The 2006 Tire Rack One Lap of America will raise money for Transplant Recipients International Organization Inc., the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the American Cancer Society and numerous other charitable groups.
Tha event -- the direct descendant of the Cannonball Run cross-country race -- kicks off on May 6 with a skid pad contest at The Tire Rack's 10-acre tire testing facility in South Bend, Ind.
More than 200 racers are expected to participate, with the goal of covering 3,974 miles in eight days, including stops at nine famous race tracks. Teams will log nearly 24 hours of driving each day.
"As in previous years, entrants face the additional challenge of finishing the race on the same tires which they started without waring their treads below 2/32-inch," say Tire Rack officials. "That's the tread depth at which point any tire should be replaced for safety's sake.
"Further enhancing the challenge is the requirement that all tires be street-legal and selected from a group of (brands) that includes Goodyear, Firestone, Dunlop, Bridgestone, BFGoodrich, Pirelli, Michelin, Continental, Kumho and Yokohama."
"Having only one set of tires for the entire competition adds an extra level of challenge to this event, since these tires will see both street and track duty and must be able to withstand whatever Mother Nature throws against participants during the coure of the event," says Matt Edmonds, Tire Rack's vice president of marketing.
"Tire maintenance and care is very important."
