Cooper Tire’s European motorsport season kicks off on Easter weekend when the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 Series begins, with the brand again being sole tyre supplier and title sponsor for the country’s premier single-seater racing championship.
Cooper’s title sponsorship deal has helped to promote the brand across Europe, as the “British” series includes rounds at circuits including the legendary Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and Hockenheim in Germany
“Last year was a great season but this year is looking to be even more exciting,” said Julian Baldwin, Managing Director of Cooper Tire Europe. ”Alguersuari and Ricciardo have both proved that British F3 is still the perfect springboard to F1 and we are extremely proud to support the series.”
On the other side of the Atlantic, Cooper Tire is now the exclusive tyre supplier and title sponsor for the newly-revived Cooper Tires-presented USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda. Like F3 in Britain, USF2000 is the perfect training ground for drivers hoping to progress up the motorsport ladder into IndyCar racing.
Cooper’s racing in the US also includes sports car action, with the company now being title sponsor to the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship (formerly known as IMSA Lites), which acts as a junior championship for the American Le Mans Series.
The 2010 series will begin on 27-28 March on the street circuit of St. Petersburg, Florida, in support of the second round of the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Although both championships start in spring, Cooper has already enjoyed motorsport success in 2010 with The Toyota Cooper Tire team having claimed an impressive second place in the T2 production car class of the Dakar Rally in January. Dakar veteran Xavier Foj and co-driver Pablo Jaton overcame many hurdles on their way to the podium position. The pair completed more than 9,000km of the most arduous terrain with Cooper’s rugged Discoverer STT tyres.
