Maryland Event Marketer 'Sold on' Dunlop Drivers Cup

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 30, 2006 -- An event sponsorship consultant for Clear Channel radio stations in Baltimore has been selected to participate in the Dunlop Drivers Cup driving challenge.

Rik Ferrell, 42, of Centreville, Md., will be competing against 11 other amateur drivers at the U.S. Regional Qualifier in Danville, Va., on Sept. 11- 15.

Ferrell said he realizes Dunlop Drivers Cup is completely different from any other type of driving challenge. A unique competition, it includes on- track racing, autocross, off-road sport-utility, off-road all-terrain vehicle and motocross events to test the skills of hard-core driving enthusiasts.

Two two-driver teams from the three-day U.S. Regional Qualifier will represent Dunlop USA at the world Drivers Cup next year. The 10-day excursion is scheduled to travel through six European countries -- with driving events in each nation -- and finish on the African continent.

Ferrell said the Virginia International Raceway event "is a perfect fit for my varying racing skills. There is no place I'd rather be than behind the steering wheel. The sound of a performance engine accelerating through the gears is all the music I need.

"I flat out love to drive anything with a motor -- from backhoes to BMWs - - and strive to extract every 10th of a second out of whatever vehicle I'm running. If it has wheels and an engine, I want to drive it. It's always a challenge," Ferrell said.

He may just get his wish. A unique competition, Dunlop Drivers Cup includes racetrack, autocross, off-road sport-utility, off-road all-terrain vehicle and motocross events to test the skills of hard-core driving enthusiasts.

Janice Consolacion, brand planning manager for Dunlop in North America, said Cup organizers were impressed by Ferrell's "enthusiasm and passion for driving. He loves sports cars and sports bikes."

Ferrell said the drivers' challenge is another milestone in his lifelong love of the automobile. "My father raced a B Sedan Lotus Cortina in SCCA's Northeast region, and I went along every chance I got to Lime Rock Park (Conn.), the former Bridgehamptom (N.Y.) Race Circuit (it's now a golf course) and Watkins Glen International. I met legends like Mark Donahue, and I was hooked for life."

His first "vehicle" was a 6-horsepower go-cart. "I was 5. I hit a garbage can -- barely clipped it, really -- and my mother freaked and made my Dad get rid of it," he said.

The consultant figures he'll need "versatility, patience and an open mind" to win in Virginia.

European Dunlop officials started Drivers Cup in 1998 to showcase Dunlop's racing heritage and its broad range of passenger, truck, motorcycle and all- terrain-vehicle tire lines. Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ultra-performance tires and Mud Rover off-road tires will be featured in the competition.

Dunlop is a global tire brand with an excellent reputation among performance car enthusiasts. Well known for its prestigious original- equipment fitments and sports car racing heritage, Dunlop is also a key supplier to sport compact enthusiasts featuring "tuner" tire sizes and race series sponsorships.

Applications are being accepted now for those interested in competing in the 2007 Dunlop Drivers Cup U.S. Regionals. To apply, go to http://www.dunloptires.com/.