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Press Release

Apr. 16, 2018

“OPEN COUNTRY” Support for Teams in Asian Rally

Hyogo, Japan – April 16, 2018 – Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture; President: Takashi Shimizu) is pleased to announce that it is supplying our “Open Country M/T” off-road tires for SUVs and supporting some Thai and Japanese teams in the “23rd Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR, abbreviated term: Asian Rally) 2018” being held from August 12th to 18th of this year.

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Nuttaphon ANGRITTHANON (Thailand: ISUZU D-MAX) –championship winner for the last three years.

AXCR is the largest international rally competition in Asia, holding equal ranking with the Dakar Rally in terms of the cross-country rallies sanctioned by the International Automobile Federation (FIA). Held in August every year since 1996, it comprises some 2,200 km of grueling driving under MOTO/QUAD, SIDECAR, and AUTO classes. The rally has been held in regions that typify the local road surfaces, nature, and climate in Asia, such as mountainous, jungle, coastal, and plantation regions, as well as circuits, etc. This year, the 23rd competition will start in Pattaya, the beach resort in the Kingdom of Thailand, on Sunday, August 12th, and finish in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, on Saturday, August 18th.

We will supply TOYO TIRES’ “OPEN COUNTRY M/T” off-road tires for SUVs to Nuttaphon ANGRITTHANON’s team*2 (three-time defending champions since 2015*1) of Thailand, and “Racing Development FLEX SHOW AIKAWA Racing)*3 led by Show Aikawa, the Japanese actor, to assist their efforts in this most grueling of environments.

*1: Won the championship with “OPEN COUNTRY M/T” tires mounted.
*2: Competed in an ISUZU D-MAX.
*3: Competed in a TOYOTA LAND CRUISER PRADO 150.

■ OPEN COUNTRY series
We have accumulated ability and results through continued participation and winning of internationally renowned races including the “BAJA 1000” – often considered to be the world’s most grueling off-road race, and improved the tire durability and resistance to external damage required for pickup trucks, SUVs and CUVs to a high level. The “OPEN COUNTRY” series, which combines aggressive pattern design with exceptional basic performance, is highly evaluated and supported as a tire brand – especially in America, where large SUVs are most popular.

■ OPEN COUNTRY M/T
With M/T standing for Mud Terrain, the OPEN COUNTRY M/T is a full-fledged SUV/CUV tire for off-roading with performance and durability designed for driving on any road surface, as well as rough terrain and muddy ground. Its aggressive yet functional tread design contributes not only to driving in poor conditions, but also improves traction and braking performance. An extremely tough tire construction with exceptional resistance to external damage has been achieved by applying the know-how accumulated through such off-road races.

■ Reference (Competition outline)

Name: The 23rd Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) 2018
(Abbreviated term: Asian Rally)
Sanctioned by:

International Automobile Federation (FIA)
Royal Automobile Association of Thailand (RAAT)
Cambodia Motor Sports Federation (CMSF)

Organized by: Ortev Thailand, R1 Japan
Supported by: Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)
Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia
National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC)

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Toyo Tire Corporation
Corporate Communications Dept.
Hyogo Head office Telephone: +81-72-789-9100 Facsimile: +81-72-773-3272