Cooper Tire sponsors Denver Drive and Dive Weekend

Feb. 15, 2013

Cooper Tire today announced that it will sponsor a go-kart in the Cody Unser First Step Foundation’s (CUFSF) Oil & Water Go-Kart Challenge Fundraiser, Feb. 15 to Feb. 17, in Denver, Colo. CUFSF hosts the event to raise awareness for those afflicted with spinal cord related paralysis.
 
CUFSF, in collaboration with On Target 4 Veterans, is hosting the event at the Unser Racing and Entertainment Center. Ms. Cody Unser, Founder of CUFSF, fell ill with Transverse Myelitis (TM), a neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord, in 1999. Since then, she has been working to help build awareness of TM and find a cure for spinal cord related paralysis.

The event will unveil five go-karts that have been modified with hand-controls, allowing anyone with limited mobility the opportunity to race. Al Unser Jr., Cody Unser’s father and two-time winner of the Indy 500 and the Denver Grand Prix, will be racing in the Cody-Car, a go-kart branded with the Foundation’s logo and the same type of hand-controls his daughter Cody uses.
 
Professional race car driver Johnny Unser, Cody’s cousin and technical consultant for Cooper Tire, recently opened Unser Racing and Entertainment – a state-of-the-art indoor karting facility located in Denver, which is where the event will be held.
 
“It is great to be able to bring things full circle and give a little something back to our local community,” said Johnny Unser. “Through my association with Cooper Tire, I am able to help kids realize their dreams with the Mazda Road to Indy program, of which Cooper Tire sponsors the USF2000 and the new Pro Mazda Championship. Being able to help supply these hand controlled karts and raise money for the CUFSF is icing on the cake. I am thrilled to be part of this.”