Former LA Cowboy Shooting Star 'Guns' for Dunlop Drivers Cup

AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 7 -- A former Los Angeles cowboy action shooting star and author, who hung up his six-shooters, has been selected to participate in the Dunlop Drivers Cup driving challenge.

Hunter Scott Anderson, 54, aka "Bounty Hunter," of Glendale, Calif., will be competing against 11 other amateur drivers at the U.S. Regional Qualifier in Danville, Va., on Sept. 11-15.

Anderson, winner of hundreds of cowboy action shooting awards, is author of "The Top Shooter's Guide to Cowboy Action Shooting." After 450 matches, the sharp shooter hung up his holster. He now is a capital projects inspector for Los Angeles County Public Works.

Anderson always has been competitive, whether he's racking up wins shooting guns or crossing the finish line first in amateur road racing. He was an SCCA GT2 Rookie of the Year in 1986. He also admits the Virginia International Raceway event "will be a little different."

Anderson 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.

Janice Consolacion, brand planning manager for Dunlop in North America, said Cup organizers were impressed by Anderson's "competitive spirit. He may be the oldest competitor in the U.S. Regionals, but experience and passion are his strengths."

Anderson said, "I'm your man to represent the baby boomers. And I can still rock on the road like few others."

Anderson said the drivers' challenge is another milestone in his lifelong love of the automobile. Reared in a racing family, he said he sat on his father's lap at the steering wheel of a 1956 Porsche Speedster, maneuvering through Southern California's canyons at age 6.

"Driving has always been a passion for me -- alive and well even in my early 50s," the shooter said. Anderson said his father "is stoked" about him competing in Drivers Cup.

He said he would "find the best line, keep it smooth and never lift" in Virginia.

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.

Anderson said he applied for Drivers Cup after visiting American Tire Depot in Glendale, Calif. 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/.