Summarize

Not content with dominating every category in National Car Racing, Dunlop Motorsport now spreads its wings into two more national racing arenas. Dunlop Tyres will now also become the tyre of choice in both the South African Rally Championship, and National Hot Rod Tour over the coming month.

“Starting this weekend, Dunlop is the National Hot Rod Tour’s tyre of choice, and next month we also take over as tyre supplier of the South African National Rally Championship,” Dunlop Marketing Manager Joanne de Freitas confirmed. “These new disciplines add further credence to the tyre that wins on Saturday, sells on Monday. Dunlop is now the tyre of choice in South African Motorsport!”

Starting at Richards Bay on Sunday, every car on the National Hot Rod Tour will race on Dunlop tyres. The Dunlop ATS service crew will also visit selected events through the National oval track season. It all kicks off when home heroes, father, Neville and Astron Energy Polo Cup champion son Jason Loosemore, Hennie Kaufman, Keogan Maartens, Chris Landsburg, WF Weideman and Rudy Myburgh will have Cape Hell Driver Kosie Weyers, Ultimate racers Andre Johnson and Tollie Goosen on their case. 

Add Mahem Raceway trio, Jacques Fritz, Donovan Voster, Marcel Berry, and Micheal Myburgh, Mokopane men Edwin, Rian and WB van Niekerk, and Piet Pieterse, Kuan Nagel, and Rudi Griezel from around the country. But that’s not all, they have fast duo,  British visitor Dick Hillard and wildcard South African Touring Car driver and Investchem Formula 1600 champion Jagger Robertson to contend with too. Keep up with the Dunlop shod National Hot Rod Tour at www.nhtsa.co.za

The oval track is is not the only imminent big step for Dunlop Racing in South African National Motorsport. Dunlop is also confirmed as the tyre of choice for the new era South African Rally Championship. It starts with the 30 and 31 May Tzaneen Rally after the original season opener originally planned for this weekend, was delayed to September due to extreme muddy conditions en route.

Said to be a game changer for South African rallying, 2025 not only sees new machinery and fresh faces across the service park, but all cars will now rally on Dunlop tyres throughout the National season. New rules are also expected to shake the local rally scene up. Class points will for instance, take precedence over overall positions, while Power Stages pay bonus points, among other exciting new developments.

The big news however surrounds several exciting new entries headed by second generation rally star Benjamin Habig aiming to emulate champion dad Jannie with the  2025 title. He has Barry White calling the notes in his all-wheel drive turbo Volkswagen Polo AR1. Habig has several men and women out to stop him, not least champion Chris Coertse’s Mazda 2, Toyota Gazoo Racing duo Mandla Mdakane and the Swazi Cowboy, Jono Van Wyk, mum and daughter Andrea Duarte and Isabel Raaths, and the rest.

Like the AR1 crews, the new AR2 will also rally on Dunlop DZ88 H51 tyres. Paul van Niekerk will debut his highly anticipated VW Polo AR2 at Tzaneen, but he will have his work cut out by the likes of veteran duo Theuns Joubert and Schalk van Heerden’s Toyota Auris and Subaru Impreza Johan Strauss and Elzaan and Schyff to keep him busy. Follow the Dunlop-shod South African Rally Championship at https://nrcsa.co.za