FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. - Nitto Tire North America, Inc. has signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Arciero-Miller Racing, it was announced earlier this week. The Nitto Tire primary sponsorship will begin when Ryan Arciero and Mark Miller start this year's 38th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 June 2-4 in Ensenada, Mexico. The official announcement was made at the Oakley, Inc., World Headquarters.
"To find a sponsor partner that is as committed to winning and doing things right as we are is truly a dream," Miller said. "Very few people realize how important it is to match agendas, and we have a perfect fit. NITTO wants to win and create a massive brand; Arciero-Miller Racing has the same goals, and that common focus makes it a pleasure to work together."
"Even after we agreed on the co-branding initiatives and established the criteria to measure success, NITTO still had to build a tire that can win races. It wasn't easy, but after an extensive testing program that included runs in Baja on parts of the race course, Nitto has delivered a state of the art tire developed just this year. This new Nitto tire has all of the latest technology, and its performance is amazing."
Through the Arciero-Miller sponsorship, Nitto Tire North America, Inc. is introducing the new Dune Grappler Desert Terrain tire, an exciting addition to the Grappler series. Nitto's popular Grappler line includes the Dune Grappler, the Terra Grappler and the Mud Grappler. The Terra Grappler, Nitto's all-purpose, all-weather tire, was rated the best-riding and longest-wearing all-terrain tire by a leading customer-rankings publication in 2005. "Some manufacturers use a tire they sell to the general public for their desert racing tires," Jonathan Ozeretny, Marketing Manager for Nitto Tire North America said. "We wanted to come into the sport with a tire that's created for the racers, by the racers. Ryan and Mark have been extremely helpful in creating the Dune Grappler Desert Terrain tire, and we can't wait to see it perform in the Baja 500.
This new product gives us additional technology that will advance the rest of our Grappler line." Arciero-Miller sponsorships are at an all-time high. In the last month, the team has announced new or enhanced sponsorships from Oakley, UMI Racing Technology, Racepak Data Systems and KMC Wheels. "When a race team announces new sponsorship, it's always a very positive thing," Arciero said. "But when a race team announces a primary sponsorship and four associate sponsorships in one month, it makes a truly amazing statement about that team. Arciero-Miller Racing has very specific goals; winning races isn't enough. We want to be the best off-road racing team in the world, and all of these new sponsorships will help us reach our goal. We're on our way, but it's not something that can happen quickly. We're patient, and we'll do whatever we can to reach our goals."
Arciero-Miller Racing is a partnership between SCORE Trophy-Truck drivers Ryan Arciero and Mark Miller. The team operates out of its shop in Foothill Ranch, Calif. Arciero-Miller Racing won the SCORE Baja 500 in 2002 and '03. The 2006 event is set for June 2-4 in Ensenada, Mexico. For more information on the team, please visit www.arcieromiller.com. For more information on the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 and Score International Off-road racing, please visit www.score-international.com.