Press Release

Osaka-Japan -April 17- Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. (Akira Nobuki, president) announces that Team TOYO TIRES DRIFT, a drifting^*1 team supported by Toyo Tires, will compete in the 2013 D1 Grand Prix Series (sponsored by D1 Corporation), which kicked off in Osaka on April 13 (Sat.) and April 14 (Sun.), 2013.

D1 Grand Prix Series is a motorsport competition that originated in Japan, in which participants compete in racing vehicles and outcomes are decided based on driving technique. In contrast to regular motorsports, where racers compete purely on speed, in D1 racing points are awarded for artistic quality based on precision and beauty of drift driving technique, and teams battle in a yearlong series of 7~8 races to determine an eventual champion. In the 2012 season, seven races were held, attracting over 70,000 fans and garnering much attention, not only in Japan but overseas as well. Drift competitions have now begun to be held throughout the world, reflecting the growing worldwide interest in the sport. The 2013 D1 Grand Prix Series kicks off on a specially built course at Maishima Sports Island in Osaka, the first time a drifting event has ever been hosted in the city, followed by five other races throughout Japan, including at Odaiba and Huis Ten Bosch.

Toyo Tires’ Team TOYO TIRES DRIFT will battle for the series championship with its team of five racers: team leader and top driver Masato Kawabata, Tatsuya Sakuma, Akinori Uchiumi, Yoshifumi Tadokoro, and new team addition Seimi Tanaka (2011 D1 Street Legal^*2 Series Champion).

The special course at Osaka’s Maishima Sports Island features a straight-line distance from the starting line to the first corner that is about 1.5 times longer than other similar courses. The faster entry speeds into corners are expected to make for a spectacular race, and excitement about the race is building. Team TOYO TIRES DRIFT boasts high-level drifting skills and will compete to win with an aggressive drift driving approach of attacking the corners at breakneck speeds.

Also, at the venue’s Team TOYO TIRES DRIFT booth, in addition to the sale of team goods and a scheduled talk show event featuring the drivers, Toyo Tires’ 2013 TOYO GIRLS race queens will report on the race and happenings at the track, which will be uploaded to the Company’s TOYO TIRES Drift website.

Toyo Tires has positioned Asia, particularly the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets, as the most important markets for boosting the growth foundation of the Company’s Tire Business Unit, and is aggressively ramping up its business in these regions. Participation in the D1 Grand Prix Series, which is hugely popular in Japan and throughout Asia, is an instrumental move for raising the appeal of the TOYO TIRES brand in the Asian market. Toyo Tires will continue to operate Team TOYO TIRES DRIFT while also serving as a sponsor for the D1 Grand Prix Series.

Click here for the TOYO TIRES Drift website http://www.toyo-rubber.co.jp/drift/ (Japanese only)

*1: Drifting
A motor competition in which drivers cause the racecar’s wheels to slide, and the outcome is determined based on sliding technique, visual quality of driving, and performance delivered to the crowd. Drift drivers perform at a level that exceeds the limits of normal driving and racing, cutting their steering wheels in the opposite direction the car is turning in order to control their cars with an unparalleled level of balance. Compared to other motorsport races and rally competitions, the outcome is determined much more by the skill of the drivers than the performance of the machines.

*2: Street Legal
A competition class in which fine-tuned road-going cars are used for easier participation in D1 competitions. Rules include prohibiting replacement of the car maker’s original engine even if it has received a D1-approved inspection and equipping cars with mufflers to restrict power and volume.

<For reference>
■Overview of 2013 Team TOYO TIRES DRIFT
Contracted drivers: Masato Kawabata and Tatsuya Sakuma
Support drivers: Akinori Uchiumi, Yoshifumi Tadokoro, and Seimi Tanaka
2013 TOYO GIRLS: Asami Agawa and Natsu Tosaki

■2013 D1 Grand Prix Series (scheduled)

■2013 Exhibitions (scheduled)

■Team TOYO TIRES DRIFT (2013 Kick Off Drift racing images)

For details on 2013 D1GP Series, go to http://www.d1gp.co.jp .