Yokohama Tire Corporation Announces ALMS Partnership with RocketSports

BRASELTON, September 25, 2009: Yokohama Tire Corporation and RocketSports Racing (RSR) are teaming up to field a Jaguar XKR GT2 entry in the 2010 ALMS season. Yokohama was named the official tire supplier of RSR at a press conference at Road Atlanta on September 24. According to Mark Chung, Yokohama director, corporate strategy and planning, the new entry, which is debuting in the Petit Le Mans race on September 26, is running on Yokohama ADVANŽ A005 tires. The car is also campaigning at Laguna Seca on October 10, using the races to introduce the car and utilize the track time for testing and development.

“Partnering with RSR on the Jaguar XKR GT2 in ALMS is a perfect fit for Yokohama,” said Chung. “Motorsports is a core element in what we do. It’s in our DNA - we like to compete and we like to win, and so does RSR. Our collective efforts will certainly put us among the leaders in GT2 next year. We are definitely eager to get going.”

The Jaguar brand is launched into what everyone considers the deepest GT2 class in the history of the ALMS and will have to face off against the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Corvette, Viper and Ford.

From a production car, the Jaguar XKR makes an excellent racecar. “The Jaguar XKR is exceptionally strong and rigid, and the construction method is in advance of the conventional steel stamping that we see in cars today,” explained Paul Gentilozzi, RSR team owner. “That allows RSR to build a lighter, stronger, stiffer racecar. Also, the basic aerodynamic design of the XKR has a low drag coefficient and more than sufficient downforce.”

On the relationship with RSR, Chung added: “Our experience with Paul Gentilozzi and RSR goes back to the early ’90s when we won the Daytona 24 Hours together. We’ve maintained a close relationship throughout the years and now we’re teaming up again and assembling a world-class crew to achieve great milestones in ALMS.”

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 offers a complete line of tires, including high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, as well as off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s extensive product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.