Fort Mill, SC – Noted as the longest off-road race in the U.S., the General Tire Vegas to Reno race provides a platform for General Tire to showcase their signature red letter GRABBER tire which was born from competition. Originally developed in the desert, the GRABBER tire, and its technologies, transcend the race course and are available to consumers at dealerships across the country. But it was a lengthy process, and labor of love, to bring the GRABBER to life.
“Once we began testing the GRABBER tire, we spent a couple years in the desert refining the technologies,” said Tony Talbert, tuning key account manager for General Tire. “We modified the tire two to three times until it worked well in the desert before bringing it to the street.”
Testing on some of America’s toughest desert terrain was key to developing a tire that provides enhanced durability, puncture resistance and extended tread life. Through silt, over rocks and an array of other obstacles, the GRABBER came to life and technologies such as Duragen, which provides enhanced strength and durability with even treadwear for longer mileage and confidence in challenging conditions, were born. Technologies such as Duragen, combined with the patented strake and chamfer tread pattern, allow this extreme traction tire to provide exceptional off-road grip and durability while balancing it with on-road drivability.
“Our technologies have really made a difference on the race course, and on the street.” Talbert continued, “We have a race team who made the switch to General’s a couple years ago and they’ve tracked a 75 percent reduction in flats compared to their previous tire brand. That’s a testament to the amount of engineering that went into this tire. Which is great news for the consumer.”
This weekend, when the Best In The Desert (BITD) Series rolls into Nevada for the General Tire Vegas to Reno race, Team GT will once again be relying on their red letter GRABBER’s to get them across the desert and to the finish line first. In fact, Garrick Freitas is looking to repeat last year’s overall win in a 1500 buggy. A win that came on a set of 35” DOT approved GRABBER’s.
With the same tires consumers can find on shelves, Freitas raced from the 24th starting position, across the 534-mile route filled with sharp rocks, un-even terrain, gullies, and extreme dust. And with the help of co-drivers Trevor Freitas and Steve Shahan, Freitas beat out 327 of the best off-road racers in the world to win the overall and the 1500 class. A true testament to the durability and performance the GRABBER tire provides.
As for those famous red letter’s, it’s simple. General Tire wanted to stand out amongst the crowd. The GRABBER tires provided the performance necessary to get Team GT to the finish line first but General Tire’s marketing team knew the red letters would shine in video and photo, so the red letter’s were adapted and the tire is now one of the most sought after light truck tires.
Freitas and his fellow Team GT members will look to add to General Tire’s winning tradition this weekend when the BITD takes to the Nevada desert for the General Tire Vegas to Reno race August 15, 16 and 17. Dressed in red letter GRABBER’s, more than 50 teams will look to stand atop the podium.
For more information on the GRABBER, or to locate a dealer, visit www.generaltire.com. For more information on BITD, visit www.bitd.com.