Falken, Dunlop to sponsor AMA Supercross series

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif.—Sumitomo Rubber North America Inc.'s Falken and Dunlop brands will be sponsors of the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series, which plans to stage 17 stadium and infield racetrack events this year.

The two sister brands will be active as sponsors at nine of the series' 17 events this year, SRNA said, in an effort to build awareness and exposure within this popular race program and to highlight their respective four-wheel and two-wheel product lines.

The new season begins Jan. 8 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.

"Supercross continues to serve as a way to promote our Wildpeak line of tires to this amazing audience, who, obviously, drives a lot of trucks," said Jonathon Bradford, senior manager of motorsports and events for Falken.

"Falken and our sister brand, Dunlop Motorcycle Tires, have been involved with racing programs for many years," he added. "We know they are strong showcases for high performance and the people who attend are incredibly brand loyal."

SRNA plans to have Falken continue as the official light truck tire sponsor of the Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) race series for a third consecutive year and work with Moto America as the official light truck tire of that series as well, Bradford said.

Mike Buckley, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Dunlop brand, echoed Bradford's comments: "This is a fantastic series with very dedicated fans who come out year-after-year to see the riders and take in the thrills of each stadium's activities.

"In addition to providing technical support to the majority of the top-level teams competing in this series, Dunlop supports the events with promotions through our dealer network and on-site activities like the Supercross Trackside Experience, and we'll continue to do that as well as work with Falken to build awareness of our partnership across the board."

A key part of the brands' promotion efforts will be their presence at the Monster Energy Fan Fest, which Bradford described as a "key part of the atmosphere at every Supercross race … where fans can see the bikes up close and take in various pit activations, including visiting the Falken and Dunlop booths and related activities."

"We plan on being a big part of each night's excitement during the nine events we're attending," he said.