Local rallies to be run on Dunlop rubber – again
Dunlop will be the official tyre of the 2014 South African Rally Championship.
CONTROL TYRES: All cars in the 2014 SA Rally championship will use the same Dunlop rubber. Picture: Dave Ledbitter.
The Technical Working Group of Motorsport South Africa’s Rally Commission again opted to go with a single tyre supplier for the new season and appointed Dunlop, through official suppliers ATS, after a tender process. Dunlop has been the official tyre of national championship rallying since 2006.
“We decided to stick with a single supplier to ensure minimum spend on tyres by competitors,” said Hein Lategan, chairman of the Technical Working Group, who headed the tender panel.
Members of the panel included Rally Commission technical de-legate Chris Birkin, Volkswagen motorsport manager Mike Rowe, Ford technical representative Stuart Thompson and Toyota Motorsport manager Glyn Hall.
“We received tenders from two suppliers, ATS (Dunlop) and Barden (DMACK), that were closely matched in terms of price and benefits to the commission. As a result we decided to stay with our 2013 supplier. based on their past performance and consistency,” Lategan said.
ATS, who have been an official tyre supplier to the Rally Commission since 1999, will publish the 2014 price list. which will remain constant throughout the season for the benefit of competitors.
They will continue to provide a free Dunlop tyre service at all eight rounds of the 2014 championship, starting with the Tour Natal Rally in KwZulu-Natal on March 14 and 15.
