TractionReview

FULLERTON, Calif. (Feb. 14, 2008) - Yokohama Tire Corporation continues its involvement in racing - both on and off-road, for 2008 with entries in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), major off-road racing and at the grassroots level with the Yokohama Drivers Cup USA (Porsche), the company announced today.

In the top-level ALMS, Yokohama’s ADVAN A005 racing slicks will appear for the first time on the Mazda factory prototype P2 team of BK Motorsports, with England’s Ben Devlin and USA’s Jamie Bach as pilots. Competing against the likes of the Penske Porsche Spyder and the Acura teams of Andretti Green and Fernandez Racing, Yokohama is building tires in P2 for the first time since its 2004 championship season. In GT2, Yokohama will again team with the PTG Panoz team using a new lighter and more aerodynamic car.

ALMS begins its 12 -race season at the prestigious Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring and follows the rules set for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The ever popular Cameron Steele once again heads up Yokohama’s off-road racing efforts in his #16 Cadillac Trophy Truck, utilizing specially designed 37″ GEOLANDAR A/T-S R tires in the SCORE International Series, including the Baja 500 and Baja 1000, the world’s best known races of their type. Steele will also race in selected Best In The Desert (BITD) and Southern Nevada Off Road Events (SNORE) competitions. Yokohama shod competitors will also see action in multiple classes and use Super Digger, GEOLANDAR MT+ and GEOLANDAR A/T-S tires.

Yokohama continues its support of grassroots racing with the Yokohama Drivers Cup USA, a seven-race series featuring Porsche 996 and 997 for drivers moving up from the Porsche Club of America (PCA) and the Porsche Owners Club (POC) to the ranks of professional road racers. All drivers compete on the ADVAN A005 racing slick, with this season being the debut of the very quick new front tire size of 240/640R18.

Yokohama also is continuing its sponsorship of legendary racetracks such as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Infineon Raceway, which combined see more than 500,000 visitors each year for events like NASCAR Sprint Cup, ALMS, MotoGP, AMA and Grand AM.

“As we begin the 2008 motorsports season, there is a tremendous excitement internally and with our teams as we set about to capture positive results across all categories,” commented Yokohama Motorsports Manager Robert Dole. “As always, it will take a great deal of hard work and development to accomplish those goals but I am very confident we have laid a tremendous foundation for success this season and beyond.”

Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based the Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global producer and distributor of premium tires since 1917. Servicing a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation offers a complete line of tires, including high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, as well as off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s extensive product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com. For details on Yokohama’s environmental efforts, go to www.ecotreadsetters.com.

Yokohama is a strong supporter of the tire care and safety guidelines established by the Rubber Manufacturers Association and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Details can be found at the “Taking Care of Your Tires” section at www.yokohamatire.com.