Team Yokohama to compete in Indian rally.

Yokohama India, the 100pc subsidiary of the Yokohama Rubber Co is introducing for the first time Team Yokohama for the Indian Rally Championship (IRC). The rally will be held at Nashik from June 13 to 15, 2014 and will be organized by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).

The unveiling of the Team Yokohama colors will take place at the 1ST round of the 3rd edition of the FMSCI- Indian Rally Championship. The team comprises of  Rahul Kanthraj for the 2000 CC category and Vikram Devdasen, (Currently Ranked 3rd in India) for the 1600 cc category.

The Indian Rally Championship is a rallying series organized by the FMSCI. The Nashik leg of the rally has a total distance of 621.31 km. The special road surface stages will be held on asphalt.

Sanjay Chatterjee, General Manager, Sales, Yokohama India said that this was a special moment for the company as it was the first time they were participating as a  team. Starting with supporting only one car during the 2007 Raid De Himalaya, the company now has its own team, noted Chatterjee

 He further mentioned that today a majority of rally drivers  prefers using the Yokohama rally tyre because of its durability. Yokohama in India has been part of several major Motorsports activities since 2007.

The 2014 season consists of nine rounds. Three rounds will be held in the East zone (Baripada, Kolkata and Ranchi) and one each will be held in North (Jaipur) and West (Nashik). Four  rounds will be held in the south (Chikmagalur, Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Chennai).

On the global front Yokohama has been the sole official tyre supplier to the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) since 2006.  Yokohama also has been the sole tyre supplier for 31 consecutive years to the Mecca of Formula 3, which is held in Macau every year.

 Yokohama tyres are also the original equipment suppliers to many car manufacturers like Audi, Honda, Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Suzuki and Toyota, to name a few.