OREANDA-NEWS. September 14, 2012.  The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that two vehicles fitted with its ADVAN racing tires finished first and second in the Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race 2012 (MMER), a 12-hour endurance race run September 1-2 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. For the vehicle equipped with YOKOHAMA tires, it was its second consecutive triumph. Supporting the victory, YOKOHAMA tires demonstrated their superior wear resistance on a course with extremely hot road surface.

 The first and second finishers were, respectively, Car No. 1 (drivers: Nobuteru Taniguchi/Masataka Yanagida/Dominic Ang) and Car No. 28 (drivers: Tatsuya Kataoka/Fariqe Hairuman/Melvin Moh). Both of them belong to the "Petronas Syntium Team" and again drove the "Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3." Car No. 1 won the victory on YOKOHAMA tires for the second year in a row. In the qualifying races and until almost midway through the final, the top three vehicles - Car Nos. 1 and 28, led by Car No. 3, a "Ferrari 458 GT3" of the "Clearwater Racing Team" - were equipped with YOKOHAMA tires. Then, nine hours after the start, Car No. 3 had a mechanical problem, leaving Car Nos. 1 and 28 alone in the lead. Both continued running smoothly, overwhelming all competitors, to the checkered flag.

 Launched in 2000, the Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race is held every summer to celebrate the independence of Malaysia. It has drawn increased attention every year as more and more of the world’s top endurance teams and drivers have participated. With changes to qualifying instituted this year - only "real race cars," including cars complying with FIA’s GT3 regulations - 30 vehicles took part.