SANTA ANA, Calif.—Yokohama Tire Corp. will be the title sponsor of the 2018 Yokohama Sonora Rally, an off-road rally scheduled for the Sonora desert March 19-24.
The 2018 Sonora Rally will be the fourth running of the event, according to Yokohama. It is modeled after the Dakar Rally, according to Darren Skilton, director of the Sonora Rally.
"If you've ever wondered what Dakar is like, the Sonora Rally is designed to give you a taste," Skilton said. "That's why we're excited to partner with Yokohama Tire."
Yokohama's long history of involvement with off-road events makes it a perfect sponsor for the Sonoma Rally, Skilton said.
The rally will be the perfect event to highlight the Geolandar line of off-road tires, especially the Geolandar M/T G003 mud-terrain tire, according to Fardad Niknam, Yokohama director of segment development.
Yokohama sponsors a number of off-road races, including the NORRA Mexican 1000, the company said. It is the official tire of Horsepower Adventures and the official spec tire of both the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama and the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama, it said.