Yokohama Motorsports Sponsors Full Range of Racing Activities in 2007

American Le Mans, S.C.O.R.E., Yokohama Drivers Cup USA and SCCA Sponsored in motorsports mix

Contact: Michael F. Hollander, PCGCampbell, 310/224-4981 mhollander@pcgcampbell.com

FULLERTON, Calif. - (May 4, 2007) - From the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach to the deserts of Baja California, Yokohama Motorsports will participate in more than 80 professional and amateur racing events across the North American continent in 2007

"Our 2007 motorsports program includes both sports car and off-road action. We have already achieved success with wins and podium finishes this year," said Yokohama Product Promotions Manager Robert Dole. "We expect each of our programs to reach new heights in 2007, including ALMS, SCORE, Baja Pro Truck or the new Yokohama Drivers Cup USA. As we highlight our ultra-high-performance ADVAN® and Geolandar® off-road lines, our sales groups have been bringing top customers to the track. From Sebring to Long Beach to Baja to California Speedway, Yokohama Motorsports is there in 2007."

Highlighting Yokohama's American Le Mans Series (ALMS) competition in 2007 is Team PTG and Team Trans Sport. PTG, which had many championships with Yokohama and BMW in past, is running the American V-8 powered Panoz Esperante this year. As always, the PTG team cars wear the ADVAN Yokohama black and red livery and will be driven by Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand for the full season. At the St. Petersburg, Fl. race, the #21 Panoz scored a third-place podium finish and has been rising through the ranks in recent races.

Also running the full ALMS season under the ADVAN Yokohama flag is Team Trans Sport under the direction of Jim Bell. Terry Borcheller joins team owner Tim Pappas for the full season behind the wheel of the #54 Porsche 911 GT2 RSR. The team has run very strong in the last two races at Lime Rock Park and Mid Ohio, scoring fifth place finishes in the large and hotly contested GT-2 class.

Running a part-time schedule is Farnbacher Loles Racing, led by Horst Farnbacher. The #85 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR will be driven by Pierre Ehret, Lars Erik Nielsen and Dirk Werner. The team competed at Sebring and may return to the U.S. for Petit LeMans and Mazda Raceway in October. Yokohama and Farnbacher led 21 hours of the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans before suffering a broken gear shift lever that dropped them to second place.

Yokohama continues its off-road resurgence, following a 2006 season which saw five SCORE season class championships and five BAJA 1000 class wins.

The first part of the SCORE season has witnessed strong results by "flying Y" drivers. Desert Assassins leader Cameron Steele continues to develop the 37-inch Geolandar A/T-S® and Geolandar M/T® models in addition to leading the Class 12 points battle with his car "Pinkie." He won the Terrible's Cup Class 12 race in July. 2006 Class 10 Champion Darren Hardesty has keeps proving the SuperDigger tire is the one to beat, despite struggling with some mechanical gremlins. Yokohama is also participating in the Best in the Desert and SNORE series with a top level contingency program for competitors.

After years of participating in Porsche Owners Club (POC) events, Yokohama becomes the official tire of the new Yokohama Drivers Cup USA. With events at California Speedway, Road America, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and Infineon Raceway, the series promises great competition and superb training for those looking to move up in the sports car ranks. The first event in April at California attracted 25 competitors for the new series.

Yokohama continues its association with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and its 55,000 members as the Official Street Tire and contingency sponsor in multiple classes of competition. Yokohama has won multiple Tire Rack Solo National and Pro Solo Street Touring Championships with the ADVAN Neova and continues that success in 2007.

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 for more than 90 years. 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.

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