With a racing and high-performance pedigree stretching back many years, premium Japanese tyre manufacturer, Yokohama, will be showcasing a number of new and exciting partnerships for the 2020 motorsport season at this year’s Autosport International show.
In rallying, Yokohama will be extending its long-term support for grass roots and developing drivers with a brand-new partnership with Harper Adams Motorsport Team. Fully led and driven by students from the Shropshire university, the team will be competing in a selected number of high-profile events in 2020 including Wales Rally GB and Goodwood FOS Rally in their ex-M-Sport Ford Fiesta R2 fitted with Yokohama’s successful A053 rally tyre.
Elsewhere in rallying, Yokohama will continue to support Daniel Harper in his Minisport-run John Cooper Works Mini WRC as well as promising young driver Ed Fossey in his Peugeot R2 rally car. Further supporting the future stars of tomorrow, Yokohama will continue to support drivers in the Formula 1000 Rally Club, a low entry cost rally championship for drivers aged between 14 and 17 years.
“Yokohama has a proud history of supporting grass roots motorsport and helping to develop the champions of tomorrow and these latest partnerships continue this tradition,” explains Mark Evans, head of motorsport and OE for Yokohama HPT Ltd. “We’re looking forward to an exciting season ahead and working closely with our supported teams and drivers where we will be able to share our wealth of knowledge and experience, hopefully helping them to secure a number of wins and championship honours.”
In circuit racing, Yokohama will also be supporting a wide range of series. Indeed, the tyre maker will be supplying tyres to competitors in 28 championships in the UK in 2020 including two new series, the Ma7da Series which forms part of the 750 Motor Club and the MSV Supercup for production saloons, hatchbacks and sports cars which will be fitted with Yokohama’s ADVAN A052 tyre.
Alongside Yokohama’s latest competition and road car products which will be on display at Autosport International, the company will also be exhibiting its range of tyres for classic cars. Inspired by patterns from yesteryear but manufactured to today’s exacting standards, the tyres give both classic race and road car enthusiasts access to popular historic tyres such as the GT Special Y350, A008HF Type D and the A-008P for classic Porsche fitments.
Further reflecting Yokohama’s extensive history in motorsport and high-performance motoring, 2020 will mark Yokohama’s 30thyear of exhibiting at Autosport International making it one of just a few selected companies who have exhibited at every occurrence of the show. To mark this achievement and taking centre stage on the company’s stand (Hall 1 stand number 1454) Yokohama will be proudly displaying a reproduction of Paddy Hopkirk’s 1964 Monte Carlo Rally winning Mini Cooper S, fitted with its popular A008 tyre.
“From a host of new partnerships, tyres and OE fitments through to participating at some of Europe’s most important classic racing events, 2020 is set to be another action-packed and exciting year for Yokohama,” concludes Evans.
