General Tire sponsoring off-road "Baja Pits" crew as part of brand revitalization efforts

General Tire is sponsoring the “Baja Pits” for the 2008 off-road season. Baja Pits is a non-profit corporation providing pit crew facilities for Privateer Desert racing teams competing in a series of events throughout the Southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico.

Services include welding, tire changes, re-fueling, troubleshooting electrical problems and assisting with a variety of other racing team tasks.

The sponsorship is the latest part of General’s invasion into off-road competition. The company reports that it is supporting off-road racing to enhance the debut of its Grabber competition tire.

“We view our sponsorship of the Baja Pits as a natural extension of the ongoing revitalization of the General Tire brand,” says marketing director Travis Roffler. “The sponsorship, combined with the launch of our awe-inspiring Grabber competition tires, will cement General Tire’s place in the top tier of the off-road racing community.”

General Tire engineers designed the Grabber with a three-ply Duragen-reinforced body construction to withstand the rigors of off-road conditions, he says. The tires also feature a newly-developed competition-specific tread compound. General has developed two distinct tread designs for different types of competitive conditions; the Grabber name and General Tire logo are prominently featured on the sidewall in red and white letters.

“These tires can stand up to any kind of desert racing terrain,” Roffler says. “We are confident that these tires will make the off-road racing community sit up and take notice.”

The Grabber competition tires are designed in size 37x 12.50R17 for class 1, 7S, 7 unlimited, 8 and trophy truck.

Baja Pits is based in Tijuana, B.C., Mexico, with more than 120 active members and nearly 25 years of experience. With dozens of class victories, Baja Pits aids the Privateer Racer to be competitive against the “big money” teams, Roffler explains. The company covers all the races sponsored by SCORE in the U.S. and in Baja. Events include the Baja 250, Baja 500 and the renowned Baja 1000, as well as races sponsored by CODE off-road racing, Ensenada Baja off-road racing and the RECORD racing series.

For more information, visit www.bajapits.com and www.generaltire.com.