In the construction of the custom ASB1000 slicks for the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited (Dunlop), has brought top-flight Japanese rider Shinichi Nakatomi into the development team.
Nakatomi, along with the Dunlop engineers, have been racing against the clock to construct a tyre that will elevate the level of the ASB1000 when the class finally hits the tracks in 2019.
“We started work in the winter of 2017. To be honest, a year is barely enough time to develop a new product but we felt that we were up to the challenge. Since then, the team and I have been out on track, week in and week out, putting the product through its paces as the slicks began to take shape,” said Nakatomi whose resume includes the All Japan, the MotoGP and the World Superbike Championship.
“I focused on providing feedback to the engineers on grip, durability, slide control and handling. I’m happy with what we have achieved in such a short period of time, but the Dunlop team are planning to extend their development efforts once they have more data on hand. I am excited to stay on board for this project.”