Dunlop’s new Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec tires came through with a bullish win at the Tire Rack ProSolo racing season opener at California’s El Toro track. Racer Richard Jung of Laguna Niguel, Calif., won the Street Touring Ultra (STU) class with the new street tires on his Mitsubishi Evo. Jung, 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 to be crowned Super Challenge champion. Jung was the only Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) driver using Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec ultra high-performance tires at the event. “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,” says Jung.
“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.” Matthew Neidert, brand manager for Dunlop high-performance tires, says 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 adds, but Jung’s overall win in the Super Challenge “truly is amazing. He really had his Evo ‘dialed in’ for the competition.” Jung states he became interested in the new Dunlops after reading press reports about the tires. “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 explains. The new Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec is available now, qualifying it for use in SCCA national events. According to 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, according to Neidert. 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 says. For more information, visit www.dunloptires.com.
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