AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 28 – Off-road racer RJ Anderson raced to his fifth victory of the season on his way to clinching the 2012 Prolite Division Championship in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. With the Sept. 22 win at Riverside, Calif., again racing on Goodyear Wrangler tires, Anderson, 19, became the youngest professional champion in history of the series.

Perhaps as impressive as Anderson winning the season title at such a young age, he achieved his off-road racing wins on regular “DOT” tires – unlike most of the field, which used specially built race tires.

Anderson used Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires in a LT265/75R16 size in front, and Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar tires in a 32x11.50R15 size on the rear of his race truck.

“We congratulate RJ on this series championship and his consistent racing all year. For Goodyear, this is a testament to the performance and versatility of our tires, especially when you consider that RJ competes on stock tires – versus special-compound, special-tread design tires. These are the same tires consumers can purchase at Goodyear retailers day in and day out, and they were used in these races because of their traction characteristics and toughness,” said Alvaro Mendoza, Goodyear brand marketing manager.

Anderson has been competing on Goodyear tires for much of his young racing career, starting with racing in a UTV (utility terrain vehicle) in the Championship Off-Road Racing Series in 2006. He is a second-generation Goodyear off-road racing expert, as his father and crew chief, Randy Anderson, was the longtime crew chief for off-road racing legend Walker Evans.

The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series is an evolution of the Midwest tradition of short course off-road racing infused with a West Coast influence. The series brings intense four-wheel door-to-door action to challenging, fan-friendly tracks.

“It is easy to see why off-road racing experts, such as RJ Anderson, choose Goodyear for superior performance in challenging off-road racing conditions. Everything Goodyear learns in this tough off-road environment inspires what we roll into our Goodyear Wrangler tires,” said Mendoza.

The Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar is a revolutionary off-road tire built with the rugged toughness of DuPont Kevlar for enhanced sidewall puncture resistance. Goodyear’s Wrangler DuraTrac is a hardworking, versatile on- and off-road traction tire that features TractiveGroove Technology. Everyday off-road enthusiasts can purchase these Goodyear Wrangler tires for their own trail running.

Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies.  It employs approximately 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 53 facilities in 22 countries around the world.  Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.  For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.