The sprint and superkart classes in New Zealand will switch to MG tyres for 2024-2026. Kartsport NZ announced the MG SH Red slick will replace the current Dunlop DFH for the next contract period.
MG Tyres are exclusively imported and distributed in Australia and New Zealand by DPE Kart Superstore.
“We thank Kartsport New Zealand for this opportunity and believe drivers will thoroughly enjoy the feel and balance the MG SH tyre offers with great durability” DPE stated.
The official Kartsport NZ press release is below.
The KartSport New Zealand Board is pleased to announce the highly anticipated news regarding the upcoming tyre contract period, with MG Tires set to return to the sport in 2024.
After extensive testing earlier this year, which featured multiple brands submitting their preferred tyres, plus comparisons to the current contract tyre, the MG SH tyre was ultimately selected. From January 1st 2024, all classes currently running the Dunlop DFH dry tyre in Sprint and Superkart racing will transition to the MG SH.
KartSport New Zealand wishes to thank both Lascom Motorsport and Dunlop New Zealand for their seven years of supply for both dry and wet tyres. Equally, their commitment to the sport of karting throughout the pandemic kept New Zealand karting drivers on track while other sports were sidelined, for which the sport will be forever indebted.
While the same classes will transition to MG Tires for wet racing as well, this will have a delayed implementation date of July 1st, 2024. The staggered implementation will see a return to normal practice of dry and wet tyres being introduced separately, which was unfortunately affected by Covid related extensions and is aimed at reducing upfront costs to competitors.
With five decades of experience in karting, DPE Kart Technology in Melbourne Australia will supply the MG tyre to New Zealand, with logistics co-ordinated by KartSport New Zealand and sales utilising the sport’s nationwide network of trade kart shops.
‘’DPE Kart Technology along with MG Tires is excited to be a part of the next New Zealand tyre contract for 2024-2026. This year we celebrate our 50th year of operations and believe it is this experience and knowledge gained over the years that will be beneficial to this contract,” commented Bart Price, Managing Director of DPE Kart Technology.
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“We have always received great feedback from drivers about the MG Red AZ tyre that were previously used in New Zealand and in Australia for over 20 years, we are sure teams and drivers will enjoy the development that has gone into the MG Red SH tyre. Offering improved balance front to rear for modern chassis design, it offers a unique blend of grip and tyre durability. This makes it a great tyre across a wide range of classes and age groups, which we are sure drivers will enjoy. Thank you to Kartsport New Zealand for this opportunity and we will see you on track in 2024,” Price mentioned.
Along with DPE Kart Technology, Foreign Trade Manager at MG Tires, Marino Junior, is equally enthused.
‘’MG receives the confirmation that we will be an official tyres supplier in New Zealand from 2024 to 2026 with extreme joy. With 34 years’ experience in tyre manufacturing as well as a supplier to the CIK-FIA for the World and European Championships, we are excited to have our product at drivers and team’s disposal in New Zealand.
Our company already distributes to more than 50 countries in 5 different continents, and to be able to once again be together with the NZ market is really an honour. Previously we supplied the popular MG Red AZ tyre to the New Zealand market and now look forward to supplying the MG Red SH tyre. We are sure teams and drivers will enjoy the grip, balance, and feel the tyre delivers whilst offering great wear and durability. The passion and technology we put into our tyre development is embodied in our belief that MG is ‘for the drivers’. Thank you and we look forward to 2024!’’
For the KartSport New Zealand Board, this has been a tough process as always, but the team are excited about the future.
“We were very impressed by the testing data for the MG SH tyre and believe it’s the ideal transition for the sport at this point. We’ve taken onboard a wide range of feedback in recent times and it was always our goal to select a tyre that has a strong performance on track, while ideally offering longevity of tyre usage before seeing a performance drop off. From our testing data, the MG Tires appear to tick multiple of those boxes.
The team at DPE Kart Technology have been brilliant to deal with and put forward a strong commercial model that will offer the sport further efficiencies and the ability for smarter overall investment in developing KartSport New Zealand long term. We look forward to working with both DPE and MG Tires in the new year.
We wish to thank each brand involved in the contract awarding process for their commitment and patience while we worked through this incredibly important decision.” Commented Brent Melhop, National President, KartSport New Zealand.
Another consideration the Board has taken during this contract process has been to assess the possible introduction of the European style ‘mini’ tyres for both Cadet ROK and Vortex Mini ROK. While initial testing has been conducted, further consultation with the sport, further research and cost considerations will be assessed before a decision is made by July 2024. If Mini tyres were to be introduced, this would not take affect until January 2025 at the earliest.
Further information regarding pricing, on-sale dates and trade purchasing will be available in the coming months. Announcement regarding the supply of the dry tyre for the KZ2 and DD2 classes is also imminent.
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