Cooper Tire to Join Champ Car Atlantic Championship as Official Series Tire Supplier and Presenting Sponsor Beginning in 2007
May 31 2006 - 2:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
FINDLAY, Ohio, May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- COOPER TIRE &
RUBBER COMPANY (NYSE:CTB) -- Champ Car Atlantic Championship
officials announced today that the series will enter into an
exclusive partnership with Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in
2007. Under the terms of the three-year agreement, Cooper Tire will
become the Official Tire of the Champ Car Atlantic Championship
beginning next season and the company will also serve as the
presenting sponsor of North America's premier open-wheel
development series. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060531/CLW045) (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010404/COOPERLOGO)
Well-established as one of the world's leading tire manufacturers,
as well as a top marketing and promotional partner across many
levels of motorsports, Cooper Tire will help bolster a dynamic
competition package for the Atlantic Championship in '07. Working
closely with exclusive series chassis manufacturer Swift
Engineering and engine partners Mazda North America and Cosworth,
Inc., Cooper Tire will produce and supply the exclusive high-
performance racing slicks and rain tires that will equip all Champ
Car Atlantic Championship cars beginning next season. "We're very
excited to welcome Cooper Tire to both the Atlantic and Champ Car
family," said Vicki O'Connor, Managing Director of the Champ Car
Atlantic Championship. "We're certainly proud of the legacy and the
high level of competition that has become a staple of Atlantic
racing over the last 33 years and the Atlantic Championship is
looking forward to beginning a new partnership with Cooper Tire in
2007. With Cooper's experience and knowledge in motorsports, we
know that the racing will be as exciting as ever and we're looking
forward to growing the series even further next season with Cooper
Tire as a series sponsor and a proactive marketing partner." Based
in Findlay, Ohio, Cooper Tire will support the Champ Car Atlantic
Championship both on and off the track through its new partnership
with the series, in addition to supplying all series teams with
racing rubber designed specifically for Atlantic competition. More
details on the Cooper Tires/Atlantic partnership will be unveiled
in the coming months. "The Champ Car Atlantic Championship series
is well known throughout the world," said Tom Dattilo, Cooper
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "This new
strategic partnership positions Cooper squarely at the forefront of
the motorsport world. It provides an excellent platform to showcase
our ultra-high performance racing products and technological
capabilities to enthusiasts around the world. "We are thrilled at
the prospects this relationship provides for Cooper and are
obviously pleased about joining forces with one of the premier
organizations in motorsport racing. Together with Cooper's rich
racing heritage, this partnership will create an all-new
competition portfolio that will allow drivers to compete at even
higher levels of racing." "Cooper Tire has demonstrated a tireless
commitment to racing over the years and Champ Car is happy to team
up with such a well-established industry leader for the future,"
said Steve Johnson, Champ Car President. "We look forward to
developing this partnership as both companies continue to grow and
move forward." Testing for the 2007 Cooper Atlantic tires will
begin this week. The Team Australia Atlantic squad will be putting
the new rubber through its paces during a private test session at
Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida on Thursday (see
attached Team Australia photo). Several more series tire tests are
also planned over the next few months. About Cooper Tire &
Rubber Company Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is a global company
that specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of
passenger car, light truck, medium truck tires and subsidiaries
that specialize in motorcycle and racing tires, as well as tread
rubber and related equipment for the retread industry. With
headquarters in Findlay, Ohio, Cooper Tire has 60 manufacturing,
sales, distribution, technical and design facilities within its
family of companies located around the world. For more information,
visit Cooper Tire's web site at
http://www.coopertireandrubber.com/. About the Champ Car Atlantic
Championship The Champ Car Atlantic Championship continues to be
the premier open-wheel development series in North America. In its
33rd season in 2006, the championship is noted for its long history
of graduating its stars into Champ Car competition and has helped
produce past Champ Car champions Paul Tracy, Jimmy Vasser, Bobby
Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Michael Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve.
2006 Champ Car competitors Alex Tagliani, Andrew Ranger, Katherine
Legge, Tonis Kasemets and 2005 Atlantic champion Charles Zwolsman
are established Atlantic graduates along with 2004 Champ Car Rookie
of the Year and 2003 Atlantic champ A.J. Allmendinger. In 2006,
competitors will fight for the 12-race championship and the unique
$2 million Champ Car series champion's bonus. Beginning in 2007,
all Atlantic teams will compete in Swift 016.a chassis powered by a
2.3-liter Mazda-Cosworth engine while riding on Cooper Atlantic
racing tires. For more information on the series and to view this
season's races on demand, please visit
http://www.champcaratlantic.com/.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060531/CLW045
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010404/COOPERLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Cooper Tire & Rubber
Company CONTACT: Merrill Cain, Communications Director of Champ Car
Atlantic, +1-586-630-1474; or Dave Craig, Director, North American
Advertising of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, +1-419-429-4459
Web site: http://www.coopertireandrubber.com/
http://www.champcaratlantic.com/
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