Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) is returning to off-road stadium-style racing for the first time in almost two decades.
The Fullerton, California-based tire maker announced today it has signed on as a sponsor of Robby Gordon’s new Stadium SUPER Trucks (SST) series, which kicks-off in Glendale, Arizona on April 6. YTC will use the 12-event series to promote its Geolandar tire line by outfitting a number of top-tier drivers in the series.
Based on a concept by the late off-road legend Mickey Thompson, SST will feature 600-horsepower, V8-engined off-road trucks (fitted with Geolandar A/T-S or M/T+ tires) racing side-by-side on dirt tracks consisting of huge jumps, crossovers and tight corners.
“SST will help show the range and durability of our Geolandar tires because the trucks will be racing door-to-door, corner-after-corner on the same tires available to the public at any of our dealers,” said Duane Sampson, YTC manager, motorsports. “Plus, all this action will be broadcast to a large audience through the NBC networks.
“Decades ago, Robby Gordon raced and won in the Mickey Thompson series on Yokohama tires, helping to establish his impressive career,” said Sampson. “It’s great to be back in this form of racing.”
“Stadium racing helped launch the careers of Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears and myself,” said Gordon, the president of SST and a prominent racecar driver – everything from off-road to NASCAR to sports cars. “I have wanted to do this for a long time and proud we have finally accomplished it.”
