The 2008 Tire Rack® One Lap of America™  is headed to Design Engineering, Inc. (DEI) – located at 604 Moore Rd., Avon Lake, OH, 44012 – on the afternoon of Friday, May 9.

DEI welcomes auto enthusiasts to come greet the drivers, witness their impressive vehicles, learn more about this famed event and meet One Lap of America founder Brock Yates – screenplay writer for the films “The Cannonball Run” and “Smokey and the Bandit II” – both starring Burt Reynolds.  Local performance flywheel and clutch manufacturer Fidanza (Perry, Ohio) will also be at DEI headquarters on May 9 to talk about its race-proven products and showoff its 1,100 horsepower twin-turbo project Corvette C6 (as seen on the current cover of Vette magazine; June 2008 issue).

First run in 1984, One Lap of America is the successor to the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash (known simply as the Cannonball Run) – an unofficial (if not outlaw) automobile race run four times in the 1970s from New York City and Darien, Conn., to Redondo Beach, Calif.  The objective of both events is to drive cross-country and, in the case of One Lap of America, to respect speed limits.

The 25th annual event begins on Saturday, May 3, in South Bend, Ind., where nearly 100 vehicles of all makes and models will set out on an eight-day, 4,000-mile roundtrip journey through the South and Midwest, making scheduled stops at seven race tracks.  One Lap participants drive from race track-to-race track, often for up to 24 hours at a time and without the benefit of a support crew.  Sleep, if and when possible, is only achieved from inside the vehicle and the finest meals available are those found at gas stations and convenience stores.

At each track, competitors are divided into several classes determined primarily by the original MSRP of their vehicle and the number of doors it has.  Any modification may be made to the vehicle, but it must run on a single set of tires throughout the entire trip. 

Competition occurs as a series of time trial, autocross and drag race events.  Drivers accumulate points at each race track and a winner is declared after the final stop at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex (Wampum, Penn.) on May 9.

On their return trip to South Bend, all registered vehicles will make a much needed pit stop at DEI for food, beverages and relaxation before hitting the road for the final stretch.

For more information about the 2008 Tire Rack One Lap of America , visit www.onelapofamerica.com.  For more information about DEI and the May 9 event, call 800.264.9472.