News

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is pleased to announce that we have finalized our motorsports activity plan for 2020. This year, we will once again be supplying our high-performance tires to drivers competing on two wheels and on four wheels in various races and racing categories—from beginner-level competitions to world-class tournaments—both in Japan and worldwide. Through our active participation in motorsports, we aim to further enhance the value of our DUNLOP and FALKEN brands and augment our overall tire development capabilities while also supporting car lovers the world over and contributing to the development and popularization of competitive motorsports in general.

1. Four-Wheel Motorsports Activities 
○DUNLOP

Honda NSX-GT (L) and DOME F111/3 (R)

In Japan, the highlight of our activities will be SUPER GT, one of Japan’s premier racing tournaments. In this series, we will be supplying tires for four racecars driven by three outstanding teams, including Modulo Nakajima Racing (Honda NSX-GT) in the GT500 Class and two teams competing in the GT300 Class. In addition, we will also be supplying tires to many racing teams competing for titles in various classes in a wide range of races and racing categories, including the All-Japan Rally Championship, the All-Japan Gymkhana Championship, the All-Japan Dirt Trial Championship, the All-Japan Karting Championship and more.
　On top of that, we will also be providing one-make tires for the Formula Regional Japanese Championship, a new tournament introduced this year and featuring a new formula racecar built to a recently adopted FIA global standard: the DOME F111/3. Meanwhile, we will also be supporting the cultivation of younger drivers by supplying one-make tires for beginner-oriented tournaments such as FIA-F4 and other F4 tournaments. At the same time, we will also be supporting amateur drivers by supplying one-make tires for all races in the newly created open-participation VITA RACE and MINI CHALLENGE JAPAN while continuing to sponsor and provide tires for other open-participation competitions such as the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 86/BRZ Race and the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Rally Challenge.

○FALKEN

FALKEN Porsche 911 GT3R

This year, FALKEN will once again be competing in the legendary ADAC TOTAL 24-Hour Race (commonly known as the Nürburgring 24h-Race thanks to its venue: the Nürburgring Course in Nürburg, Germany), which is widely considered to be the world’s toughest endurance race. Team FALKEN Motorsports will be competing for glory with not one, but two Porsche 911 GT3R racecars, doubling up on the racecar that we have fielded (in the singular) in this race since 2011. In addition, we will also continue supplying tires to Team SUBARU TECNICA INTERNATIONAL as they compete in the SP3T Class after winning their sixth in-class victory to date in last year’s 24 Hours Nürburgring.
　Through these activities, we aim to further enhance the value of the FALKEN brand, which is already well regarded in Europe and North America thanks to its high performance, while at the same time contributing to the overall development of motorsports in general.
▷FALKEN Official Website

2. Two-Wheel Motorsports Activities 
○DUNLOP

Scene from 2019 FIM Grand Prix World Championship (Moto2 Class)

We will be supplying one-make tires to support riders competing in the Moto2 and Moto3 Classes at the FIM Grand Prix World Championship, which ranks among the world’s premier two-wheel racing tournaments. At the same time, we will also be supplying tires to three teams competing for glory in the FIM Endurance World Championship.
　Meanwhile, when it comes to off-road racing activities, having set a new record by dominating in all classes at the AMA Supercross Championship (USA) for ten consecutive years, we will once again be gunning for victory in all classes for our eleventh straight year while also aiming for the title of World Champion in the Motocross World Championship.
　Here in Japan, we will be supporting many riders as they compete in a wide range of races and racing categories, including the All-Japan Road Race Championship. On top of that, we will also be supplying one-make tires for 250cc motorbikes to support younger riders competing in the Junior Championship Class at the NSF100 HRC Trophy tournament and other competitions held to cultivate up-and-coming riders competing in the globally popular 250cc Class. Through these activities, we hope to contribute to the creation of an apt environment for the cultivation of world-class riders right here in Japan.

■2020 DUNLOP Four-Wheel Motorsports Activity Plan Overview
SUPER GT 

All-Japan Rally Championship 

All-Japan Gymkhana Championship 

All-Japan Dirt Trial Championship 

All-Japan Karting Championship

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 86/BRZ Race 

 
FIA-F4 JAPANESE CHALLENGE

One-Make Tire Racing Category 

 
■2020 FALKEN Four-Wheel Motorsports Activity Plan Overview
ADAC TOTAL 24-Hour Race(Nürburgring 24h-Race) 

■2020 DUNLOP Two-Wheel Motorsports Activity Plan Overview
【Road Racing World Championships】
FIM Endurance World Championship

One-Make Tire Racing Category

【Off-Road Racing World Championships】
Motocross World Championship 

【International Road Racing Tournaments】
One-Make Tire Racing Category 

 
【National Road Racing Tournaments】
All Japan Road Race Championship (Japan) 

 
One-Make Tire Racing Category

【National Off-Road Racing Tournaments】
AMA Supercross Championship (USA)

All-Japan Motocross Championship (Japan)

 
All-Japan Trials Championship (Japan)

Japan Enduro Championship (Japan)

  ※The above activity plan is based on the racing schedule as of the issue date of this News Release. Please understand that plans may be changed without notice.