04/21/2009

PRIMM, NV – (April 21, 2009) – Rick Johnson of Team 71 Racing took first place in Trophy Truck and the overall win in the Best in the Desert Terrible’s 250 race Sunday.  Johnson tore through the grueling desert course with a finish time of 3:43:18.

“We are so excited that Rick brought home this important win for General Tire,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing, General Tire.  “He’s a stellar driver and a tough competitor, and we are fortunate to have him driving under Team GT’s colors.”

“This was an incredible race, and I’m so proud of this win for Team General Tire,” Johnson said.  “The course was tough, but the truck and the tires were in great shape the whole way.  A finish like this is the reason why we race!”

General Tire is again ‘unleashing the fury’ in off-road performance for 2009, in the second year campaigning its Grabber competition tire.  Designed with a tough, three-ply Duragen™-reinforced body construction to stand up to the rigors of off-road conditions, the Grabber also features a newly-developed competition-specific tread compound. In addition, the Grabber name and General Tire logo are prominently featured on the sidewall in red and white letters.  The Grabber competition tires are designed in size 37x12.50R17 for class 8 and trophy truck/trick truck and 35x12.50R17 for class 1, 6, 7, 7 S, stock mini and Protruck.

General Tire also has a complete line of Grabber tires for the passenger and light truck market, including the new Grabber DOT-approved off-road tire (to be released later this year); the Grabber HTS, which delivers the perfect synergy of comfort, durability and performance; the Grabber UHP, which sets a whole new standard in performance and ride quality for SUVs, light trucks and crossover vehicles; and Grabber AT2, designed for aggressive all-terrain traction in all weather conditions.

For media information, visit www.ctnamedia.com.

General Tire is part of Continental Tire North America, Inc. (www.generaltire.com).  CTNA, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a company of Germany-based Continental AG. With targeted annual sales of €25 billion for 2008, the Continental Corporation is one of the top automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of tires, brake systems, systems and components for the powertrain and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers, the corporation contributes towards enhanced driving safety and protection of the global climate. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Today, the corporation employs approximately 146,500 at nearly 200 locations in 36 countries.