Yokohama Tire Corporation-Sponsored Heidi Steele Takes 2nd Place in SCORE Baja 500 Race

Off-roader finishes grueling course on one set of off-the-shelf Geolandar M/T+® tires

FULLERTON, June 9, 2009: Coming in second in the legendary SCORE Baja 500 is quite an accomplishment, especially while using only one set of tires along the rough 432.5-mile course. This is exactly what Yokohama Tire Corporation- sponsored Heidi Steele did, starting and finishing the June 5-7 race at Ensenada, Mexico on the same four off-the-shelf Geolandar M/T+® tires.

Steele, who won Baja last year in Class 7SX, moved up in this season and competed in Class 6 with co-driver Ross Savage in a Ford Ranger. The second place finish helped increase Steele’s point lead in the SCORE class standings.

“My 35-inch Yokohama Geolandar Mud Terrain tires performed perfectly in challenging conditions,” said Steele, the overall 2008 champion in Best of the Desert and the SCORE Desert Series, and Dirt Sports magazine’s 2008 Driver of the Year. “Through the 5,000-foot rocky summit, sand washes, silt beds and rock gardens, I was able to tackle 432 miles and complete the race on the same set of tires, which provided us a competitive advantage.”

Cameron Steele, the other half of off-road racing’s “power couple,” battled Baja in the highly competitive Trophy Truck class, finishing 12th in class. Steele, a two-time SCORE Person of the Year and TV commentator, drove the No. 16 Desert Assassins Chevrolet Silverado outfitted with Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S-R® tires.

“The Baja 500 is tough race, but with Heidi taking second and our tires performing well, it was a successful weekend,” said Paul Algarin, Yokohama’s off-road marketing representative.

The next SCORE race for Yokohama-sponsored teams is the Primm 300, September 11-13 in Primm, Nevada.