General Tire Posts Three Podium Wins in the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno Race

General Tire Posts Three Podium Wins in the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno
Race
On the first year debut of the new General Grabber Competition Tires

RENO, Nev., Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- General Tire solidified its position
as the tire to beat in off-road desert racing, with 1-2-3 podium finishes in
the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno race on Saturday. General Grabber(TM)
competition tires got their first win in the Trick Truck class, when Rick
Johnson of Team 71 piloted his General Tire Trick Truck to an overall race and
class victory. Johnson crossed the finish line more than seven minutes ahead
of the competition, and his victory was even sweeter in light of the fact that
he started in 17th position.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080827/CLW093 )
Mike Horner of Synergy Motorsports took 2nd place in Class 8000
competition, and Kent Kroeker of KORE placed 3rd in the full-size production
stock class.
"We are ecstatic not only about Rick's win, but also that our Grabber(TM)
competition tires took three podium finishes. The Vegas to Reno course is
grueling, not only for the drivers, but for the tires too, but they performed
remarkably. The results speak for themselves," said Travis Roffler, director
of marketing, General Tire.
"This race was incredible. The course was challenging, but the tires
hooked up great," said Rick Johnson, driver of Team 71 Racing. "This truck
was dialed in for the course, and we are proud to bring home this important
win for General Tire."
General Tire 'unleashed the fury' in off-road competitive performance with
its Grabber competition tires as General Tire powers into the 2008 off-road
racing season.
"When we announced this tire at SEMA last fall we knew that this was going
to be the tire to beat this year, and with this race, we've proven that. It
is legendary when a new competition tire wins in its debut year," Roffler
added.
Designed with a tough, three-ply Duragen(TM)-reinforced body construction
to stand up to the rigors of off-road conditions, the Grabber also features a
newly-developed competition-specific tread compound. In addition, the Grabber
name and General Tire logo are prominently featured on the sidewall in red and
white letters. The Grabber competition tires are designed in size 37x12.50R17
for class 1, 7S, 7 unlimited, 8 and trophy truck/trick truck.
General Tire also has a complete line of Grabber tires for the passenger
and light truck market, including the new Grabber HTS, which delivers the
perfect synergy of comfort, durability and performance; the Grabber UHP, which
sets a whole new standard in performance and ride quality for SUVs, light
trucks and crossover vehicles; and Grabber AT2, designed for aggressive
all-terrain traction in all weather conditions.
For additional media information, visit www.ctnamedia.com .
General Tire is part of Continental Tire North America, Inc.
(www.generaltire.com). CTNA, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a company
of Germany-based Continental AG. With targeted annual sales of more than euro
26.4 billion ($40 billion US) for 2008, the Continental Corporation is one of
the top automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems,
systems and components for the powertrain and chassis, instrumentation,
infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers,
the corporation contributes towards enhanced driving safety and protection of
the global climate. Continental is also a competent partner in networked
automobile communication. Today, the corporation employs approximately 150,000
people at nearly 200 locations in 36 countries.
SOURCE General Tire

Dana Zamalloa, +1-704-583-8165, dana.zamalloa@conti-na.com; or Mariellen
Fagan, Crowl, Montgomery & Clark, +1-330-494-6999, ext. 201,
mfagan@crowlinc.com, both for General Tire