Conti Ups Ante in Grand-Am Racing

The Continental tire brand will be all over Grand-Am Road Racing in 2010-11, as Continental Tire North America has signed the brand on as the official tire of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and as the official Tire of Watkins Glen International Raceway.

The new commitments complement CTNA’s previously announced title sponsorship of the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

Continental will conduct testing throughout the 2010 season in preparation for its debut at the 2011 Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.

"Continental is committed to being a leading force in the motorsports community, and becoming the official tire of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series is part of that strategy," said Bill Caldwell, CTNA vice president of sales and marketing. "The Rolex series will be a perfect format to emphasize the capabilities of our Continental ExtremeContact ultra-high performance tires.

Under the Watkins Glen sponsorship deal, the Conti brand will race title sponsor for the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge races on June 6-7, which will be known as the Continental Tire 150.

Continental will have signage presence at every event at Watkins Glen International Raceway, promotional and VIP/hospitality opportunities at Grand Am events, public address announcements and Continental logo identification and brand recognition in promotional materials.

McCarthy Tire Service recently opened a new in-house commercial wheel refinishing facility. According to the company, the facility has the ability to refinish over 1,000 wheels per day and technicians will utilize equipment for inspection, surface preparation, pre-treatment, and automated coating techniques at the facility.

“We're thrilled to unveil this wheel refinishing facility,” John McCarthy Jr., president of McCarthy Tire Service said. “This investment reflects our dedication to providing our customers with unparalleled efficiency and a one-stop shop for all their commercial tire and wheel needs. By streamlining the refinishing process, we can help fleets minimize downtime and maximize productivity.”