One Lap of America rolls out May 3

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (April 28, 2014) — The 2014 Tire Rack One Lap of America, in its 12th year under Tire Rack Inc.'s sponsorship, will roll out of the tire distributor's South Bend headquarters May 3 and return there for a final test eight days later.

The One Lap event, a charitable street-legal road rally race started by auto writer Brock Yates 31 years ago, gained Tire Rack's backing in 2003.

During the week, drivers will race at iconic and new tracks, such as Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio; NOLA Motorsports Park in Louisiana; the road course and drag strip at Memphis International Raceway, Memphis, Tenn., and the track at the BMW Performance Center in Greer, S.C.

This year, more than 80 entrants will be covering more than 3,500 miles during the eight-day competition, according to organizers.

“Tire Rack is proud to celebrate a 12 year partnership with Brock Yates Sr. and Jr. as title sponsor of the Tire Rack One Lap of America,” said Tire Rack Vice President Matt Edmonds.

“With nearly four decades of experience in the tire and wheel industry, we feel passionate about continuing to support and educate drivers from all experience levels about the capabilities of their tires and how proper maintenance, traction, safety and durability can be maximized on the street and the track.”

The event is a high-level driving competition lasting 24 hours each day and featuring a selection of the fastest street-legal cars run by all types of drivers, as long as they've had some racing experience and/or participation in two drivers' schools, according to Tire Rack.

No support crews are allowed and teams must manage their tires to finish on the same set on which they started. That means frequent checks of air pressure, tread depth and wear and tear for damage, according to Tire Rack. At each scheduled race track, entrants are put through a series of timed lap trials including wet and dry skid pad challenges.

The official charity of the Tire Rack One Lap of America is the Brock Yates Tribute Fund, which raises money for and awareness about Alzheimer's disease. All funds raised by the Brock Yates Tribute Fund go to the Alzheimer's Association. The Tribute Fund will be competing in the Tire Rack One Lap of America with the Tribute Fund's customized Ariel Atom — an open top, street-legal, two-seat supercar —driven by Jack Beecham and Charles Esplenaub.

Also participating in the race is Liam Dwyer, a professional racer with Freedom Autosport, who races in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series. Mr. Dwyer, a disabled Iraq War veteran, also will serve as the Tire Rack One Lap of America's Veteran Ambassador and will be welcoming veterans who attend One Lap events.

For a complete list of competitors, the charities represented and race location schedule, visit http://onelapofamerica.com.