FULLERTON, Calif. (March 31, 2008) — Yokohama Tire Corp. (YTC) will continue its sponsorship of motorsports events in 2008, including involvement in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and several off-road events, as well as sponsorship of the Yokohama Drivers Cup USA series.
In ALMS events, Mazda's factory prototype P2 team of BK Motorsports' Ben Devlin and Jamie Bach will compete on Yokohama's Advan A005 racing slick tires.
Cameron Steele will continue off-road racing in his No. 16 Cadillac truck, competing on specially designed 37-inch Geolandar A/T-S R tires in the SCORE International Series, including the Baja 500 and Baja 1000, YTC said. Mr. Steele also will race in the Best in the Desert (BITD) and Southern Nevada Off-Road Events (SNORE) competitions.
Yokohama said it also will continue support of grassroots racing, sponsoring the seven-race Yokohama Drivers Cup USA series. All drivers will complete in Porsche 996 and 997 cars riding on Yokohama's Advan A005 racing slicks.
Meanwhile, Sebring International Raceway and Road Atlanta have signed three-year agreements with YTC, making Yokohama their official tire.
With the agreements, Yokohama is now the official tire at three tracks that host ALMS events, including California racetracks Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Infineon Raceway.
Yokohama will have signage at the tracks and incorporate dealer tie-ins prior to major racing events.
The tire maker's ALMS season started March 15 with the 12 Hours of Sebring and concludes Oct. 18 with the Monterey Sports Car Challenge at Mazda Raceway. Road Atlanta's ALMS event, the Petit Le Mans 10-hour race, is set for Oct. 4.