Cooper Tire to sponsor Saturn motorsports racing program

April 5, 2004

The Cooper Zeon family of tires and wheels will be promoted by Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and its subsidiary Mickey Thompson Performance Tires and Wheels through a sponsorship and supply agreement with Saturn Motorsports.

The multi-faceted arrangement positions Cooper Tire as a major associate sponsor of the Saturn Motorsports Pro FWD Ion driven by three-time world champion and current NHRA points leader Lisa Kubo.

Additionally, Cooper Tire will title sponsor a Saturn Motorsports tuner car slated to compete later this year in Sport FWD.

The deal also includes an exclusive supply arrangement to provide Saturn Motorsports with Cooper Zeon tire and wheel packages which will be distributed to Saturn retailers nationwide as part of their performance parts program.

According to Ken Warner, Mickey Thompson's vice president of sales and marketing, this new affiliation ties very nicely into the new Cooper Tire motorsports program.

"This is a great example of taking a motorsports program to the street," stated Warner. "We look forward to cross-promoting our brands with the Saturn Motorsports team to bring our products to performance-minded consumers."

Cooper Tire's acquisition of Mickey Thompson Performance Tires last year and their past acquisition of Avon Tyres, UK, including the racing division, led to the development of the Cooper Tire motorsports group.

The Cooper Tire motorsports group has a fleet of tractor trailer rigs that attend race events nationwide promoting the Cooper, Mickey Thompson and Avon racing tire brands while providing trackside service.

Mickey Thompson Tires' racing affiliation with Saturn Motorsports director Jim Epler during his 12-year Fuel Funny Car career helped open the door to the Saturn sponsorship, said the company.

"We're extremely excited to have Cooper Tire come onboard with Saturn Motorsports," said Epler. "The Zeon branded wheels and tires are a perfect fit for our Saturn retail network and we look forward to showcasing their products on the quickest and fastest Saturns in the world."