Dunlop Direzza Z1 Tires 'Star' in SCCA National ProSolo

AKRON, Ohio, April 3, 2008 -- Dunlop's new Direzza Sport Z1 "Star Spec" tires came through with "flying colors" at California's El Toro airfield.

Racer Richard Jung, of Laguna Niguel, Calif., won the Street Touring Ultra (STU) class with the new street tires on his Mitsubishi Evo in the 2008 Tire Rack ProSolo opener at the former U.S. Marine air station. Then he did what he believed was unthinkable.

The vice president for CiroDesign, an Irvine product-and-graphics design company, raced against 32 drivers from all classes in the Super Challenge "format" and won all five elimination rounds. He was crowned Super Challenge champion. Jung was the only SCCA driver using Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 "Star Spec" ultra high-performance tires at that event.

Jung said, "El Toro was a great debut for the new 'Zed One Star Specs.' The class win created a lot of interest in Dunlop tires. I did well previously on the Direzza Sport Z1 tires with an STU class victory in San Diego two weeks prior, but the 'Star Specs' were even better.

"I can feel the difference; you can push 'Star Specs' on the first run. This was an advantage, since it allowed a more consistent feel and reduced the need for suspension adjustments between runs," Jung said.

Matthew Neidert, brand manager for Dunlop high-performance tires, said Jung's class win "proved the Star Specs could be a top contender in STU. But by winning the Super Challenge in one day, he kicked down the door. His times and consistency allowed him to take the win over the cars from other classes, even those with race-compound tires."

A win in the hotly contested STU class is noteworthy, Neidert said, but Jung's overall win in Super Challenge "truly is amazing. He really had his Evo 'dialed in' for the competition."

Jung said he became interested in Direzza Sport Z1 'Star Spec' tires when he read press reports. "I didn't really plan to be different, but to be a top competitor in the class, I feel it's important to test tires to find out what works to gain a performance advantage. We're still learning the tire's characteristics, but so far we've had pretty good results," he said.

The new Direzza Sport Z1 "Star Spec" is available now, qualifying it for use in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) national events. According to section 13.3 of the 2008 SCCA SOLO rules, tires must be readily available by April 30 to qualify.

The new tire features the "Star Spec" tread compound, which helps a performance car's initial dry grip during sanctioned amateur driving events, such as autocross and high-performance track-events hosted by regional car clubs.

A high-response directional tread pattern with circumferential grooves helps create a consistent contact patch on the pavement for a smooth feel and seamless transition. An "optimal mold shape" helps provide a consistent footprint shape and uniform pressure distribution across the footprint for enhanced cornering, Neidert said.

Dunlop is a global tire brand with an excellent reputation among performance car enthusiasts. Well known for its prestigious original-equipment fitments and sports car racing heritage, Dunlop is also a key supplier to sport compact enthusiasts featuring "tuner" tire sizes and race series sponsorships. For more information on Dunlop's performance tires, go to http://www.dunloptires.com/.