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This is James Bailey from Dunlop. I'd posted a similar reply to this on a related thread last month, but I'd like to give an update, and some context.
We were forced to relocate our historic tyre production facility in 2014 after our landlord took the decision to sell the site for redevelopment.
This was the only location where the CR65 tyre was made.
Moving tyre production is a very lengthy process, and therefore we knew we would have a period of nearly 12 months where we would not make any CR65 tyres.
Therefore, we had to rely on doing an accurate forecast, and build an inventory to this forecast before moving. Forecasting historic racing grid sizes a year ahead is not easy, and we forecasted some championships better than others.....
I'm very conscious of our obligations and grateful for the loyalty - and we are acutely aware that some of you don't have a choice of supplier due to regulations and I understand the frustrations and inconvenience caused by having to source or reuse tyres from other teams and drivers. However, we entered into this relocation because we are committed to servicing the historic racing market for the long term and we do appreciate your patience.
This year, we have made several thousand CR65 tyres and the situation is improving daily. However, the 'pent-up' demand is such that we are working flat out to get to a normal situation. I'm not going to answer questions on specific sizes on here because the situation is improving at such a rate that my answer will be out of date by the time many read it. Instead, our dealers have done a superb job in managing inventory and supply and they should be the point of contact for accurate information in this ever-improving situation.
I hope that this context helps and I apologise for a situation which will continue to improve. I'll address the comments on product performance in my next post.
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