Racing Legend Alex Zanardi to Appear in Yokohama Tire SEMA Booth, Wed., Oct 31

SEMA BOOTH #40709

Media Contacts: Bill Groak, PCGCampbell, 310/224-4940, Cell: 310/849-3676; bgroak@pcgcampbell.com
Michael F. Hollander, PCGCampbell, 310/224-4981, Cell: 310/963-1656; mhollander@pcgcampbell.com

Editor's note: (not for publication) Alex Zanardi will meet with news media at the Yokohama Tire Corporation booth (#40709) on Wed., Oct. 31 from noon until 1:30 p.m. After that, he will sign autographs for attendees from 2-3:30 pm. High-resolution photography is available at http://media.pcgcampbell.com/yokohama.

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (Oct. 22, 2007) - Alex Zanardi, who drove in Formula One and twice won the CART Championship, will make an appearance at the Yokohama Tire Corporation booth (#40709) on Wed., Oct. 31 from 2-3:30 p.m. The Italian driver competes on Yokohama tires in the FIA World Touring Car Championship.

"We're honored to have Alex Zanardi join us at SEMA," said Fred Koplin, director of marketing communications for Yokohama Tire Corporation. "His dedication mirrors that of Yokohama in the world of motorsports."

Born in Bologna, Italy, Alex Zanardi began his racing career in karts in 1979. He moved up to the Italian Formula 3 series in 1988 and to Formula 3000 in 1991. He scored three victories that year, finishing second in the championship. By the end of that year, he had taken three starts for the Jordan Formula One team.

In 1996, Zanardi moved to the Champ Car World Series, sanctioned by CART, with three victories that year for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing, including the final race of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Zanardi passed Bryan Herta in the Corkscrew in a highly-risky move that cemented his reputation as the most thrilling driver of his time in American wheel racing. He celebrated the victory by turning donuts on the track, a move that has been copied by drivers in every major series in the United States. Zanardi was named Rookie of the Year for 1996 and won championships for Ganassi in both 1997 and 1998 with twelve wins in total.

In 1999, Zanardi raced for the Williams team in Formula One, but his return to the international circuit was not successful and he moved back to CART in 2001. There, he crashed in September, 2001, losing his legs in the accident. Almost immediately, Zanardi was fitted with prosthetic limbs and began rehabilitation. He designed and built his own prostheses which would be best for racing. He returned to racing in 2003, and entered the 2004 FIA European Touring Car Championship, later re-named the World Touring Car Championship. Zanardi won his first WTCC race in 2005 and continues to race for Yokohama in that series.

He has been married to Daniela since 1996 and they have one son, Niccolo. He has co-written two books on his life, Alex Zanardi: My Story and Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory.

Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global producer and distributor of premium tires since 1917. Servicing a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation offers a complete line of tires, including high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, as well as off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama's extensive product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com. For details on Yokohama's environmental efforts, go to www.ecotreadsetters.com

Yokohama is a strong supporter of the tire care and safety guidelines established by the Rubber Manufacturers Association and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Details can be found at the "Taking Care of Your Tires" section at www.yokohamatire.com.