DMACK Relishes First-Time Finish Challenge

DMACK Tyres will take on what is considered to be one of the biggest challenges of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship when it heads to Rally Finland for round eight of the world’s premier rally series next week.

The Chinese tyre manufacturer is ready for its inaugural attempt at the event which is famed for its high-speed gravel roads, blind crests and jumps which launch competitors into the air and make it a favourite among top drivers. Even though crews spend a lot of time in the air, the grip and traction provided by their rally tyres on the ground is vital to ensure they safely negotiate the flat out tests through the famous Finnish forests.

The rally also promises to deliver the highest number of DMACK-shod rally cars so far this season with around 15 crews opting to choose the affordable motorsport brand.

DMACK will supply competitors with its DMG2 gravel tyre and hasnominated the G4 medium compound for Rally Finland. The company has continued development and evaluation of its gravel range over the last few months around the world. It believes the DMG2’s grip and stability on the hard, high-speed roads will deliver confidence to competitors while traction and puncture resistance on the soft, sandy tests will give it all-round performance.

One of the most specialised events of the year, Finland is all about speed, skill and bravery and DMACK is hoping its tyres can contribute to that mix while still focusing on gathering important information as development of its 2012 competition range continues.

DMACK has already performed well in its inaugural season, helping Czech driver Martin Semerad stay at the top of the Production WRC standingswith a win in Sweden and a podium in Portugal.

However non-priority competitors will have the choice between the G4 and the soft compound G6 which DMACK will also supply at the Jyvaskyla-based event.

Finland is the spiritual home of rallying and next week’s event will see tens of thousands of loyal rally fans taste the dramatic action. And they will be in for a treat with a bumper entry of 125 crews featured across all WRC support categories.

DMACK is continuing the exclusive incentives to competitors running on its tyres. Any class 2 or class 6 competitor who takes overall victory in that class will receive 50% off their tyre bill for the event.

Dick Cormack, DMACK Tyres motorsport director, said: “Rally Finland is renowned for the unique challenge it provides to competitors but the high speeds also test motorsport tyres to the limit. But our gravel tyre is up for the challenge and we believe it will give crews the performance they demand on the hard, fast roads without compromising on traction in the soft sections.

“This is also a key point in the season for us. As budgets slip and championship aspirations falter I believe more competitors will turn to DMACK for the last few rounds of the year. We are also working hard to evolve ourcompetition tyres for next season, both in terms of range and performance.”

Event Details

Rally Finland’s compact schedule, successfully introduced last year, is back again. Organisers have squeezed nearly 40km of action into Thursday night before Friday offers eight timed tests split by a remote service at Lahti. Only one of these is a repeat but it’s the longest stage of the rally, Hyväneula, at 29.9km.

Saturday delivers 10 more stages before the rally finishes with the traditional party atmosphere in Jyvaskyla.