• Pit+Paddock pro driver Dai Yoshihara has been an exclusive tire ambassador and test driver for Yokohama ADVAN for the last three years.
• Dai competes on ADVAN rubber while he races in events such as Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Global Time Attack, and 25 Hours of Thunderhill.
• In addition to racing, Dai’s garage of demo vehicles also wears Yokohamas including his 1,000 BRZ drift car, “DAI33” Skyline GT-R and pre-runner-style Nissan Frontier.
• This Fall, Yokohama Tire Japan ambassador Maaya Orido collaborated with Dai and her father Max Orido to design a one-off capsule collection.
• The ADVAN Orido x Dai collection was launched at Bowls retail store in Los Angeles and is also available for purchase at merchandise.yokohamatire.com.

PROUD ADVAN AMBASSADOR 

Whenever you see Dai Yoshihara driving flat-out at Buttonwillow Raceway or climbing up to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak, he’s always on Yokohama ADVAN tires. For the last three years, Dai has been an exclusive ambassador for their track tires, which have garnered him success, for example at the 2022 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb when he claimed the unofficial “Fastest EV” title, piloting the Evasive Motorsports x Turn 14 Distribution Tesla Model 3. Dai’s resume of races on ADVAN tires continues with successful outings at 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Global Time Attack, and more recently, setting impressive lap times at WeatherTech Laguna Seca in the Evasive Motorsports Honda S2000. It’s accolades and achievements like these that have made Dai one of the most important figures for the ADVAN brand, and why Dai will be once again be a representative for Yokohama in 2024.

LIFESTYLE & APPAREL

Over the last year, Yokohama Tire has been pushing an initiative to enter the world of lifestyle and apparel with ADVAN. And why not? ADVAN is revered as one of the top names in Japan motorsports, with roots dating back to successful campaigns in World Rally Championship, Le Mans, IMSA and JGTC. With 2023 marking ADVAN’s 45^th anniversary as well, Lerry Liu of Yokohama Tire spearheaded three capsule collections to commemorate the historic achievement, which included the latest collaboration featuring Dai Yoshihara and the Orido family.

THE ORIDO CONNECTION

Manabu “Max” Orido is one of the most famous professional drivers from Japan and has been a Yokohama ambassador since 1992. He’s had many claims to fame which include being a two-time JGTC/Super GT champion, two-time Super Taikyu champion, and GT World Challenge GT4 champion. Max, being the well-rounded driver that he is, has also had a successful stint in the D1 Grand Prix drift series as a competitor and judge. This is also where he became close friends with Dai Yoshihara. 

Now age 55, Max has a daughter Maaya who is following in his footsteps as an aspiring driver, but she’s also found her own way in the automotive world by becoming a brand influencer with partners such as Yokohama Tire and Toyota, in addition to developing an interest in fashion as the designer of her father’s apparel line. As you can imagine, when it came time to brainstorm ideas for ADVAN’s next capsule collection, it was a clear choice for Maaya to lead the project.

DESIGNING A CAPSULE COLLECTION 

If you take a glance at Max Orido’s website, you’ll notice a section called “Wear Item”. This is where you can find shirts, hats, bags, and jackets that are all created by Maaya. Using the same logo and style from Max’s “RIDOX 559” apparel, Maaya put a spin on the design for the ADVAN capsule which would exclusively come in off-white and feature a new tagline on the back “Chase Dreams”. For Dai’s collab, many of us who are friends with Dai, have always joked about taking the overused pun of “Ride or Die” and turn it into “Ride or Dai”. Maaya used this as inspiration and the rest was history. 

LITTLE TOKYO LAUNCH EVENT 

With Max and Maaya Orido set to make a trip to the United States for SEMA, it allowed for the perfect time to launch the new apparel collaboration ahead of the show. Given ADVAN’s tight relationship with Bowls LA in Little Tokyo, the small retail store served as the official host of the launch party. And just to make things interesting, I decided to debut my 2023 Toyota GR Corolla build in tandem to bring out as big of a crowd as we could. The Orido x Dai collab and launch event were both a huge success capping off a significant 45^th anniversary year for ADVAN. The limited edition apparel is available at Bowls (311 E. 1^st Ave, Los Angeles, CA) and online at merchandise.yokohamatire.com.

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