Kenda USA has renewed partnerships with Formula Drift Holding LLC for the Formula Drift series and Formula Drift driver Dennis Mertzanis as part of efforts to raise awareness of the Kenda brand in western states.
Kenda has also signed partnerships with Ark Performance Inc. and Just Drift LLC.
Ark Performance recently signed on resident Formula Drift driver Pat Mordaunt, and Kenda has agreed to be the official tire of the Ark Team. Along with Pat, Dennis will also drive for the Ark. Ark Performance is a manufacturer and distributor of aftermarket products based in Chino, Calif.
Just Drift is the top ProAm drift series in Southern California which performs monthly drift demos for local enthusiasts. Kenda will provide tires for drift demos and for winners of the Just Drift events. The company says members of the Just Drift community will have access to the Kenda Racer Support Program.
“Expanding our distribution is one of the goals for Kenda in 2014,” says Eric Yang, marketing manager for Kenda.
“The competition is stiff out west and our team is constantly trying to figure out new ideas to differentiate ourselves from the other brands. Signing on with Formula Drift and top drivers like Dennis and Pat will hopefully help to show consumers the level of quality our tires are produced at.
“Developing a partnership with ProAm series like Just Drift will help us reach drivers at a grass roots level. Across all the different tire industries Kenda manufactures, our company philosophy has always been to support grassroots programs to help support and develop the athletes who are passionate about the activities they compete in,” says Yang.
In addition to the increased motorsports activities, Kenda says it will continue to support several large competitions in other industries. Two of the largest events are the Sea Otter Classic in Monterrey, Calif., and the Tour of California, a cycling race.
American Kenda Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd., which does business as Kenda USA, is headquartered in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. For more information on Kenda and its products, visit www.kendatire.com.
