Phillip Island 8 Hour prize purse grows with Dunlop, Pirelli & Metzeler tyre contingency packages
With entries still open for the 2011 Australian 8 Hour Endurance Championship at Phillip Island from December 2-4, a number of leading tyre manufacturers have announced generous contingency packages for the big event.
Dunlop, a brand synonymous with road racing at all levels, has pledged $5000 to the team which uses its rubber to claim outright honours, and $1000 each to the following class winners – Superbike, Supersport, Superstock 1000, Superstock 600 and Bears.
In addition to Dunlop’s contingency program, the company will also be on location at the eight-hour with full technical support, including its trackside race tyre service.
In the 2010 Australian Endurance Championship at Phillip Island, held over six hours, Dunlop’s N-tec tyre dominated the results with the top nine outright placings and four class victories.
As well as the support from Dunlop, Bridgestone, Pirelli and Metzeler will also be offering discounted tyres for the eight-hour, and the latter also has a contingency program in place.
Pirelli was the winning rubber in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hour race, which was the penultimate round of the world endurance title.
Meanwhile, Bridgestone is also entering its own team at Phillip Island, having purchased the potent Honda CBR1000RR that won this year’s Suzuka 8 Hour with Japanese trio Ryuichi Kiyonari, Shin’ichi Itoh and Kohsuke Akiyoshi. Its line-up of riders is still to be announced.
The 2011 Australian 8 Hour Endurance Championship will be held during daylight hours, starting at 9:30am and finishing at 5:30pm.
The event is presented by Insure My Ride and will be packaged into a two-hour television program, which will be broadcast on dedicated motorsport channel SPEED.
The race will begin with a spectacular Le Mans start, an endurance staple, and all teams will be required to have a minimum of three riders. Final qualifying for the top teams on Saturday will be a cut-throat 20-minute session, which will determine the final Le Mans grid.
If conditions are dry for the race, the winning team can expect to complete around 290 laps of the 4.448km circuit on Bass Strait, with times certain to dip into the sprint-like 1m33sec bracket.
Entries for the 2011 Australian 8 Hour Endurance Championship and support classes (Bears, Juniors, 125GP, 250GP and Formula 400) are still open. The support classes will be in action on Friday and Saturday.
Admission is $45 for a three-day adult pass, and one-day entry is as low as $10. Children under 15 will be admitted free with an adult.
For more information on the event, visit www.phillipisland8hour.com.au or tel (03) 5952 2710.
TYRE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FOR 2011 AUSTRALIAN 8 HOUR ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
DUNLOP
* Outright winner* — $5000
* Superbike — $1000
* Supersport — $1000
* Superstock 1000 — $1000
* Superstock 600 — $1000
* Bears — $1000
* Outright winner will not be eligible for class win prizemoney
PIRELLI
* Outright – Pirelli tyres to the value of $5000
* Superbike – Pirelli tyres to the value of $1000
* Supersport — Pirelli tyres to the value of $1000
* Superstock 1000 — Pirelli tyres to the value of $1000
* Superstock 600 — Pirelli tyres to the value of $1000
Metzeler
Outright & Class Contingency Program
* 1st Outright – Metzeler tyres to the value of $7500
* 1st SBK – Metzeler tyres to the value of $1500
* 1st Supersport – Metzeler tyres to the value of $1500
* 1st superstock 600 – Metzeler tyres to the value of $1500
* 1st Superstock 1000 – Metzeler tyres to the value of $1500
Eligibility Requirements
* Metzeler tyres must be fitted to the front & rear of the motorcycle for the duration of the event
* Competitors must display a minimum of 2 Metzeler decals on the motorcycle for the duration of the event
* Competitors must wear a Metzeler hat at the podium presentation