Tokyo - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has announced its support for the FIA-certified cross country rally "Asia Cross Country Rally 2010" - the largest rally in Asia - to be staged from Saturday, August 7, through Wednesday, August 11, in Thailand.

This year, Yokohama will not only provide GEOLANDAR tires for 4 x 4 vehicles to all entrants in the newly established sports class category, but will award prizes to the winners in all rally categories. It will also support many drivers, including Takuma Aoki, who will participate in the T2-D class (non-converted commercial diesel) and Tadamitsu Niihori, the race's overall winner twice in the past.

The Asia Cross Country Rally was begun in 1996 to promote international goodwill and friendship among countries in Asia. Yokohama has supported the rally for the past ten years, starting in 2001. Compared with the Dakar Rally (known as Paris-Dakar), now held primarily in a South American desert, and the Baja 1000, in Mexico, the Asia Cross Country Rally route is a very severe course encompassing many different kinds of terrain, including dirt, swamps, deserts, jungles, mountain roads and river-crossings - a total of about 2,000 kilometers, from Pattaya to Phare. Several dozen teams from Asia and Europe are scheduled to participate.