Toyo Tires has a long history in U.S. motorsports that includes championship wins, both off-road and on the tarmac. In 2015, the company continues its ‘All or Nothing’ strategy with best-in-class drivers and several popular race series. From Open Country® off the road to Proxes® on the asphalt track – Toyo Tires helps to turn racer’s dreams of winning into reality.
Off-Road
Multi-championship racers Robby Gordon and BJ Baldwin continue to lead Team Toyo in desert racing. Both will compete for the top spot in SCORE-International® and Best In The Desert. Gordon and Baldwin have each won overall SCORE-International Championships and Baja 1000 races with Toyo Tires.
Gordon has also won a Baja 500 championship and Best In The Desert Championship with Toyo Tires. The Best In The Desert series began in February with the Parker 425 where Gordon qualified in second place, setting the tone for a competitive season.
Off-road fans will also notice more Team Toyo drivers in the popular short course off-road racing series, Lucas Oil® Off-Road Racing Series (LOORRS)
Kyle LeDuc, 2014 LOORRS Pro 4 class champion, returns with Toyo Tires to defend his overall championship title. Last year, he won 12 out of 16 LOORRS races, including the Lucas Oil® Challenge Cup. He was awarded Driver of the Year for LOORRS. In addition, he won in the TORC World Championship Off-Road Races® weekend at Crandon taking home the World Championship Ring and the AMSOIL® Cup.
Brother, Todd LeDuc, returns to Team Toyo for the 2015 season and will compete in the Pro 2 class with his #70 MAV Tv / LoanMart / Toyo Tires Ford F-150 running on Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires. Todd finished second overall in the 2012 LOORRS Pro 4 Unlimited class championship, and is a past desert off-road racing champion.
“I’m super excited to be back on the tires that brought me so much success,” said Todd LeDuc. “I'm back in a class I love, Pro 2, and look forward to Kyle and I getting lots of wins.”
Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg is also back with Team Toyo for 2015 with his #88 Monster Energy / Toyo Tires truck. This season, he will focus his efforts on winning the Pro Lite class championship. Brandon Arthur will also pursue the Pro Lite championship on Toyo Tires.
Road Racing
On the asphalt, Toyo Tires continues to support road racers with series sponsorships, rich contingency programs and top quality tires.
Toyo Tires remains the Official Tire of NASA (National Auto Sport Association) and the presenting sponsor for the NASA National Championships. Toyo Proxes tires are spec for several of the amateur road racing classes including American Iron, Factory Five Challenge, Honda Challenge, Spec Miata Challenge, the new for 2015 Spec E46 and NASA Prototype NP01 series, and many others. The NASA NP01 is a new, affordable prototype racer unveiled at the 2014 PRI Show in Indianapolis. In addition, Toyo Tires supports racers at the longest road race, the 25 Hours of Thunderhill with track support and hospitality.
Toyo Tires is also presenting sponsor of The Cadillac Challenge, the first and only race series exclusively for Cadillac.
Committed to providing products racers want and need, the Proxes R1R extreme performance summer tire has been reclassified to have a UTQG (Uniform Quality Tire Grade) treadwear of 200 AA A. It will continue to meet the requirements for SCCA® Solo® and ProSolo® competition. The 200-treadwear Proxes R1R meets the requirements for several racing groups including Goodguys autocross, Optima Challenge, SoCal Challenge, Chump Car, LeMons and classes in Time Attack.
“Each year we align the Toyo Tires brand with racers and race series that match our All or Nothing attitude and give us an opportunity to showcase our championship-winning products,” said Amy Coleman, senior director of marketing, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “This year we are excited to have even more chances to finish atop the podium with the addition of racers, like Todd LeDuc and Brandon Arthur, as well as the reclassification of the Proxes R1R.”
Toyo Tires also supports racers through several contingency programs, and a Racers Direct program that allows off-road racers to purchase the popular Open Country M/T-R. To learn more visit toyotires.com/teamtoyo.
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