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Press Release

Nov. 29, 2013

(Announcement) Team TOYO Racer BJ Baldwin Claims Second Consecutive Baja 1000 Victory

Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. announces that U.S. tire sales subsidiary Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. (Tatsuo Mitsuhata, president) racer BJ Baldwin has won the Baja 1000 held in Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula on November 15 and 16. With this victory, Baldwin adds to last year’s feat in capturing consecutive titles. This triumph also gave Baldwin his second consecutive SCORE Overall Point Championship win.

The Baja 1000 is off-road racing event held every November across Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula desert. The race has a huge following in North America.

BJ Baldwin blazed the course in a Chevy Silverado Trophy Truck equipped with Toyo Tires’ TOYO Open Country M/T-R (size: 39 x 13.50 R17) off-road tires. Ironman Baldwin expertly navigated the entire stretch of rocky terrain, obstacles and undulating desert on his own, completing the 883.1 mile (approx. 1,421 kilometer) loop course with an impressive time of 18:36:10.

In addition to BJ Baldwin’s winning performance, other Team TOYO drivers also recorded impressive SCORE series results, including Robby Gordon, who won the Baja 500 in May 2013, and Damen Jefferies, who was victorious in the Class 1 category.

■Comment by BJ Baldwin

“This year’s course was the most brutal so far, and took a toll on both my body and spirit. Most teams alternated two or three drivers, so driving the entire race by myself made it that much harder. The other teams had at least one flat tire and seven to eight on average, but I was able to race the whole way without a single flat, which allowed me to complete the race without slowing down. I’m grateful to Toyo Tires. There is no way I could have won without the Open Country M/T-R tire.”

 

 

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