A1 Grand Prix and Cooper Tire Heat Up the Track in Mexico

February 27, 2006

FINDLAY, OHIO, February 27, 2006 - COOPER TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY's
Cooper-A1 Grand Prix racing radials blazed around the Parque
Fundidora in Mexico at the A1 Grand Prix's latest stop of the season
Sunday. 

 

Alexandre Premat and A1 Team France won with a time of 52.26.709 while
Jos Verstappen and A1 Team Netherlands took second with a time of
52.27.489 and Neel Jani and A1 Team Switzerland grabbed third with a
time of 52.30.234. 

 

"The race was fun, and the car was quite good," said Premat. "We changed
quite a lot in the break after the Sprint race and we got the fastest
lap as well which is nice." 

 

Drivers from 21 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 excited about the performance of our Cooper-A1 tires on this
slick track," said Thomas A. Dattilo chairman, president and chief
executive officer of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. "We congratulate
Premat and A1 Team France on their victory and look forward to watching
all the teams compete in the United States on March 12 at Laguna Seca
Raceway in California." 

 

A1 Team France increased their championship point total to 153 with the
victory and can now only be caught by A1 Team Switzerland, currently in
second overall with 121 points. A1 Team Great Britain is in third place
with 73 points.