Brands Hatch: Cooper Tires race report

Brazil's Nelson Piquet Jr. Wins Inaugural A1 Grand Prix Race on Cooper Tires

FINDLAY, OHIO, SEPTEMBER 27, 2005 - COOPER TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY (NYSE: CTB) Cooper-A1 Grand Prix racing radials made their debut Sunday during the inaugural A1 Grand Prix World Cup of Motorsport race at Brands Hatch, England. The race marked the culmination of a three-year collaboration between A1 Grand Prix and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company.

Drivers from each of the 25 teams in the World Cup of Motorsport competed on 370/660R13 Cooper A1 tires fitted to 16-inch racing rims and operating at 194 degrees Fahrenheit. The 2.622 mile road course at Brands Hatch provided an exciting venue for the series debut.

Piquet Jr. won the qualifying sprint race to take the pole for Sunday's main event. He finished first in the feature race, more than 11 seconds in front of second place driver Will Power of Australia.

"It was incredible to see fans, teams and drivers representing 24 countries from around the world competing for bragging rights during this exciting race," said Thomas A. Dattilo chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. "Cooper is proud to be a part of this innovative new racing series, and we congratulate Nelson Piquet Jr. and the entire Brazilian team on taking home the first win."

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 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.

Cooper has a successful and proven history of participation in motorsports. The Cooper brand can be found in several competitive series, including the U.S. Drift and Formula Drift series and the Cooper Tires Championship Series giving aspiring champions an outlet to hone their skills in Formula Ford Zetec machinery.

About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is a global company that specializes in the design, manufacture 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 39 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.

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