LAS VEGAS — Achilles Tire USA and Nexen Tire America Inc. have struck a deal with Formula Drift Holdings L.L.C., making their respective brands the official tires for the series' Pro 2 Championship this year.
The move, disclosed during the 2017 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, is designed to help keep costs under control for Pro 2 competitors, who tend to be up-and-coming drivers/teams hoping to move up the ladder to the Pro Championship, Formula Drift said.
Achilles and Nexen are two of the five tire suppliers listed as "major sponsors" of Formula Drift's Pro Championship rounds.
Details as to which tire company supplies which competitors still have to be worked out, but Cheralyn Hale of Achilles Radial said her firm and Nexen had supplied the lion's share of Pro 2 competitors last year and each already has working relationships with several drivers.
The designations would be for the entire season.
Formula Drift — which recently signed Link Engine Management as the Pro 2 Series sponsor — has scheduled four Pro 2 race weekends for 2018: May 11-12, Atlanta; August (dates TBA), St. Louis; Sept. 14-15, Dallas; and Oct. 12-13, Las Vegas.