Yokohama Tire Corp. offers ride-n-drive training programs for its dealers and the media, and now the tiremaker is considering opening such events to select consumers. 
On Sept. 21, Yokohama invited a group of enthusiasts from local car clubs to a special ride and drive function held at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
“Yokohama has always believed in the importance of interacting with enthusiasts face-to-face,” said Theresa Palang, Yokohama manager of public relations and digital marketing, “and that’s why we wanted to give consumers a chance to try our tires and learn what they can do. We reached out to enthusiast forums online and received a very positive response. Having the consumers experience our ride and drive firsthand is a great way to get feedback from the public.”
The participants drove Yokohama’s Advan Neova AD08 on 305-horsepower 2011 Mustangs through various slalom courses. Drivers were timed on laps and vied for prizes such as Yokohama gear and exclusive pre-opening night tickets for the 2011 L.A. Auto Show in November.
The inaugural public event, which coincided with a Yokohama dealer training program, “was a successful precursor for bigger enthusiast events in the future,” said Palang. “We definitely want to do more of these.”
