Tokyo—The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has announced that it will be a sponsor of the Asia Cross Country Rally 2002 to be held from August 3 through 8 this year. It is the second time for Yokohama Rubber to sponsor the rally since last year. In addition to the winner of the overall first place, the winners of the first to third places in each category of the rally will receive Geolandar brand 4WD tyres from the company.

The Asia Cross Country Rally is an event inaugurated in 1996 for the purpose of fostering the amicable and friendly relationship between Asian countries. It is a race formally recognized by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Royal Automobile Association of Thailand (RAAT).

In contrast to the Paris-Dakar Rally held in Africa and the Baja 1000 in the United States, both of which take place in the desert, the Asia Cross Country Rally uses a course that crosses mountainous areas, jungles and rivers. The course for this year starts in Bangkok and reaches Angkor Wat in Cambodia as the goal. Numerous cars will participate in the 2,500 km race from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Hong Kong, France, etc. Last year, the cars equipped with Geolandar brand tyres dominated the overall first to fourth places of the rally.

As part of marketing activities for its Geolander brand 4WD tyres, Yokohama Rubber is active in the four-wheel drive motor sports area, exemplified by its participation in the Baja 1000 as Team Geolander.