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"Theoretically, that's good enough to win the race," said Jim Allen, Dunlop's North American road racing manager, adding that the 1996 Daytona 200 was run mostly in the low 525 and high SIs. "He's damn confident he can do 50s and 49s." As encouraging as the times were, they weren't the most heartening part of the test to Allen. "This was the first test I've ever been to at Daytona where we didn't overheat a tire," Allen said. "Not one blistered, not one chunked." ''I'm pretty happy with the Dunlops, but it was pretty uneventful," Smokin' Joe's Honda's Steve Crevier agreed. "Last year and the year before I had a lot of wheel chunking. This year there was no chunking and a lot more grip and the dual compound, I think, is really good. A little more grip when you're in the middle of the comer and the slide is really consistent." These tires were a generation removed from the ones that Dunlop tested during the NASB/F-USA races at the end of October which, in tum. weJ;e a few removed from the March race By Henny Ray Abrams DAYTONA BEACH, FL, DEC. 10 oug Chandler was never able to wear the number-one plate when he won his first AMA Superbike title back in 1990. Instead, he packed his bags and headed for the Grands Prix.. This time he's decided to stick around and defend his title, and the Muzzy Kawasaki rider gave a preview of what to expect during the tire tests at Daytona International Speedway in mid-December.. Chandler showed up at the annual winter tire tests with the "1" on the nose of his title-winning Muzzy Kawasaki and rode like the champion he is. These tests are as much about bragging rights as they are about compounds and constructions, and Chandler went away wi th considerable crowing power after showing how eager he is for a third title. At the end of the three-day DuiUop test, Chandler had not only set fast lap, a hand-timed 1:49.94, but had also done a 20-lap endurance test at a pace that would easily win the Daytona 200 in l:'-.. March. "I think we did 24 laps, good times. '"""" They were all SIs, except for one," Chandler said at the end of the test. "That's pretty respectable, I thought. I figured I could have done 50s, but I just wasn't that cO,mfortable. I was pretty comfortable with SIs. I think that's as good or better than what they ran the race last year. I figure that's a good test. I think [ actually did one or two laps more than I was planning on." g:; (Above) Doug Chandler picked up right where he left off - the 1996 AMA Superblke National-Champion was the fastest of the fast during Dunlop tire tests at Daytona International Speedway. (Above) AMA 600cc Supersport National Champion Miguel DuHamel gets down to business on his Smoldn' (literally) Joe's Honda CBR600. (left) An at-ease Chandler takes a break between test sessions. tires. Though Smokin' Joe's Honda's Miguel DuHamel won the Daytona 200 for Dunlop, it wasn't a victory they took much pleasure from. There were constant overheating problems throughout qualifying and the race. Many of the top finishers, and some of the non-finishers, suffered tire problems. "We fell on our faces in March," Allen admitted. "It was abysmal, depressing for everybody." That hurdle cleared, the teams and tire companies were able to concentrate on the season and not just one race. But because Daytona is so important, the tire companies like to test here as often as possible before the race. So between the final two races of the AMA Superbike season, title combatants Chandle