SANTA ANA, CA. – Yokohama Tire’s long, successful history with Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) continues. Yokohama and PMNA announced a new racing series and partnership with the United States Auto Club (USAC).
Yokohama will be the official tire partner and presenting sponsor for the USAC-sanctioned 2021 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama. Yokohama’s ADVAN A005™ and A006™ race slicks will be the spec tires for the nine-race, one-make series, which kicks-off March 5-7 2021 at Sonoma Raceway.
The series will take place at storied race venues throughout the U.S. and Canada, and feature Porsche 991.1 and 991.2 GT3 Cup cars, as well as the 718 Cayman Clubsport GT4. There will be three classes: Platinum (991.2), Gold (991.1) and Silver (718 Cayman Clubsport).
“We’re honored to be a part of the inaugural Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama,” said Andrew Briggs, Yokohama Tire’s vice president of marketing and product management. “The USAC-sanctioned series perfectly fits our motorsports strategy and is another excellent opportunity to continue working with our longtime partner Porsche Motorsport North America. We’re looking forward to spotlighting our ADVAN® tires next season in this exciting new series.”
Yokohama is also the sponsor and sole tire supplier for The Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama and the 2020 Porsche Sprint Trophy USA West. Yokohama also served as the marketing and technical partner for the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama from 2009 to 2020, and for five seasons with the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama.
“Our goal with the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama is to create a clear first step up from club level racing while establishing a direct path to higher level motorsport,” said Erik Skirmants, series manager, Porsche Motorsport North America. “A key to this series success is the choice to have Yokohama as our tire and series partner. We needed world class tires and technical support and Yokohama has always exceeded expectations as a partner. Yokohama is also a customer favorite which makes this continued relationship a winner for all involved.”
USAC, formed in 1956, is an ACCUS-FIA member and one of the premier sanctioning bodies in US motorsports today. USAC is well known today for its diverse sanctioning of series such as SRO World Challenge, The American Rally Association and numerous off road and circle track dirt series. Famed drivers such as Roger Penske, Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Tony Stewart can boast a USAC Championship.
“USAC’s expansion into the Porsche Sprint Challenge can be traced back to the early 1960s when USAC hosted the United States Road Racing Series. In fact, the last USAC Road Racing Champion was Roger Penske in 1962,” stated Kevin Miller, president & CEO of USAC. “We are thrilled to partner with Porsche and Yokohama to bring this premier series to some of the most iconic road racing venues in the U.S. and Canada.”
Yokohama’s extensive list of 2020 North American-based motorsports activities – both on- and off-road – includes the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, the Porsche Sprint Trophy USA West, the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama, Global Time Attack and Super Lap Battle USA, SCORE, 24 Hours of Lemons, Crandon International Raceway partnership, Subaru Motorsports USA partnership, TrophyLite, Yokohama NORRA Mexican 1000 and Yokohama Sonora Rally.
About Yokohama Tire Corporation: Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing an extensive sales network throughout the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology and innovation. The company’s complete product line includes tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s broad product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.
Connect with Yokohama Tire Corporation: www.facebook.com/yokohamatire // www.twitter.com/yokohamatc // www.youtube.com/user/yokohamamotorsports // www.instagram.com/yokohamatire
About Porsche Motorsport North America: From its inception in 1985, Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) has been the sole importer of Porsche race cars and parts in the United States and Canada. In more than three decades of service, Porsche Motorsport has been a driving force for innovation at Porsche, spurred both street and race car development, and achieved more than 550 championships worldwide. PMNA is dedicated to supporting numerous customer-racing platforms from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to PCA Club Racing, by helping customers find the race car of their childhood fantasies, and live out their racing dreams. In addition, PMNA has produced one of the most comprehensive customer support programs in the industry to help our customers at the track. PMNA customers no longer race a Porsche – they race with Porsche. For more information, visit https://www.porsche.com/usa/motorsportandevents/motorsport/customerracing/features/aboutpmna/
About USAC: Formed in 1956, the United States Auto Club (USAC) is an ACCUS-FIA and one of the premier sanctioning bodies in motorsports. It sanctions several of the top series in the country, including the Silver Crown Series, the National Midget Series and the AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship. For details, visit https://usacracing.com/
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