Posted on September 19, 2013

BFGoodrich® Tires Aims To Drive Champions At SCCA Runoffs

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With street legal racing tires evolving in the market in recent years to maximize performance, BFGoodrich® Tires heads to the 2013 Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) National Championship Runoffs with title hopes in mind for its nearly 60 drivers.

The company's racing specific ultra-high performance tire family, the g-force series, has performed well in many classes with its R1 and R1-S tire that will be taking to the four-mile twists, elevation changes and turns of Road America in elkhart Lake, Wisc.

Again this year, BFGoodrich is running its unique contingency program by rewarding SCCA champions running on its tires the opportunity to compete in the toughest off-road race in North America - the SCORe Baja 1000. The coveted seats will be in a BFGoodrich tires-equipped Wide Open excursions Baja Challenge race car, joining Team BFGoodrich ambassadors, to defend its Baja class championship in November.

Among the more than 60 drivers competing on BFGoodrich Tires are several past national champions and several season points leaders. Last year, BFGoodrich claimed two SCCA titles and looks to improve on that number in 2013.

Among the competitors is Team BFGoodrich member Andrew Caddell racing in the Street Touring Unlimited (STU) class as a past SCCA national champion.

Other drivers positioned to compete for titles include Tom Wickersham (Oakland, Calif.) in the Touring 3 class. Wickersham currently sits atop the class standings with six wins in his Honda S2000 this season.

In the Touring 4 category, Greg Vandersluis (North Olmsted, Ohio) has run well in the Great Lakes Division and is tied for the class lead in points in his Ford Mustang.

Other past BFGoodrich Tires national champions competing include Chad Gilsinger (Marysville, Ohio) in the T3 class, Luke Wilwert (Marysville, Ohio) also in T3, Lee Niffenegger (Santa Clarita, Calif.) in T4, and Joel Weinberger (Hinsdale, Ill.) in the STU class.

BFGoodrich Tires is also the tire of choice for the B Spec class, where nine of the 10 cars entered will race on the g-force R-1.

"We have focused hard on making the highest performing street-to-track tires available in the market, specifically for racers like those chasing SCCA titles this weekend," said Peter Calhoun, motorsports manager, BFGoodrich Tires. "The g-force R1 has performed exceptionally well this season and we are looking to continue our streak of a least one Runoffs championship for the sixth consecutive year this weekend."

The companies' support of SCCA racing also consists of sponsorship of the BFGoodrich Tires Worker of the Year program. On Wednesday, nine divisional workers were honored and one, Gene Peterson of the Arizona Region, was randomly drawn to receive the grand prize, a VIP trip for two to the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida early next year.

On Thursday, BFGoodrich awarded a custom painted Bell helmet by Indocilart Art to Steven Davis (Danielsville, Ga.), Formula Vee class champion of the BFGoodrich Super Tour series.

"We are uniquely positioned to offer a contingency program that includes an opportunity to run in the toughest off-road race there is," said Calhoun. "The competition for those seats is as hot as any contest out here this weekend"

The 2013 Tecate SCORe Baja 1000 starts on Nov. 14 in ensenada, Mexico. BFGoodrich Tires has won the overall four-wheel title of the SCORe Baja 1000 25 of the past 27 years.

Part of BFGoodrich Tires' g-Force T/A ultra-high performance family of tires, the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tire has been proven to be a leader in its category in terms of speed and grip.

About BFGoodrich

BFGoodrich Tires is dedicated to providing high performance tires for those who have a passion for driving in virtually any environment. Combining technical expertise with 50 years of motorsports experience, BFGoodrich delivers tires for a full range of driving experiences from ultra-high performance street to off-road terrain with one common theme – extreme performance. Come upgrade your performance with BFGoodrich and see where our tires can take you at BFGoodrichTires.com, BFGoodrichRacing.com, as well as on Facebook and Instagram at @BFGoodrichTires and TikTok at @BFGoodrich.

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Category: Car & Light Truck