Grand-Am
Phoenix: Dunlop Racing preview
Borcheller, Buckler lead classes on Dunlop PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 16, 2002) -- Terry Borcheller and Kevin Buckler have several things in common. They are both Florida-born sports car racers, both lead the championship point standings in their ...
Published: Apr 19, 2002, 4:19 PM
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Borcheller, Buckler lead classes on Dunlop
PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 16, 2002) -- Terry Borcheller and Kevin Buckler have several things in common. They are both Florida-born sports car racers, both lead the championship point standings in their respective Grand American Road Racing Association Rolex Sports Car Series class and both race on Dunlop tires.
Dunlop is the sole tire supplier for the SRP II and GT classes in the Rolex Series. Buckler, who owns his team, said the simplified tire situation is to his liking.
Buckler has collected two wins in the GT class and holds a 98-86 edge over Joao Barbosa and Thierry Perrier, who are tied for second.
"I'm one of the people who lobbied for it for years," the GT class leader said. "I think it's a good thing."
Borcheller leads the SRP II class, having finished first in class in the first three events of the 2002 season. He holds a 105-89 advantage over Darren Law.
"I think it's good, having everyone in our class with the same tire manufacturer," Borcheller agreed. "It puts everyone on the same playing field. I've been blown away by the consistency of the Dunlop tires."
"This exclusive engagement with Grand American is simply a wonderful showcase for Dunlop," said Fred Hassen, product marketing manager of high-performance tires for North America. "These are some of the world's best racers and they know they're going to get the best possible performance from the Dunlop brand."
The next stop for the Rolex Series competitors is the tricky, 1.51-mile road course at Phoenix International Raceway, where the Series competes in the Sun Automotive 200 April 20. The 11-turn track includes much of PIR's famous oval track, as well as a trip through the infield.
Borcheller said the Phoenix track, which is not far from his home, poses particular challenges for a driver. "It's not very technical or demanding, but you have to watch traffic," he said. "My mindset is to try to stay clean. Since we're running in the night, we can get away with using a softer tire."
The UnitedAuto 200 is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., Phoenix time.
"I think we'll be looking at the same situation we had at Homestead," Buckler said. "We have banking, but you're not going flat out through the banking. It's a tight banking. It's a lot of loading for the tires. You have to be conservative with your camber."
Borcheller, a Florida native now living in Phoenix, won the Rolex Series GTO title in 2000 and scored a class victory in the 2001 12 Hours of Sebring. He won the American Le Mans Series GTS Driver's Championship in 2001.
Buckler, who has a degree in business economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara, started his 2002 season with the GT victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
For additional information on the complete line of Dunlop automotive, truck, motorcycle and racing tires, visit online at www.dunlop.com, or contact the company at P.O. Box 1109, Buffalo, N.Y. 14240-1109, or toll free at (800) 321-2136.
-dunlop/gr-
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