Dunlop Tires, World Karting Association Join Forces

AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 28, 2006 -- World Karting Association members, many who race on Dunlop kart tires, now have good reason to use Dunlop tires on their other vehicles as well.

A first for the Concord, N.C., kart racing sanctioning organization, WKA is offering exclusive programs on Dunlop car and truck tires for its 10,000 karters throughout this year.

Andy Traicoff, director of Dunlop marketing in North America, said, "Karters already love our kart tires, so it's natural that we'd want these passionate drivers to use our performance, sport-utility and truck tires as well. We want to build lasting relationships with the World Karting Association and its members."

Karters, he added, are "important to us. They share our passion for performance and for driving. Our tires are for people who have fun driving on dirt or pavement."

According to the WKA, karts have no suspensions, are about 72 inches long, 50 inches wide and weigh about 150 pounds. Unlike "yard karts," these specially designed karts compete in sprint or road course races on dirt and asphalt.

For example, WKA's Dunlop Tire Road Racing Series, made up of 38 classes, is held at Super Speedways, such as Daytona, Lowe's, Virginia International and Summit Point. The sprint and road karts, equipped with two- and four-cycle engines, reach speeds up to 150 mph.

The World Karting Association is a membership-owned, non-profit corporation formed in 1971. WKA has nearly 10,000 members and more than 120 sanctioned tracks nationwide, making it the largest sanctioning body for kart racing in the United States. The WKA sanctions weekly kart racing as well as regional and national series on dirt and paved ovals and road courses, both sprint and road race. For more on WKA, go to http://www.worldkarting.com/.

Dunlop is a global tire brand with an excellent reputation among performance car enthusiasts. Well known for its prestigious original- equipment fitments and sports car racing heritage, Dunlop is also a key supplier to karters and all-terrain-vehicle and motocross competitors as well as ATV and motorcycle enthusiasts.

For more on Dunlop tire performance, go to http://www.dunloptires.com/.