National Press Release

ENSENADA, Mexico, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- General Tire Team Assault members Scott Steinberger and Mike Childress were in the middle of their run of the season, the #7 PCI Racing Trophy Truck holding strong in fifth position and closing in on the 3rd place podium well into the 422nd mile of the 635-mile Baja 1000.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081201/CLM098 )

But then a surprise breakdown from a broken trailing arm sent the rig for a quick fix in the Baja Pits. Despite the breakdown, Childress was holding a strong 5th place position and closing in on the 3rd place podium spot when he hit a local man-made hole and flipped the truck end-over-end multiple times. That was enough to end the team's hopes for a podium finish to the long and grueling event.

"We are so proud of Scott and Mike. They displayed unbelievable heart to finish this race," said Travis Roffler, director of marketing, General Tire. "After the wreck, and what we've now coined as 'the Mikey Baja roll,' Mike courageously endured a possible broken sternum and a near-death experience to fix the motor (which took 4 1/2 hours to complete) to finish the race in the 15th position for General Tire. This was one of the toughest Baja courses ever, and we couldn't be more proud of the phenomenal effort they displayed."

General Tire 'unleashed the fury' in off-road competitive performance with its Grabber competition tires, as General Tire triumphantly returned to off-road competition in 2008. Throughout the season, the tires proved themselves over some of the toughest desert conditions and came out on top.

"This was an unbelievable day. The course was incredibly tough, but with Mike's amazing skills behind the wheel, we were going strong into the 422nd mile," Steinberger said. "Aside from the end, the truck performed fantastic, and the tires really just dug in and took us through every kind of terrain you can imagine."

"This race was so tough, but we never gave up, and gave General Tire a finish!" Childress added. "I would really like to thank all of our crew for staying up all night and fixing the truck so we could make it to the finish. I want to thank Scott Steinberger for letting me be part of an awesome team, and I look forward to another awesome season aboard the General Tire PCI team!"

Steinberger's other career highlights include third place in Trick Truck at the General Tire Mint 400, first in the 2005 Vegas to Reno run, five Baja 1000 championships and a first place in ProTruck at the Baja 1000. Childress's highlights include: third place in Trick Truck at the Mint 400, motorcycle champion at the 2005 and 2006 Baja 1000, ProTruck world record-holder at Pikes Peak; and Open Pro champ for the 2005 and 2006 Best in Desert.

Designed with a tough, three-ply Duragen(TM)-reinforced body construction to stand up to the rigors of off-road conditions, the Grabber also features a newly-developed competition-specific tread compound. In addition, the Grabber name and General Tire logo are prominently featured on the sidewall in red and white letters. The Grabber competition tires are designed in size 37x12.50R17 for class 8 and trophy truck/trick truck and 35x12.50R17 for class 1, 6, 7, 7 S, stock mini and ProTruck.

General Tire also has a complete line of Grabber tires for the passenger and light truck market, including the new Grabber DOT-approved off-road tire which launches in late 2009; the Grabber HTS, which delivers the perfect synergy of comfort, durability and performance; the Grabber UHP, which sets a whole new standard in performance and ride quality for SUVs, light trucks and crossover vehicles; and Grabber AT2, designed for aggressive all-terrain traction in all weather conditions.

For additional media information and for photos of the PCI Racing truck crossing the finish line, visit www.ctnamedia.com .

General Tire is part of Continental Tire North America, Inc. (www.generaltire.com). CTNA, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a company of Germany-based Continental AG. With targeted annual sales of more than euro 26.4 billion ($40 billion US) for 2008, the Continental Corporation is one of the top automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for the powertrain and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, the corporation contributes towards enhanced driving safety and protection of the global climate. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Today, the corporation employs approximately 150,000 people at nearly 200 locations in 36 countries.

SOURCE General Tire