DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—The International Motor Sports Association has named Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C. its spec race tire supplier for three classes of the United SportsCar Racing series for three years, starting with the series' debut season in 2014.
The USCR is the entity that will oversee top-flight professional sports car racing in North America, combining the American Le Mans Series and Grand-American Racing Series.
Starting with next January's Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway—the season-opening USCR event—Continental will supply tires for the new series' prototype, prototype challenge and GT Daytona classes. The GT Le Mans category will be open to multiple tire manufacturers.
The selection, disclosed in a news conference Wednesday, resolves the open-ended tire supply question that's lingered since March when the USCR was unveiled.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Continental Tire also will return as title sponsor and exclusive tire supplier of the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, a developmental series sanctioned by Grand-Am Road Racing.
"We are extremely proud to be a part of United SportsCar Racing, the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and the future," said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for Continental Tire. "Our team has worked hard over the last several years to help bring competitive, action-packed racing to sports car fans at every track we visit."
Up to now, the ALMS has had an open tire supply rule, which has attracted Michelin Motorsports, Falken Tire Corp. and Yokohama Tire Corp. this season as tire partners for the prototype and/or GT classes.
Grand-Am, on the other hand, has had a single supplier tire rule since its inception in 2000. Continental has been the series' prototype class supplier the past three seasons and GT class supplier since 2010.
It also gained the contract earlier this year for the ALMS' Prototype Challenge class, a spec racer-type of competition featuring cars with identical chassis, engines and tires.
Conti designs the race tires but contracts their production to Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. of Plymouth, Ind.
As part of the agreement, Conti will receive logo placement on cars and will continue to activate at-track via hospitality, signage, event entitlements and other marketing initiatives, IMSA said.
Continental Tire also will support the series off-track through a variety of promotions, marketing events and TV.