Pittsburgh Anesthetist Alert for Dunlop Drivers Cup

AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 5 -- A resident in anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has been selected to participate in the Dunlop Drivers Cup driving challenge.

Charles Horton, 27, of Pittsburgh, will be competing against 11 other amateur drivers at the U.S. Regional Qualifier in Danville, Va., on Sept. 11- 15.

Horton said the Virginia International Raceway event fits perfectly his "love of everything automotive. I've pretty much been a gearhead all of my life."

Janice Consolacion, brand planning manager for Dunlop in North America, said Cup organizers were impressed by Horton's passion for cars. "Charles loves to tell the story that one of his first baby words was 'Bwonco!' His vehicle modifications also keep things from getting boring."

Horton said he realizes Dunlop Drivers Cup is completely different from any other type of driving challenge. A unique competition, it includes on- track racing, autocross, off-road sport-utility, off-road all-terrain vehicle and motocross events to test the skills of hard-core driving enthusiasts.

Two two-driver teams from the three-day U.S. Regional Qualifier will represent Dunlop USA at the world Drivers Cup next year. The 10-day excursion is scheduled to travel through six European countries -- with driving events in each nation -- and finish on the African continent.

Horton's first vehicle was a 1973 Land Cruiser FJ40, with a Chevy V8 conversion. "It had been put together in somebody's backyard with questionable engineering and a liberal application of Bondo, but was it ever fun. We took the top off, put some big speakers in the back and presto - instant party on wheels."

His favorite driving experience came when he was an emergency medical technician. "My paramedic partner and I had just picked up a particularly unstable patient about 20 miles from the hospital. He's been teaching me to avoid all the imperfections in the road, but on that night, he called out, 'Forget the potholes - drive like heck!'

"That was the night that I discovered an '85 Ford ambulance could hit 100 mph," he said.

European Dunlop officials started Drivers Cup in 1998 to showcase Dunlop's racing heritage and its broad range of passenger, truck, motorcycle and all- terrain-vehicle tire lines. Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ultra-performance tires and Mud Rover off-road tires will be featured in the competition.

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 sport compact enthusiasts featuring "tuner" tire sizes and race series sponsorships.

Applications are being accepted now for those interested in competing in the 2007 Dunlop Drivers Cup U.S. Regionals. To apply, go to http://www.dunloptires.com/.