BROOKLYN, NY, OCT 24: Dunlop has won the bid to be the control tire for the 2009 AMA Superbike Championship.
The British company was one of three – Michelin and Pirelli were the others – who responded to the request-for-proposal to supply the grid for the four classes in the 2009 championship, American Superbike, Daytona SportBike, Supersport, and, at select races, SunTrust MOTO-GT. MOTO-GT had run with Pirelli tires in the first two-plus years of its existence.
Neither the press release, nor the rules package, specified which tires would be used for which class. It’s likely American Superbike will run on slick tires, while the other three will be on treaded DOT tires.
The length of the contract wasn’t specified, but the RFP called for a three-year commitment.
Dunlop has been the dominant team in AMA racing for some time, supplying all of the factory Superbike teams and many of the satellite teams. Dunlop has 22 total Superbike titles, including the last 18 in a row.
In 2008 Dunlop won every Superbike race, and all but one Formula Xtreme, Superstock, and Supersport race. The last non-Dunlop machine to win a Superbike race was more than four years ago when Eric Bostrom won Pikes Peak on a Parts Unlimited Michelin Ducati.
