Tokyo - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announces that it will supply the official tires for the 56th Macau Grand Prix, to be held November 19 (Friday) through 22 (Sunday) in Macau, China. Yokohama Rubber has supplied the official tires to the race for 27 consecutive years, starting in 1983. Yokohama Rubber will also support the final race of the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) series and other races. A total of about 2,500 tires will be supplied.

First held in 1954, the Macau Grand Prix is the oldest motor race in Asia. Using the public roads of Macau, the overall event comprises the F3 Macau Grand Prix, the final WTCC race (a concurrent event since the 2005 season, with Yokohama Rubber supplying one-make tires since 2006), the Motorcycle Grand Prix and others. The centerpiece, though, is the F3 Macau Grand Prix, a gathering of the top F3 racers from all over the world - known as the race that decides the world's No. 1 in F3. Indeed, many Formula 1 (FI) drivers were previous winners in F3. As it did last year, Yokohama Rubber will supply ECO racing tires with improved grip and enhanced environmental performance.

At the world's top WTCC race, to which Yokohama Rubber has supplied one-make, specially designed control tires since 2006, those tires' excellent performance and consistent quality have been highly evaluated, and it has been decided that the company will supply tires at least through 2012. Since last season, Yokohama Rubber's wet-surface WTCC tires have included improved environmental performance. Starting next season, tires supplied for dry surfaces will have the same specifications.

Under a basic policy of asserting world-class strengths in technologies for protecting the environment, as stated in its "Medium-Range Management Plan: Grand Design 100 (GD100)," the Yokohama Rubber Group aims to make all products "environmentally sound" by FY2017. As part of that effort, Yokohama Rubber is accelerating its development of racing tires offering superior environmental performance.