At the Historic Motorsport International (HMI) Show, Dunlop signalled their optimism in the future of the sector. The HMI Show, held in London, sees the wide range of companies involved in the Classic Car and Historic Motorsport markets meet to prepare for the coming season.
In the Historic Racing market, Dunlop service over 30 events a year. This is managed by long-time Dunlop Service partner, HP Tyres.
Speaking on the HMI Conference Stage on behalf of Dunlop and HP Tyres, James Bailey outlined the importance of authencity: “Historic racing is booming, as circuits realise that nostalgia can draw more spectators than some modern races and seasoned racers choose the investment potential, and driving rewards, of a historic, classic or vintage car. There is a genuine feel-good interest in nostalgia, and event promoters are capitalising on this,” explained Bailey.
“Innovative event promotion is key to the continued success of historic racing. This year is the 20th Goodwood Revival, and the fastidious attention to detail of such events means that authenticity matters. That’s why Dunlop believe in the FIA’s Appendix K regulations, which insist on authentic period tyres. We could easily develop a tyre that makes these cars considerably faster, but we put our ‘go faster’ instincts on hold for this market and produce tyres with the correct period performance. That matters, as the tyre is the last balance of performance factor in historic racing. The level of car development may be higher than in period, leading to more power, but if all the cars have the same contact patch and same compound then the authenticity of racing is preserved.”
