Kumho Tire USA has signed on as title sponsor of the Grassroots Motorsports $2003 Challenge.
This event, which will be held April 4-5, 2003, at Gainesville Raceway in Florida, challenges competitors to build a car that's capable of winning an automotive triathlon comprised of a quarter-mile drag race, an autocross and a concours car show -- all on a budget of $2003.
Grassroots Motorsports, which bills itself as "America's Sportscar Magazine" and has a circulation of 75,000, ran the first event in late 1999 as a way to challenge its readers to build a competitive car on a $1,500 budget.
For the next challenge, held in January 2001, the budget was increased to $2001, and "it's been spiraling upward by one dollar each year ever since," said Kumho.
"The whole premise of the event is for readers to show their ingenuity and creativity by building a competitive car on a limited budget," said Grassroots Motorsports publisher Tim Suddard. "We want them to prove that you can get great performance out of a car without spending a lot of money."
The $2002 Challenge attracted 60 cars and their teams and generated media coverage in magazines like Car and Driver and Hot Rod Magazine, Kumho reported.
"We're very happy to sponsor the $2003 Challenge," said Rick Brennan, Kumho’s high performance brand manager. "We know that many Grassroots' readers use Kumho tires on their race and street cars because we offer great performance at a great price, so Kumho is a good fit with the spirit and the concept of the event."
The Kumho Tires $2003 challenge is limited to the first 100 entrants.
For more information, visit the Grassroots Motorsports' Web site at www.grassrootsmotorsports.com.
