Photo by: Art Fleischmann
· Dunlop tires chosen by winners in all three ALMS open classes (LMP1, LMP2 and GT)
· Dyson Racing wins LMP1 in No. 016 Lola-Mazda by 0.083 seconds
· BMW Team RLL takes GT victory in No. 55 BMW M3 GT
· Conquest Endurance wins LMP2 in No. 37 Morgan-Nissan
AKRON, Ohio, August 20, 2012 – Dunlop tires celebrated another successful weekend in the highly-competitive American Le Mans Series (ALMS), as the series travelled to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. The tire maker scored a triple win during Saturday’s race, with Dunlop-shod teams rolling to victory in the LMP1, LMP2 and GT classes.
In the series’ fastest class, LMP1, Chris Dyson and Guy Smith won by just 0.083 seconds in the No. 16 Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda. After four hours of racing, the incredible photo-finish would become the closest overall finish in the history of the ALMS.
“The car had the best balance we had all weekend and the Dunlop tires and Mazda engine were great,” said Dyson. “Guy was able to keep his pace and composure under heavy pressure and bring it home. It was an absolutely brilliant piece of driving.”
In the competitive GT class, Dunlop and BMW took home another Road America victory—the third in four years. Bill Auberlen and Jörg Müller drove the No. 55 BMW M3 GT to the top of the podium, finishing just 2.63 seconds ahead of the rival Porsche. With two wins and multiple podium finishes in the first seven races of the season, BMW currently ranks second in the GT class manufacturer championship.
In LMP2, Dunlop-equipped cars extended their season-long winning streak with a victory from the No. 37 Conquest Endurance Morgan-Nissan. Martin Plowman and David Heinemeier-Hansson each took turns leading the overall race ahead of the faster LMP1 cars, but were more than content to win again in LMP2.
Dunlop’s success at Road America is testimony to the continuous learning and development with its racing teams. The tire company employs over 200 experts in its Motorsport Technical Centre at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, England to develop tires for a wide range of racing championships on two wheels and four. Although Dunlop is sole supplier to many championships, it is the open competition against other tire manufacturers that drives the pace of its race tire development.
Round eight of the 2012 American Le Mans Series will be held Saturday, September 1st, as teams take to the streets of Baltimore.
Source: Dunlop Tires
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Smith returns to Sebring with United Autosports
Smith wanted taste of LMP1's "golden era" with Ginetta
Ginetta announces WEC line-ups for Silverstone
Long Beach IMSA: Cadillac scores 1-2 in action-packed sprint race
IndyCar Long Beach: Rosenqvist gives MSR first-ever series pole
Inside BMW's long-awaited prototype racing return
When Senna broke his F1 duck by walking on water
Josh Berry "not necessarily panicked" over tough 2024 season
Greg Biffle among new 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees
Krack: Aston Martin frustrated by inconsistent F1 penalty decisions
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments