Yokohama Tire Corporation Slides into Action with 2013 Drifting Program

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Yokohama Tire Corporation Slides into Action with 2013 Drifting Program

Tire maker will partner with three Formula Drift teams this season and spotlight tires such as the ADVAN Neova® AD08 and S.drive®

FULLERTON, CA (March 5, 2013) – Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) announced today it will participate as a Formula Drift tire supplier for the second consecutive year and will partner with three teams for the 2013 season. Matt Johnson, YTC performance marketing supervisor, said drivers will run on ADVAN Neova® AD08 and S.drive® tires during the seven-event series, which starts April 12-13 at Round 1: Streets of Long Beach.

Two new teams will join the Yokohama family in 2013 – the GSR Autosport BMW E46 piloted by Michael Essa, and the GTNET Tomei Powered Subaru BRZ driven by Toshiki Yoshioka. The Apex-I Lexus SC430 returns from 2012 with Pat Mordaunt behind the wheel.

“Yoshioka is a veteran drift competitor who started with Yokohama in the D1 Grand Prix in Japan during 2003 and is back with Yokohama to contend for podiums once again,” said Johnson. “He is a past Formula D winner, and will compete in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for the third consecutive year.”

Nick Richards, president of GSR Autosport, said, “we have a long history with Yokohama tires that comes from years of running a broad array of road-racing programs. Yokohama has a well-earned reputation of winning at the highest levels of motorsport, and as the level of competition continues to rise in drifting, partnering with the best is critical to fielding a winning team.”

“We have a variety of marketing programs,” said Fred Koplin, YTC director of marketing communications, “from sports sponsorships to television, but Formula Drift gives us exposure to a passionate audience of young enthusiasts that may not see a lot of other marketing initiatives.”

Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology and innovation. The company’s complete product line includes the all-new AVID Ascend®  –  the first mass-market tire using Yokohama’s breakthrough orange oil technology – as  well as tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s extensive product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.

Contact: Bill Groak, PCGCampbell, 424/903-3640, [email protected]

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Formula DRIFT Announces Entry List for Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge

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Formula DRIFT Announces Entry List for Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge;
Inaugural Nighttime Event to Take Place April 19-20 at Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

Long Beach, Calif. – March 1, 2013 – Formula DRIFT has announced the entry list for the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge on April 19-20, part of the annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend. Sixteen drivers and two alternates have been named to compete for the $25,000 prize pool.

“We are excited to bring the action and excitement of a drifting competition at night for the first time in the 39-year history of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach,” stated Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “The Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge will feature the top drivers in the world competing for a large prize pool.”

The sixteen drivers and two alternates include:

Driver /Hometown /Nationality

Forsberg, Chris / Doylestown, PA / American
Powers, Matt / Pacific Beach, CA / American
Bakchis, Odi / Kaunas, Lithuania / Lithuanian
Yoshioka, Toshiki / Hiroshima, Japan / Japanese
Grunewald, Conrad / Houston, TX / American
Essa, Michael / Los Angeles, CA / Indian/American
Saito, Daigo / Tokyo, Japan / Japanese
Nishida, Robbie / Tokyo, Japan / Japanese
Tuerck, Ryan / Derry, NH / American
McQuarrie, Tyler / Walnut Creek, CA / American
Yoshihara, Daijiro / Hachiouji Tokyo, Japan / Japanese
Aasbo, Fredric /Ski, Norway / Norwegian
Mohan, Kyle /Anaheim, CA / American
Angelo, Tony / Doylestown, PA / American
Denofa, Chelsea / Philadephia, PA / American
Kado, Ryan / Sacramento, CA / Japanese/American

Alternate Drivers:

Wilkerson, Walker / Snohomish, WA / Japanese
Jones, Jeff / San Fernando Valley, CA / American

Ticket holders for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be able to watch the competition taking place in Turns 9,10 and 11 of the world-famous street course from Grandstands 16, 18, 24, 25 and 26 on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning at 6:30 PM. The drifting course will be the same one used by Formula DRIFT in its first event of the season the weekend before the Grand Prix.

Practice and qualifying heats for the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge will take place Friday night, April 19, between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Final eliminations will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 20.

In addition to the Super Drift Challenge, the 2013 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will feature racing from the IZOD IndyCar Series, Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series, Firestone Indy Lights, Pirelli World Challenge and the Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD Stadium SUPER Trucks.

Ticket prices range from $28 for a Friday General Admission ticket to $130 for a three-day ticket that includes Sat./Sun. reserved seating in grandstand upper levels. Pre-paid parking packages are also available, along with handicapped seating, IndyCar Paddock passes, Super Photo tickets and a wide variety of Hospitality Club packages.

Fans can select and pay for their seats, parking and paddock passes online at gplb.com. Tickets can also be ordered by calling the toll-free ticket hotline, (888) 82-SPEED, and callers can request a printed ticket brochure that includes a circuit map, ticket prices, order form and other information. Also featured on gplb.com is the latest Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach news, downloadable ticket brochure and racetrack information, photos and ongoing announcements of special race week activities.

Fans can also follow the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Facebook at GrandPrixLB and on Twitter @ToyotaGPLB.