Baker cooking with hot Finger Lakes victory on Toyo tires

Team Toyo’s Ian Baker scored an STS (Street Touring Sport) class win during the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) Finger Lakes National Tour this past weekend.

Baker and his Proxes R1R-equipped 1989 Honda CRX Si defeated 12 competitors with a cumulative margin of 1.43 seconds over the second place finisher – who was also racing on Proxes R1R extreme performance tires.

In addition to cars running on Toyos sweeping the top two spots in STS, they also won in the STS Ladies and STX (Street Touring Extreme) classes. The event was held at the Seneca Army Depot near Romulus, N.Y.

“National tours put pressure on the driver to get the job done in three runs,” says Baker. “Finger Lakes was no exception as the course was extremely transition heavy and extra long, requiring more from the driver, car, and tires than normal,” he recounts.

“The temperature was cool during first heat and the R1R’s worked great even while cold, allowing me to focus on the complicated course design,” Baker continues. “Having a tire that can handle the cool first runs and still work at the end of such a transition heavy course was a real benefit.”

“Baker and other top drivers have proven once again how our Proxes R1R continues to be the tire to beat in the competitive Street Touring classes of SCCA,” observes Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports.

During the SCCA ProSolo event in Washington, DC on June 22, Baker won the STS class with a convincing margin of 1.8 seconds, Chen adds. “By winning in both National Solo and ProSolo competition, he is proving to be a top contender for the championships in Lincoln, Neb. in September.”

For more information, visit www.toyotires.com.