LEXINGTON, Ohio (Aug. 11)—Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. is stepping its involvement in motorsports, agreeing to supply Cooper Zeon racing radials to the Formula Ford 2000 Zetec racing series and two new series starting next year. Cooper signed a five-year agreement recently with Formula Motorsports Inc. to create the Cooper Tire Championship Series, the centerpiece of which will be the Formula Ford program. The Cooper tire program replaces the Avon racing tires the Formula Ford series has used the past few years. The Zeon racing slicks will be made at the Cooper-Avon Tyres plant in Melksham, England. The Zetec championship cars are single-seat, open-wheel racers powered by 2-liter Ford Zetec engines. The company will supply Cooper Zeon racing radials for the new series, which also includes separate Pro Championships in the Formula SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) and SCCA Sports racer categories for cars using Van Diemen-manufactured chassis powered by 2.3-liter Mazda Duratec engines. The new racing strategy supports Cooper's launch of its speed-rated Zeon performance radial line earlier this year.
Cooper stepping up motorsports involvement
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