Cooper Tire Paves the Way to A1 Grand Prix Victory in Dubai

FINDLAY, OHIO, December 15, 2005 ­ COOPER TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY's
Cooper-A1 Grand Prix racing radials helped lead the way to victory
Sunday at the A1 Grand Prix's latest stop of the season at the Dubai
Autodrome in Dubai, UAE.

Lapierre of A1 Team France took first with a time of 56.17.068, followed by
Robbie Kerr of Team A1 Great Britain with a time of 56.20.782, and Stephen
Simpson of Team A1 South Africa with a time of 56.23.758.

Team A1 France's 106 total points puts them in a commanding lead over
second-place Switzerland (75) and third-place Brazil (60) in the overall
series championship.

The series experienced a homecoming of sorts in Dubai as the race was
viewed by Dubai Crown Prince His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, founder, president and chairman of the A1 Grand Prix.

Drivers from 24 teams in the series, dubbed the World Cup of Motorsport,
competed on 370/660R13 Cooper-A1 tires fitted to 16-inch wide racing rims.

"At the halfway point of the season we are very pleased with the
performance of our Cooper-A1 tires," said Thomas A. Dattilo chairman,
president and chief executive officer of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. "We
congratulate Lapierre and Team A1 France on their exciting victory and look
forward to watching all the teams compete on January 15 at Sentul Circuit
in Indonesia."

Designed to run at very high temperatures, the Cooper-A1 tire's distinctive
blend of compounds create a soft and tacky tire to provide an incredible
level of grip by literally sticking the car to the track. Cooper Tire has
also designed a grooved wet weather tire to handle even the most severe
weather conditions but with a construction that provides enough resilience
to endure a full race distance.

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 40
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: www.coopertireandrubber.com