Hollywood Stuntman Lands Role in Dunlop Drivers Cup

Hollywood Stuntman Lands Role in Dunlop Drivers Cup

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Hollywood stuntman and director Jeff Jensen -- who has doubled for Sean Connery, Jeff Bridges and Arnold Schwarzenegger -- has landed a starring role in the Dunlop Drivers Cup.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050518/CLW036)

Jensen, 47, will play himself at the U.S. Regional Qualifier in Phoenix on Sept. 10 and 11. It's a big departure for the accomplished stuntman, who has appeared in more than 150 feature films, 400 television episodes and 60 car and motorcycle commercials.

The Malibu, Calif., stuntman and director said, "I have appeared in movies on every continent and have, in my own way, been a representative of the United States in these films. My first love, however, is motorsports, which gave me a career.

"To be able to return to my 'roots' and compete in the decathlon of motor racing is a dream come true," Jensen said.

A unique competition, Dunlop Drivers Cup includes racetrack, autocross, off-road sport-utility, off-road all-terrain vehicle and motocross events to test the skills of hard-core driving enthusiasts. Once reserved for the best European drivers, Drivers Cup will allow U.S. drivers to compete for the first time in this international competitive driving event.

Janice Consolacion, brand planning manager for Dunlop in North America, said, "We're proud to have Jeff competing. Jeff Jensen's accomplishments in television and on the big screen prove that he is especially qualified for this wide-ranging competition. It will be exciting to see him compete against 23 other drivers in Phoenix."

Three teams from the two-day U.S. Regional Qualifier will represent Dunlop USA at a three-day off-road camp in Germany in November. Then a single team from each country will vie for the world Drivers Cup in a 10-day series of racing events in the United States.

Jensen's chances for Dunlop Drivers Cup success? "I have driven everything from supercarts, open-wheel racers, stock cars, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and just about every exotic car out there -- past and present. That makes me the ideal candidate for this team," Jensen said.

Jensen wrote and directed the dark comedy Fallacy in 2003, which starred Stephen Baldwin, Garry Busey, Amanda Wyss, James Russo and John Savage. He has appeared in such movies as Speed, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Total Recall, Raising Arizona, Universal Soldier, The Mask and The Untouchables.

Dunlop officials started Drivers Cup to showcase Dunlop's racing heritage and its broad range of passenger, truck, motorcycle and all-terrain-vehicle tire lines. Dunlop SP Sport Maxx and Direzza DZ101 ultra-performance tires will be featured in the competition. Jensen said he filmed parts of High Speed, a movie about World Super Bike racing, at company Proving Grounds in Luxembourg and outfitted all bikes with Dunlop motorcycle race tires.

Dunlop is a global tire brand with an excellent reputation among performance car enthusiasts. Well known for its prestigious original- equipment fitments and sports car racing heritage, Dunlop is also a key supplier to sport compact enthusiasts featuring "tuner" tire sizes and race series sponsorships.

For more on Drivers Cup, go to http://www.dunloptires.com/.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050518/CLW036
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Dunlop Tire

CONTACT: Dave Wilkins of Dunlop Tire, +1-330-796-3758, or
dfwilkins@goodyear.com

Web site: http://www.dunloptires.com/

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