Buffalo, NY: Dunlop’s new Geomax® MX32TM and MX52TM tires have dominated AMA Supercross and Motocross, and these next-generation tires have now made their mark on the international FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship. This series is especially competitive for tire manufacturers, with five brands actively competing. Yet it was Dunlop that came out on top at the opening round, and decisively so.

Formerly known as MX1, the MXGP series features 450cc four-stroke machines, while the 250cc class retains its MX2 title. The opening round in Losail, Qatar, saw Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Gautier Paulin take the overall win (3-1) aboard his KX450F, while Max Nagl followed right behind to earn second overall (1-4) riding his Team HRC Honda CRF450R—with both Dunlop-sponsored riders using race-spec MX32 tires front and rear. Paulin’s Monster Energy Kawasaki teammate Steven Frossard finished a strong fourth on the day aboard the same tires, barely missing a podium sweep for Dunlop.

In addition, in MX2 action American Thomas Covington—who was a Team Dunlop member for years as an amateur—rode under the Monster Energy Kawasaki banner to score an impressive third-place finish in the second moto on race-spec MX32 tires. This was his pro-racing debut and he bounced back well after shaking off a first-moto DNF due to technical problems with his bike. Young Covington plans to return to racing in America later in the year.

Read our Dunlop Geomax MX32, MX 52 Review

In the U.S. as well as around the world, there will be plenty more Supercross and Motocross action to come in 2014. But wherever the starting gate drops, whether it’s pro action, amateur racing or your local track, you can expect Dunlop Geomax tires to be right at the front of the pack.