Tokyo - Yokohama, announced today that a car equipped with the company’s GEOLANDAR M/T G003 tyres for SUVs and pickup trucks will compete in the 2020 Dakar Rally to be run from January 5 to17. The GEOLANDAR-equipped car will be a KORANDO DKR driven by Oscar Fuertes Aldanondo and Diego Vallejo for SSANGYONG MOTORSPORT/ SODICARS RACING. The same car and drivers came in third in the T1.3 petrol 2-wheel drive class in the January 2019 Dakar Rally. This year the team will again compete in the T1.3 class.

In recent years, the Dakar Rally has been held in South America, but the 2020 rally will be held in Saudi Arabia, in 12 stages that cover the entire country, most of which of course is desert. The rally will start in Jeddah on January 5 and cover a more than 7,500km course that finishes in Qiddiya on January 17.

GEOLANDAR M/T G003 tyres seek to provide off-road driving enthusiasts with tyres that deliver the ultimate performance on every off-road scene, from mud to rock, dirt and gravel. The company constantly seeks to extend the tyres’ useful life by enhancing their durability and wear resistance. In addition, the development team’s dedication to creating a tyre design that strengthens the vehicle’s off-road image has resulted in an aggressive-looking tyre that fulfills users’ needs to enjoy off-road driving in a dressed-up vehicle. The GEOLANDAR M/T G003 has a strong track record for delivering superior performance in motor sports events, including on the victorious car in the APL SMOKIN' WHEELS 2018 sprint endurance off-road race held in Guam.

The technology strategy outlined in Yokohama Rubber’s Grand Design 2020 (GD2020) medium-term management plan positions participation in motor sports activities as crucial to the company’s effort to be at the vanguard of the development of new tyre technologies. Yokohama Rubber is therefore participating in a wide variety of events in Japan and around the globe, from formula and touring car races to off-road and kart races.