American Kenda Rubber Co. Ltd. has announced it is the official tire supplier to the Formula DRIFT PRO Championship for 2023.
Kenda joins four existing tire suppliers and has initially signed a two-year agreement to supply its ultra-high performance (UHP) Vezda UHP MAX tire to Formula drivers for all eight rounds of the 2023 season.
The Kenda Vezda UHP MAX tire is a new 200 treadwear – with reinforced sidewalls and enhanced tread stiffness – max-performance tire which debuted at the 2022 Specialty Equipment Market Association show.
“We’re very excited to partner with Formula DRIFT,” says Brandon Stotsenburg, vice president of automotive, Kenda Tire USA.
“We want to demonstrate how Kenda’s off-the-shelf Vezda UHP MAX tires can perform in the world’s most competitive drift series. Our motorsports mantra is about demonstrating how Kenda Tire can compete, and win, off-the-shelf from Podium2Pavement. This is the perfect reason to partner with an iconic series like Formula DRIFT to vividly demonstrate the quality, performance, and technical expertise of our tires.”
The company says it is currently in discussions with several Formula DRIFT PRO drivers and teams. Once complete, they will reveal the names of those who will compete with Kenda Tire in 2023, starting at the opening round on The Streets of Long Beach on April 7-8. This is where Kenda will make its official track debut with the new Vezda UHP MAX tire.
“We’re very happy to welcome a new tire partner to Formula DRIFT for our 20th anniversary season,” says Ryan Sage, president, Formula DRIFT
“This will be an incredibly important year for us all, and adding an unknown factor such as a new tire supplier can only make the competition more thrilling, especially if Kenda-shod drivers are challenging for podium places.”
