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November 12, 2015

Drivers Announced for the Toyo Tires® / Flying Lizard R8 LMS Competing at the USAF 25-Hours of Thunderhill™

CYPRESS, CA – Toyo Tires® and Flying Lizard Motorsports will compete in North America’s longest endurance racing event, the USAF . Taking the command of the No. 45 Toyo Tires / Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS will be , , and Tomonobu Fujii, all four of whom have raced previously with Flying Lizard Motorsports.

The event will mark Darren Law’s first race back as a driver since becoming Program Manager in 2014. After the team’s inception in 2004, Law drove for the team up until 2012, celebrating 12 podiums with co-drivers Johannes van Overbeek, and Pat Long. As teammates, Law and Overbeek earned the first Flying Lizard Motorsports win in the at Mid-Ohio in 2004. The team ultimately finished 2nd in the championship that year. The 2015 running of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill will be Law’s first time participating in the event. The Flying Lizard Audi will compete on Toyo® Proxes® Slicks.

Darren Law (Phoenix, AZ) – Law has road raced in cars, including American Le Mans Series, Grand- Am , North American Super Touring Series, and Cup. Beginning his winning-career with two U.S. Karting championships, Law was crowned Rolex Sports Car Series GT class champion in 2001, and has finished in the runner-up spot in multiple championships throughout his career. One of his most significant endurance racing wins came in 2009 at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“I am really looking forward to this event. We have been working with Toyo Tires all season developing this tire and I can't wait to see how it performs in true race conditions,” said Law. “‘I am also excited with our driver line-up, as everyone is fast and everyone is very experienced. It will be a nice way to finish off our 2015 season.”

Johannes van Overbeek (Oakland, CA) – van Overbeek has competed in several racing series in North America since 1996 including Speed World Challenge, American Le Mans Series (ALMS), and Grand-Am. He was the only driver in ALMS to finish in the top three of the driver's championship every year from 2004 to 2008. In 2007, he won the Porsche Cup and was ranked as the top non-factory Porsche® driver in the world.

“The 25 Hour is a great race and Flying Lizard is a great team,” said van Overbeek. “I've had successful races driving with both Guy and Darren, and I am hoping this year’s 25 will be no different. I can't wait to get started.”

Guy Cosmo (West Palm Beach, FL) – Cosmo began as an open-wheel driver and won championships in karting, Formula Ford, Formula 2000 and Star before a limited season in the Atlantic Championship. In 2003, he quickly established himself in the Grand-Am category as well as the American Le Mans Series' LMP2 class. In 2005, Cosmo won the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) Rookie of the Year award in the LMP2 class. He has since raced in both ALMS and in Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes.

“I’m really excited about Toyo Tires joining Flying Lizard Motorsports and working with them to develop their tires and gain awareness through this program!” said Cosmo.

Tomonubu Fujii (Japan) – Fujii holds an international license and has competed in Japan’s Super GT and R Nismo series. He has captured multiple class championship since 2005, and has competed around the world in races such as the 24 Hours of Dubai, and the Macau Grand Prix GT Cup.

“I am very excited with this announcement and am thrilled to join this race as one of the drivers in a new partnership between Flying Lizard Motorsports and Toyo Tires,” said Fujii.

"We could not be happier to be partnering with such a prestigious group of drivers for this event. Darren has been a key figure in our tire development program this year. As such his involvement is essential. Tomonubu, Johannes and Guy have proven themselves on racetracks the world over throughout their illustrious careers,” said Marc Sanzenbacher, senior manager, motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “With Johannes and Guy having both secured overall wins at the 25-Hours in the past, we are confident that we have gathered a team with the ability to bring home an overall victory for Toyo Tires and Flying Lizard Motorsports."

During the USAF 25-Hours of Thunderhill, Toyo Tires will also have their VIP hospitality rig on-site to provide food and services for qualified racers competing on Toyo Proxes tires. Check out http://nasa25hour.com/ for details.

To learn more about the competition-proven Toyo Tires products such as the Proxes® RS1™ full-slick; the Proxes® RR, Proxes® R888™ and Proxes® RA1™ DOT-competition tires; and the 200-treadwear Proxes® R1R™; log onto www.toyotires.com.

About Toyo Tires®

Established in 1966, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. represents the innovation, quality, performance, and excellent service that Toyo Tires has delivered worldwide for 70 years.

The company offers a complete selection of premium replacement tires for nearly every make and model including light trucks, SUVs, high performance cars and luxury vehicles as well as the M-Line for commercial trucks. Consumer product lines include the popular Open Country® tires for light trucks and SUVs; Proxes® ultra-high performance tires; Versado® tires for luxury passenger cars; Celsius® variable conditions tires; and the value line of Extensa® passenger car tires. Many of the tires are built in the United States at their state-of-the-art factory in Bartow County, Georgia.

For more information log onto www.toyotires.com and connect with the community at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google+.

About Flying Lizard Motorsports

Since its inception in 2004, Flying Lizard Motorsports has become an iconic team in the world of . The California based team has celebrated six driver and team championships, as well as competed internationally at the eight times. The Lizards burst on the American Le Mans Series scene in 2004, competing in the GT class until 2012. In 2013, the team moved to the GTC class, still competing in legendary events such as the and . In 2014, the team expanded its program to include running two Audi R8 LMS in the TUDOR Championship, and in 2015, again expanded the program to include two in Porsche Club racing, and two McLaren 650S GT3s with K-PAX Racing in the World Challenge series. No matter the race series or race car, Flying Lizard Motorsports has proven to be a championship contender in sports car racing. For more information, visit lizardms.com. For additional photos and all behind-the-scenes updates, check us out on Facebook, twitter and Instagram.

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Media Contact: Jay Jones, TMC 949-851-6313, [email protected] Toyo Media Site: http://media.toyotires.com/