GT Radial Wins Formula Drift Tire Cup on Champiro Tires

A double podium finish by drivers Nick Noback and Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis at Irwindale Speedway powered GT Radial to victory in the Tire Cup for the 2023 Formula Drift Pro season, the company said.

Teams on GT Radial Champiro SX2 RS tires, which are manufactured at the company’s plant in Richburg, SC, scored the most points over the eight races in the 2023 season, GT Radial said. Noback and Bakchis on the podium in Irwindale marked a total of 13 podiums and three wins for GT Radial in the 2023 season’s eight races.

Noback was awarded first place in Irwindale and Bakchis, driving his Feal Suspension/GT Radial Nissan S15, finished second in Irwindale and second in the 2023 Formula Drift Championship. Matt Field, driving a Borla Performance/GT Radial Corvette, finished third in this year’s Formula Drift season. Two other GT Radial drivers, Chris Forsberg and Dylan Hughes, finished in the top 10 points standings – Forsberg in sixth and Hughes in 10th place.

“Winning the Tire Cup was our goal at the beginning of the season, and we did it thanks to our dedicated plant team members who produce the competition tire and our group of highly-skilled drivers and teams,” GT Radial Motorsports Manager Mike Meeiem said.

GT Radial also announced it renewed its partnership with Formula Drift for another three-year term to provide tires to teams in the Pro Championship. Additionally, GT Radial will remain the official tire of the ProSpec series for up-and-coming drivers for another two years.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Ryan Waldron as president of the company's Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

"At Goodyear, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and in Ryan Waldron, we have a customer-centric, execution-focused business leader with a deep understanding of both the marketplace and all aspects of our business, as well as a proven track record of delivering results," Stewart said. "I am thrilled to announce him as president of Goodyear's Americas business and have enormous confidence that under his leadership, both the company and our customers will reach even greater levels of success."