Enduro racers are among the fittest athletes in any sport: physical endurance is one crucial factor for Grand Prix events that run over two consecutive days, combining elements of trials, motocross and endurance rallying, over a wide variety of terrain.

Typically, each day will take competitors over three laps of a course of some 60km. The races also incorporate a series of special tests ranging from speed trials to feats of acrobatic balance.

It’s tough on the riders. The machines, and their tyres, must also pass this test of rugged performance; racing non-stop through forests and swamps, up river beds and over escarpment edges.

The series runs over eight rounds, all in Europe, and encompasses a wide range of usually scenic and mountainous landscapes. The riders have scant time to admire their surroundings, battling the terrain and riding against the clock.

2011 marks Dunlop’s entry to the sport, and a new venture for off-road tyre engineers seeking the perfect combination of strength and performance.

Again, the programme at the highest level of the sport will have direct benefit to Dunlop’s range of production off-road tyres.