Cooper and Avon Looking Forward to 2010 Following 2009 Motorsport Successes

Following a year on the world’s racetracks in which more than 120 champions were crowned using its motorsport products, Avon Tyres Motorsport of Melksham, Wiltshire in the UK is to participate in a variety of competitive motorsport championships in categories as diverse as rallycross, hillclimb, sprints and historic racing in 2010. Perhaps most prominently, the division of Cooper Tire will continue its title sponsorship of the British GT Championship.

Roger Everson, sales and marketing manager for Avon Tyres Motorsport, said: “Under Cooper’s stewardship, Avon Motorsport is always seeking to improve its racing products even further and continue with this level of success. Avon Tyres has an extraordinarily rich heritage in motor racing, and this continuing level of performance is testament to that.”

The wide variety of Avon’s motor racing involvement this year includes supplying the tyres to Godfrey and David Jones, as well as Jody Firth, who clinched the 2009 Avon Tyres British GT and GT4 titles respectively. In the FIA-sanctioned European Rallycross series, in which the majority of the frontrunners all choose Avon Tyres, Norwegian Sverre Isachson became the latest driver to lift the crown, with Citroen’s Kenneth Hansen finishing third, also using Avon rubber. Meanwhile, across Caterham’s many championships, eight drivers clinched titles, with winners including Dan Denis and Raphael Fiorentino. Other UK-based winners included Scott Malvern, who won the British Formula Ford 1600 Championship, while Richard Plant did the same in the Formula Palmer Audi Championship.

Cooper Tire has also enjoyed success on the circuits. Cooper took over as sole supplier to the British F3 International Series last year, after Avon’s 27-year stewardship, with the manufacture of remaining at Avon Motorsport’s base. Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Briton Dan McKenzie became the first F3 International and National class champions respectively to win on Cooper tyres, joining legendary British F3 graduates, such as Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen. The company’s relationship with the Atlantic Championship in the USA also produced new champion, John Edwards.