With the 2012/2013 Drift season kicking off at the NAC Drift Nationals at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, GT Radial has announced it will be partnering with Pukekohe based Carl Ruiterman in a naming rights endorsement deal.
Ruiterman will partner with GT Radial in a progressive initiative to promote its Ultra High Performance road tyre technology within the fastest growing form of motorsport globally.
“Having the full support of GT Radial in our Subaru and Silvia campaigns is a huge and humbling accomplishment for us.  We have no doubt that the GT Radial Ultra High Performance (HPY) range will continue to set us apart from the rest of the field this year,” says Ruiterman.
For those to which the spectacle of Drifting is a foreign concept, the skilfully controlled loss of traction to the rear wheels (or now all four wheels thanks to Ruiterman) is the primary art to this professional sport.  Tandem battles are usually judged on proximity, speed and style rather than first across the line.  Tyres form both the biggest ongoing cost in the sport as well as the majority of success in any drift battle.  Consistency in grip levels means faster drift ‘passes’ for drivers who are asked to mimic their opponent’s movements some times at speeds of more than 180km/h.
GT Radial will partner with Ruiterman in both his 430kw EJ20 4WD Subaru WRX and internationally campaigned 400kw SR22DET Nissan S14.  Ruiterman will be competing in both the D1NZ and National Drift Cross Championships this year.  
GT Radial Marketing Manager Vince Jones depicted the move towards supporting both Drift, and Ruiterman by saying “ We’re excited to see what Carl can bring to the competition on GT Radial, and are extremely proud to be associated with an ambassador who talks the language of our drivers.”   
As part of the relationship Ruiterman will promote the GT Radial Ultra High Performance range via a large scale nationwide sales and marketing campaign including TV advertising.