IT'S BAJA 1000 TIME FOR YOKOHAMA TIRE CORPORATION'S OFF-ROAD RACERS

Company press release.

Heidi Steele will qualify first in the Trophy Truck division; husband Cameron looks to move up in the standings in the November 14-17 season finale. Both will be competing on Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S® R tires

FULLERTON, CA. – (Nov. 13, 2013) – There's lots of excitement building for Yokohama Tire Corporation's (YTC) off-road racers as they head to Mexico for the 46th SCORE (Southern California Off Road Enthusiasts) Baja 1000, November 14-17 in Ensenada. YTC's team, the Desert Assassins, will once again be led by the husband and wife duo of Cameron and Heidi Steele, who will compete on purpose-built Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S® R tires mounted on 800-horsepower Geiser Brothers trucks.

This year marks the first time there will be a qualifying session prior to the race. Heidi, who is a four-time SCORE Class champion and won the iconic race in 2009 (in the Class 6 division), drew the No. 1 position for qualifying, which is scheduled today.

Heidi made history this season by partnering with co-driver Jessica McMillin – also a SCORE champion – to form the first all-woman Trophy Truck driver tandem in SCORE racing. When the flag drops, they will become the first female Trophy Truck team to tackle the tough Baja 1000. They finished 15th at the Baja 500, beating 70 percent of the field.

Cameron, a veteran Trophy Truck driver and two-time SCORE Person of the Year, won the Baja 1000 in 2003 in the 1/2-1600 Buggy Class. He will team with co-driver Josh Daniel in the No. 16 truck over the 883-mile course, the longest non-peninsula run in Baja history.

A strong outing in Ensenada could propel Cameron as high as second place in the final World Championship of Desert Racing standings, which combine the three SCORE races in Mexico and four HDRA (High Desert Racing Association) events in the United States to crown the overall world champion. Cameron won the HDRA season opener at the SouthPoint 250 outside of Las Vegas in January.

'The Baja 1000 is a brutal and grueling event,' said Duane Sampson, YTC motorsports manager, 'which gives Yokohama a perfect place to develop our tires. The Geolandar A/T-S® R tires have really proven themselves over the course of the season.'

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 a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in 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 extensive product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.