Factory Tires.

What is it you’re asking exactly? How a sponsorship works? Dunlop gives the teams product and funds in return of having the best athletes in the world giving them exposure and representing the brand. 
There are many other tires in the game, but dunlop has the better supercross tires along with more to offer financially than everyone else other than Pirelli, maybe? But Pirellis specialty is motocross. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong. The factory race teams prioritize supercross in US so I would think dunlop is the clear choice for the time being until someone else gets competitive, and the dunlops definitely hold their own outdoors. I’d imagine it’s hard for the factory teams to look elsewhere.

Privateers will just run whatever they can get for free a lot of the time. For the guys that don’t have a tire deal, often times they can still get support at the races from the tire trucks, but I’m not sure if they are getting spec tires.

I don’t think it’s as clear cut as that. 
 

I mean, Pirelli, Michelin, Bridgestone, they arent even trying to get a foothold in pro mx/Sx in America at the moment. 
 

Id be surprised if Dunlop are supplying all these teams FREE, when no other big tyre brand is challenging them for the business. 
 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the teams are in fact paying for the services, knowing that Dunlop can undertake the service, be reliable and do a good price. whereas the service requirements from another brand might not be so reliable. 
The rig, the staff, the travel… there isn’t the business at the series for another big brand to invest all that for a return. Dunlop have invested and can supply what the teams need. I’d say this aspect is more important than the actual tyre. 

 

You have to expect the teams are paying? That is the case almost universally in motorsport. Special prices sure, but certainly not free. As said above it's the series regulations or just the service/expertise that make the decision, not the price as any brand would likely offer a significant discount to, say, HRC, Star, KTM, whoever.

2x additional questions.

First, do people run other tire brands in supercross?

I've not actually paid attention, given how prominent Dunlop sponsorship/coverage is.

Is this one of those deals, like oil, where even if you have a conflicting sponsor logo you still actually use Dunlops?

Also, are the fancy spec tires only available to the big teams or does availability trickle down to privateers, for a higher price?

Remember once upon a time Bridgestone was the factory tyre at the top. Other brands have come and gone, but only Dunlop has been constant. Be interesting to know how the deal works.

When we raced the outdoors as a privateer in 2019 Dunlop would give us and fit 2 sets / event. 

I really doubt the factory teams and the smaller teams who are sponsored by Dunlop pay for the tyres.

Dunlop is fucking huge globally and MX/ offroad is a small portion of that. There is no doubt that Dunlop can afford to supply to these teams Pro Bono.

While we are on the subject of tires, there is one thing I’ve been wondering for abwhile. What do they do with all the tires after the race?

If they are special race spec tires not available to the public they are all numbered and accounted for and go back to the manufacturer. At least that’s how Michelin used to do it when they were in MX. 

I think Dylan just switched to Dunlop's 

He did

The Partzilla PRMX Kawasaki Team switched to Maxxis this year. 

I would have thought a large percentage would be used at the practice track.

I have often wondered about the privateers in the pits. Do you have to be sponsored to receive 2 new tires? Seems like they would be giving a shit load of tires away at each race to just anyone trying to qualify. 

Good question for Glover.

Dunlop does not pay team anymore, back in the Bridgestone days they did a bit, but not anymore. They offer product and for the top guys, spec tires.

Maxxis pays teams.

Hoosier was paying, or giving privateers so much product they were selling extra tires.

Pirelli pays a little bit but has moved to more product supply but is still paying a little bit to certain people.

I was hoping Hoosier would catch on more. 

I know for a fact that Pirelli is committed to Pro MX/SX. 

They are partnered with Stan Benson racing and the driving force behind the program is a guy named Jake. He drives the semi truck to every round and, with one other guy, sets up, changes tires all weekend and then tears it down and moves on to the next round. Both are rad and hard working. 

The semi is at every single round and even hauls a bike or two sometime.

Its been a while. But back when I was brining local Pros to Nationals  early 2000's -2012. After making it into the moto's , You could go and get a fresh set of tires and tubes for free. All the guys I helped out were  on the bubble of making it in at most tracks other than Southwick. Getting a good start and running in the top 5 in the 450 class for a few laps was the best position a rider that I brought was running. And only 1 of them scored  points. Most of them were fast for a few laps and could not go the entire 30 plus 2. But could run top 5 lap times at Southwick. And most often were finishing 21st -25. 

 I worked with a couple local teams that both got paid plus product .  They had riders doing all of the nationals and  East coast SX. 3D Yamaha and NRI were the team names back then. I do not know the amount of money they got. 

  Dunlop,Bridgestone and Michelin all had trucks and  would also sell tires at a discount to any rider with a Pro Lic.    At one race my buddy got  all the tubes Bridgestone took out of the tires. Anytime they mount a tire they put a new tube in too. His mechanic was talking to the tire guy and somehow talked him into giving him all of the tubes. It was great, they didn't have to buy tubes for a long time after that.  They got tires , but had to pay for the tires and were limited to a certain #  and only new tires .  I think the tire guy told them that they had deals with some other riders to give them the tires for practice. But its been a long time. I just know that the tire guy said they could not give or sell them the used tires and gave them a reason.