tires
Toyo Hires Randy Gaetz as U.S.A. VP of Sales
Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. announced that Randy Gaetz will join Toyo as the VP of sales next month. Mr. Gaetz has 35 years of experience in multiple roles at multiple companies. Before joining Toyo, he was the VP of Sales and Marketing at Del-Nat Tire. Prior to that, he spent time at GPX International, Tire Centers, and Groupe Michelin. Mr. Gaetz will report to Toyo U.S.A. COO Roy Bromfield.
“I am very excited to welcome Randy Gaetz to our team and to this critical sales leadership role,” says Bromfield. “Randy is an up-through-the-ranks tire industry executive, and his expertise will provide a significant benefit both to our dealers and to the future growth of the Toyo Tires brand in the U.S.”
Gaetz has extensive experience working with tire manufacturers and dealers, both in consumer and commercial products. Gaetz succeeds John Hagan who was recently appointed Senior Director of Sales for Toyo Tires’ North American OEM group.
For more information visit www.toyotires.com.
Toyo Tires “Drive Within” Sweepstakes Awards UFC® 167 Experience
Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. will send one lucky fan on an exclusive, behind-the-scenes trip to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 167 in Las Vegas as the grand prize in the Toyo Tires “The Drive Within. What’s Yours?” sweepstakes running now through Oct. 13, 2013 on Facebook.
The Toyo Tires Facebook page features videos of UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz and others telling what drives them in and out of the OctagonTM.
Fans are encouraged to share their own drive within while entering for a chance to win the exclusive UFC 167 Experience from Toyo Tires. This grand prize package includes:
* Round trip airfare for two to Las Vegas and a three-night stay in a deluxe hotel suite;
* Tickets to UFC 167: St-Pierre vs. Hendricks on Nov. 16;
* Dinner with UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis;
* Tickets to the UFC 167 After Party;
* Behind-the-scenes access to the UFC 167 weigh-ins;
* Photos in the UFC Octagon; and
* $1,000.
“As the Official Tire of the UFC we wanted to create a promotion around our fans and athletes, representing our Driven to Perform philosophy,” says Amy Coleman, senior director of marketing, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “The Drive Within sweepstakes gave us this opportunity. It showcases several amazing UFC fighters and gives fans the chance to share what drives them while entering to win a trip to remember.”
Visit www.facebook.com/toyotires for complete details.
Toyo Tires is the Official Tire of the UFC. More information can be found at www.toyotires.com.
Toyo Fights the Chinese and Others
It appears that Toyo Tire (Americas) is accussing three Chinese tire makers (Shandong Yongtai Chemical, Shandong Linglong Tyre, and South China Tire & Rubber) of patent infringement. The complaint (61 pages), was made to the U.S. Int’l Trade Commission (ITC). The complaint also included 19 importers, who still have yet to respond.
The ITC is asking these companies whether there is a tire in the U.S. that could compete directly with the tire that Toyo is trying to ban. We believe there are numerous tires that compete directly with Toyo, but we’ll see.
Included in Toyo’s complaint is that some of the light truck tires (including Nitto) manufactured or imported by these parties infringe on existing Toyo design patents in the U.S. Toyo wants the tires from these manufacturers or importers to be banned from the U.S.
“…over the years developed and introduced passenger and light truck tires with designs that are both innovative and unique,” Toyo said in a press release. “Toyo is taking this step to protect the company, its customers and associates from unfair competition by enforcing its intellectual property rights.”
The real interesting thing about the article is that MHT Alloys, Wheel Warehouse, Unicorn Tire and Lexani Tires Worldwide were named in the suit. These are pretty big importers and retailers, so not sure how this will go over with them. Let’s see what happens.
New Racing Website from BF Goodrich
BF Goodrich, one of the pioneers in the lifted truck tire business, has launched a racing website to promote the company’s racing activities. BFG supports numerous off-road drivers including Bryce Menzies and Andy McMillin. The Company has been extremely active in off-road and on-road motorsports for over 40 years and this website will help them highlight all they do.
That being said, BFG seems to be a little bit on the decline in the lifted truck industry. The BFG Mud-Terrain used to be the tire of choice for most lifted truck owners. But it appears that Toyo and Nitto have done a better job marketing and manufacturing tires, replacing BFG as the tire of choice in the industry. Hopefully this website will get things back on track for BFG, but it sort of feels like a veteran athlete trying to make a comeback. Everyone hopes they make it, but usually it doesn’t work out.
What do you think? Is BFG still a top tire company for lifted truck owners? Will this racing website help or hurt the company?
TOYO TIRES RENEWS UFC SPONSORSHIP FOR 2013
Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) have announced an extension on their partnership through 2013. The agreement marks the sixth year that Toyo Tires will sponsor the fastest growing sports organization in the world. The partnership provides Toyo Tires with exposure across UFC’s unrivaled platforms and includes an extended presence inside the Octagon during live events, which are broadcast to more than 800 million households worldwide.
“The UFC continues to be an incredible success story and has proven to be an outstanding marketing partner for Toyo Tires through the years,” said Amy Coleman, senior director of marketing, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “The UFC provides a worldwide marketing platform for Toyo Tires that has no seasonality and one of the largest, most socially-engaged fan bases in the world. We look forward to continued growth as we embark on another exciting year with the UFC and our mutual fans.”
“We are proud of the strong partnership that we have built with Toyo Tires since 2007 and we look forward to the continued growth of our relationship,” said Michael Mossholder, Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships for UFC. “Both brands are driven to perform and show desire to excel in everything we do. We always look to partner with premium brands and category leaders.”
The partnership includes an expanded presence for Toyo Tires across UFC’s partner networks, FUEL TV and FX, as well as pay-per-view broadcasts. Toyo Tires will have fully integrated campaigns and digitally driven national promotions on UFC.com that include digital banners, video features and home page takeovers. UFC.com averages more than 6.7 million unique visitors per month worldwide and continues to be a top destination for UFC coverage and behind-the-scenes access.
Toyo Tires will also continue to reach UFC fans through experiential marketing activities such as having a presence at UFC tailgate parties and autograph signings. The Toyo Tires 80-foot big rig display continues to be hit at UFC tailgates where a wide variety of custom vehicles are on display to show off the applications for the full line of Toyo Tires products. The big rig display is expected to make several appearances during 2013 including UFC Fan Expo and Fight Week, scheduled for July.
Toyo Tires also leverages its relationship with the UFC through athlete autograph signings and meet and greets with fans. The Toyo Tires booth at the 2012 SEMA Show featured three days of autograph signings and appearances by over 10 UFC superstars. UFC athletes affiliated with Toyo Tires include bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, middleweight Mark Munoz and lightweight Anthony Pettis.
UFC is the premier mixed martial arts organization worldwide, producing more than 30 live events annually to 145 countries and territories in 28 different languages. Financial terms of the agreement will not be released.
SoCalTrucks.com is excited to see Toyo renewing its partnership with UFC and continuing to build the sport. So many manufacturers of tires, wheels, lifts and other aftermarket components for lifted trucks don’t support the activities of those who own big trucks. Things like snowboarding, surfing, motocross, UFC, and wakeboarding. It’s great to see Toyo stepping up and writing a check. Well done.
About Toyo Tires
Established in 1966, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. represents the innovation, quality, performance, and excellent service that Toyo Tires has delivered worldwide for more than 65 years.
The company offers a complete selection of premium replacement tires for nearly every make and model including high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks, and SUVs as well as commercial trucks. Popular consumer product lines include the ultra-high performance Proxes tires, Open Country tires for light trucks and SUVs, Versado tires for luxury passenger cars, and the value line of Extensa passenger car tires. Many of the tires are built in the United States at their state-of-the-art factory in Bartow County, Georgia.
Learn more at www.toyotires.com and connect with the community at Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which airs on FX.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.
Toyo Tires Partners with Stadium SUPER Trucks
Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp announced its partnership with Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD’s Stadium SUPER Trucks (SST), becoming the first tire manufacturer to sign-up for the 2013 inaugural season of thrilling, stadium-style off-road racing.
Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD’s Stadium SUPER Trucks is a new breed of off-road featuring live motorsports, bringing back what was once the concept of legendary racer Mickey Thompson. Robby Gordon’s new concept of Stadium racing involves high-powered off-road trucks racing on challenging dirt tracks consisting of huge jumps, crossovers, and tight corners. The 2013 season will be comprised of 12 heart-pounding events providing action in the greatest venues across North America.
Toyo Tires will have multiple Stadium SUPER Trucks equipped with its popular Open Country M/T including that of No. 7 Robby Gordon. Toyo Tires first partnered with Gordon in 2006 and have maintained a winning relationship ever since. Gordon has delivered multiple championships, wins and podium finishes for the Toyo Tires brand. Accomplishments include the 2012 Best in the Desert Class 1500 Champion and Best in the Desert Grand Champion, 2009 SCORE Overall Point Champion and SCORE Trophy-Truck Champion, Overall 2006 Baja 1000 Winner and many Dakar Rally Stage wins.
Additional drivers representing Toyo Tires in the series will be announced at a later date. Toyo Tires will also be the presenting tire sponsor at two televised events including the Season Opener at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ on April 6. “To have Toyo Tires come on board as the first tire manufacturer for Stadium SUPER Trucks Series is a big deal,” said Series President Robby Gordon. “I’ve had a great relationship with Toyo Tires over my racing career and I think it’s great for them to join our series and understand my vision for the future of off-road racing. I’m thankful and excited to start providing some great events for fans to enjoy.”
“Robby Gordon’s new Stadium SUPER Truck series will take off-road racing to the next level, introducing the sport to a new and larger audience both in stadiums across North America and on NBC television,” said Amy Coleman, senior director of marketing, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “We look forward to being a part of the excitement and competition while showcasing the quality and performance of our tires on super trucks driven by the world’s best off-road racers.”
All 12 SST events in 2013 will be televised via tape delay on NBC networks, seven on NBC and five on NBC Sports. Check local listings for channels and times. Venues include the University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, AZ), Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (Long Beach, CA), Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, CA), Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego, CA), Edward Jones Dome (St. Louis, MO), Soldier Field (Chicago, IL), The Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA), Cowboys Stadium (Dallas/Arlington, EX), Metro Dome (Minneapolis, MN), Sam Boyd Stadium (Las Vegas, NV), and one to-be-named international event.
Keep up with the latest news and results on Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD’s Stadium SUPER Trucks Series at facebook.com/StadiumSuperTrucks and twitter.com/SSuperTrucks. Visit stadiumsupertrucks.com for more information including where to purchase tickets for the 2013 season.
New Fuel Mud Gripper Tires
Have you seen the Fuel Off-Road Mud Gripper Mud-Terrain tires yet? Okay, so they were released this summer, but we haven’t seen many out there yet. The Mud Grippers range in size from 33’s – 38’s that fit 17″ – 22″ wheels. They are available in limited quantities and will run you $350 – $500 per tire. Fuel Off-Road tires come with a four year warranty.
In our opinion, they look a lot like the Toyo Open Country Mud-Terrain or the Nitto Trail-Grappler. We’ve even heard they are manufactured by the same company as Toyo OC muds. We were hoping Fuel might come with something a little more differentiated, but you never want to first tire out of the gate to be a dud. Hopefully this is a safe way for them to get started and there will be more creativity to come. There isn’t a better tire to emulate than the Toyo OC. One of the best selling lifted truck tires in history.
For more info on Fuel Off-Road tires, click here.
Fuel Off-Road Tire Test
This summer, the Fuel Off-Road Team (the off-road division of MHT alloys) hit the desert for their first official Fuel Tire test. At the wheel was Dana Nicholson, owner and creator of Crusty Demons of Dirt and Fleshwound Films. Fuel Off-Road fitted Dana’s Toyota Tundra pre-runner with 35/12.50r20 Fuel Mud Grippers, wrapped around a set of 20×10 black Fuel Kranks. The wheels had to be custom drilled to a 5×5.5″ bolt pattern, 4″ bore, at a 4.5″ backspace in order to clear the larger race hubs. No stranger to the rigors of the desert, Dana gave Fuel his thumbs up approval after several hours of running wide open. Needless to say, Fuel was very pleased with the results and so was SoCalTrucks because we love to recommend Fuel products. Check out the footage courtesy of Dana Nicholson and Fleshwound Films.
Nitto Sponsors Anaheim Angels Baseball
When most people think of SoCal, they picture beaches, theme parks and sun. Once those images have faded, most people think of LA Dodgers or Anaheim Angels baseball. Nitto tires, located in Cypress, is known for going big with their lifted truck tires and now they’ve gone big by sponsoring a couple games of the Anaheim Angels. Fans attending games on May 28 and June 19, 2012 will receive gifts courtesy of Nitto tires.
Fans attending the May 28th game versus the New York Yankees will receive a limited edition Angels Baseball branded car freshener. In a second fan appreciation night, attendees at the June 19th game versus the San Francisco Giants will receive a collectible 2012 Angels Baseball drawstring backpack designed by Angels fan Kyoko Mizutani, wife of Nitto Tire USA president Mr. Tomo Mizutani.
The Mizutanis have been die hard Angels Baseball fans for almost 20 years and the couple tries to attend as many home games as possible and even have a sizable collection of Angels memorabilia. Mrs. Mizutani is very excited to design a second drawstring bag that she hopes fellow fans will enjoy. Mrs. Mizutani wanted to create a stylish bag that pays tribute to the spirit of Angels Baseball. She hopes fans will help the environment and show team spirit by re-using the drawstring bag.
“I have always supported my home team, Angels Baseball,” said Mrs. Mizutani. “When this opportunity came up to not only support the organization through corporate sponsorship but to actually design and make a fun souvenir for fans, I jumped at the chance and am very happy to do this for a second year in a row.”
Promotional giveaways are part of Nitto Tire’s ongoing support for baseball fans, the community and their local ball club. As part of their sponsorship, the Nitto Tire brand also appears in the Angel Magazine and on the scoreboard behind homeplate.
For more information on Nitto Tires please visit www.nittotire.com
SoCal SAYS: It’s great to see Nitto thinking outside the box and teaming up with local SoCal baseball. Who knew that the Nitto USA President loved baseball so much? Maybe Nitto will team up with Angels baseball to give away off-road tires to truck owners. That would be awesome. Keep it up Nitto.
Toyo Sponsors BJ Baldwin
Did you notice the “General Tire” logo on BJ’s truck in the photo? If so, remove it from your mind because he now drives for Toyo Tires. BJ tested tires from numerous companies and decided the Toyo Open Country was the best tire for his trophy truck.
“BJ is an accomplished off-road racer and we are confident our tires will bring him even more success” says Amy Coleman, senior marketing director. “For 2012, Toyo Tires is now represented by two of the most prolific drivers in off-road racing; Robby Gordon and BJ Baldwin. Our expectations are higher than ever for Team Toyo to score big wins in desert racing.”
Baldwin signed through 2014 and fellow racer Kyle LeDuc renewed his Toyo sponsorship through 2014 as well. BJ won the 2010 Best-In-The-Desert Championship and the 2011 General Tire Mint 400. Toyo has put together a strong racing team for 2012. Watch out!