to build on their championship winning success from 2012. In VLN, Dunlop will also continue to develop tyres for partners such as AMG Customer Sports to suit the unique demands of the Nurburgring Nordschliefe. Dunlop will also increase capacity for championships that use the company's standard one-brand tyre range, such as the successful International GT Open.

"In 2012, we have developed class-winning tyres in LMP1 with Dyson-Lola, LMP2 with a variety of diverse chassis, GT with BMW and JMW-Ferrari in Le Mans Series events and with AMG at the Nurburgring. This has given us a strong basis to continue the proactive and intensive development needed to win in these open and highly competitive championships. We relish the challenge of raising the bar again in 2013" concluded Bazelin.

Dunlop