Cypress, Calif., July 17, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc., a leading manufacturer of off-road and street performance tires, took home the win in last weekend's Glen Helen Grand Prix Ultra4 race in Devore, Calif. Team Nitto driver and 2014 King of the Hammers Champion, Loren Healy, drove his brand-new Ultra4 buggy to victory in the 4400 class, solidifying his lead in the series' points standings. This is also the third year in a row that a Team Nitto driver has won the Glen Helen Grand Prix Ultra4 Short Course race.
"This weekend's Ultra4 race at Glen Helen really demonstrated the breadth of capabilities of our Trail Grappler tire and showed why it is the choice of champions like Loren Healy," said Chris Corbett, Light Truck and Off-Road representative for Nitto Tire. "Healy's domination of the race using just a single set of tires in the punishingly dry and slick conditions at Glen Helen gave him a distinct advantage over the competition."
The 2014 Glen Helen Grand Prix was a grueling race for drivers, with only 40 of the 76 registered vehicles making it through an intense round of qualifying. Driving his brand-new Jimmy's 4x4 IFS car, Loren Healy snagged the top qualifying spot with a lap time of 5:10.228 even though he had only spent a mere two hours testing the new car prior to the race. When the green flag dropped Loren quickly took the lead, which he maintained for the entire 20-lap main event where he posted the quickest lap of the race at 5:24.15. At the end of the race Loren had a commanding two-minute lead over the rest of the field, taking the win over Levi Shirely and Jake Hallenbeck.
Loren's victory came in large part to the reliability and longevity of his car's tires. His Jimmy's 4x4 buggy runs 37x12.50R17 Nitto Trail Grappler tires - the same tires available at your local tire store. These tires provided Loren with the superior grip he needed, while allowing him to use the same set of tires for qualifying, the prelim race and the main event without having to make a single tire change during the race.
"It feels great to be able to be so competitive in a car that we barely had time to even test," said Healy. "The combination of this car and the Nitto Trail Grappler tires is going to be a hard combination to beat this season and I know that with a little more work I can be even faster."
The next race of the 2014 Ultra4 season will take place on August 22-23, 2014 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. For more information about Ultra4 Racing, visit www.ultra4racing.com, learn more about Nitto-sponsored drivers at www.nittoracing.com and complete details on Nitto tires can be found at www.nittotire.com. Join Nitto Tire on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NittoTire and on Twitter at @NittoTire.
About Nitto Tire
Nitto Tire (www.nittotire.com) develops performance tires for all uses, including racing, off-road and street. Using state-of-the-art manufacturing and testing facilities in both Japan and the United States, Nitto provides innovative and high-quality performance tires for the most demanding automotive enthusiasts. For more information about Nitto or its products, visit the company's web site or contact the company directly. Nitto is a registered trademark of Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc., located at 5665 Plaza Drive, Ste. 250, Cypress, CA 90630.
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