Cooper Sponsors Professional Off Road Racer

FINDLAY, Ohio, May 13, 2003 -- COOPER TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY has announced a sponsorship between Cooper Tire and veteran professional desert racer Bob Land in the 2003 SCORE (Southern California Off Road Enterprises) race series.

Land is competing on modified Cooper Discoverer tires, specially designed for desert racing. Visually, the tires look similar to a Cooper Discoverer LT, a tread pattern well suited for loose terrain and rock.

The SCORE series consists of six races and includes the famous Baja 500 and Baja 1000. Additionally, Land will race the Australian Safari, an eight- day, 5,000-kilometer trek across the Australian Outback. Land has raced off road since 1987, and his class wins include two Baja 1000s, two Baja 500s, two San Felipe 250s and two Australian safaris.

After three races, Land has finished first, second and third consecutively in Class 7S. The relationship between Cooper Tire and Bob Land results in "a proven outcome," said Land.

During the San Felipe 250, Land severely cracked a wheel, but the tire lost no air and he finished the race.

For an electronic copy of a photo showing Bob Land racing at the San Felipe 250 in California contact Amy Switzer at alswitzer@coopertire.com .

Company Description

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, with headquarters in Findlay, Ohio, specializes in the manufacture and marketing of automotive products including auto, motorcycle and truck tires, inner tubes, tread rubber and equipment. Cooper-Standard Automotive is an original equipment supplier of sealing, trim, NVH control systems and fluid handling systems for the automotive industry in North America, Europe, Australia and South America. Cooper has more than 20,000 employees and 52 manufacturing facilities in 13 countries. In 2002, Cooper tied for "Best Customer Satisfaction in Replacement Tire for Light Truck Vehicles" in the J.D. Power and Associates' Replacement Tire Customer Satisfaction Study. For more information about Cooper, visit www.coopertire.com .