Cooper Tire Guides the Way to Victory in South Africa
Joe Verstappen of A1 Team Netherlands wins on last lap of race FINDLAY, OHIO, January 30, 2006 - 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 Durban Street Circuit in Durban, South Africa. Joe Verstappen of A1 Team Netherlands won with a time of 1.00.46.099 after passing Neel Jani of A1 Team Switzerland (1.00.47.873) on the last lap of the race. Alvaro Parente of A1 Team Portugal finished a close third with a time of 1.00.48.064. Phillip Giebler of A1 Team USA only completed two laps before getting tangled with Will Davidson of A1 Team Australia and knocked out of the race. More than 100,000 spectators witnessed the exciting racing on the series' only street circuit, which was built specifically for the A1 Grand Prix Series. Passing on street circuits is extremely difficult and takes a good mix of strategy, talent and equipment - especially tires. Drivers from 25 teams in the series, dubbed the World Cup of Motorsport, competed on 370/660R13 Cooper-A1 tires fitted to 16-inch wide racing rims. 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. "We are extremely excited about the performance of our Cooper-A1 tires from the incredibly tight first corner of the race to the finish line," said Thomas A. Dattilo chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. "We congratulate Verstappen and A1 Team Netherlands on their victory and look forward to watching all the teams compete on February 12 at Sentul Circuit in Indonesia." Heading in to the Sentul Circuit, A1 Team France has a solid grasp on first place in the overall series points to date with 119. A1 Team Switzerland is in second with 92 and A1 Team Brazil is in third with 63. For complete standings, visit A1GP.com. 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 <file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\pjbrown\Local%20Settings\Temporar y%20Internet%20Files\OLK107\www.coopertireandrubber.com>