BFGoodrich^® Tires g-Force R1™ tire played a decisive role in earning the overall title for AMS Performance during Modified Magazine’s “Tuner Shootout 2007.” The results of the magazine’s extensive competition held at California Speedway in Fontana, California, are featured in its June issue, which hit the newsstands in May. BFGoodrich Tires checked in with David Pratte, who is a senior writer for Modified to get the scoop on what the Tuner Shootout was all about.

“We pitted 10 of the top tuner cars in America against each other in four classic time-based performance tests at California Speedway,” said Pratte. “The Modified Tuner Shootout was designed as a no-holds-barred competition, meaning we placed no limitations on level of car preparation, tire choice, driver choice, or any other aspect of event strategy. Simply put, we wanted the best tuner shops to bring out their fastest machinery and most talented drivers so that our readers and the entire tuner industry could see what’s possible when the gloves come off and the only thing that matters is speed.”

The BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tire was touted as the best overall performing tire after finishing ahead of the competition in three of the four events that consisted of a 1/4 mile, 0-80-0 mph acceleration and braking event, a 150 ft. skid pad loop and a 15-minute Time Attack event on the infield road course.

“We also broke the competition down by drive train configuration (AWD, RWD and FWD),” added Pratte. “The intent was to show that the inherent differences associated with the methods of putting the power to the ground were acknowledged. Each event was timed for speed and the team with the lowest cumulative time from all four events was declared the overall winner. ”

In the end, the BFGoodrich Tires g-Force R1 tire-shod 2003 Mitsubishi EVO from AMS Performance captured the overall honors. The BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tire was also featured on the 2006 Subaru STI from Crawford Performance, which earned second overall in the event. Other competitors, who scored well with the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tire, included Skunk2 Racing which captured first place overall on the skid pad, beating out all the FWD, RWD, and AWD competitors in their 2006 Honda Civic Si.

“Just like the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tire, we love competition, and we’re confident that our products will deliver favorably when stacked up against those of our competitors,” said Doug Brown, BFGoodrich Tires brand category manager. “We are very pleased that the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tire was a decisive factor towards winning this shootout and we’re working hard to make sure our entire g-Force™ line-up continues to deliver results like this.”

BFGoodrich Tires also checked in with two of the drivers who were in the shootout and here is what they had to say about the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tire.

"The true strength of the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tire is its durability and consistency,” said Paul Gerrard, AMS performance driver. “We left the same set up on the car for all the events and the BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tire recorded consistent results every time. It also had very impressive grip which was good everywhere, particularly under acceleration."

Tanner Foust who drove for Crawford Performance also commended the tire, stating: “The BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tire tread compound formulation warmed up quickly, and the wear profile allowed us to read our suspension set-ups much easier.”

In addition to its exceptional performance at the Modified Tuner Shootout, the g-Force R1 tire also captured a Time Attack win at the GT Live Festival, which took place at Miller Motorsports Park near Tooele, Utah, April 28-29. The GT LIVE Festival, presented by BFGoodrich Tires, is an “interactive motorsports festival,” combining drifting, Time Attack, karting, stunt bikes, car shows and music. Tanner Foust again driving for Crawford Performance took home the Time Attack trophy and set a new East track lap record of 1:37:54.

To read more about the results from Modified Magazine’s “Tuner Shootout 2007” check out their website at www.modified.com.

For more information about GT LIVE, visit its website at www.gtlivetour.com.