Cooper tyres now an official BRC option

Cooper Tire Europe says that as of the 2021 season, its rally tyres will be an official tyre option for the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship (BRC). As such, it will offer competitors six patterns and a total of 19 sizes for 13- to 18-inch rim diameters from its refreshed rally tyre range.

Developed and manufactured in the UK at its Melksham facility, Cooper Tire Europe’s rallying range includes tarmac, classic tarmac, gravel and mud & snow (M+S) products: the Cooper Discoverer Tarmac DT1, Cooper Discoverer Tarmac DT02, Cooper Rally Classic Tarmac CT01, Cooper Discoverer Gravel DG1, Cooper M+S and Cooper M+S Evo.

The Cooper M+S and Cooper M+S Evo are available in Soft, Medium and Hard compound options, while the Discoverer Tarmac DT1, the Discoverer Tarmac DT02, the Rally Classic Tarmac CT01 and the Discoverer Gravel DG1 are available in Extra Soft, Soft, Medium and Hard compound options.

Steadily increasing involvement in rallying

As per the sport’s regulations, BRC competitors who wish to score points are required to use an official tyre option. Cooper’s products will be eligible for the seven-round 2021 calendar, which is set to feature a mixture of tarmac and gravel events across all four UK home nations, including the Neil Howard Stages at Oulton Park in England, the Nicky Grist Stages in Builth Wells, Wales, the Mull Rally on the Isle of Mull, Scotland and the Ulster Rally in Newry, Northern Ireland.

“We are delighted to have secured official tyre option status for the British Rally Championship,” says James Weekley, general manager, Motorsport, Cooper Tire Europe. “We have been steadily increasing our involvement in national and international rallying competition since the launch of our dedicated rally range, and this is another important step. We look forward to the first round at the end of this month.”

Iain Campbell, BRC manager, adds: “It’s fantastic to welcome Cooper Tire Europe to the British Rally Championship for 2021. We have heard of the development work carried out on the tyres, plus the exciting plans it has to increase its presence on the stages. We look forward to Cooper adding another competitive element to what promises to be an exciting season.”

Cooper has earned a desirable pedigree in rallying circles, serving as a major supplier to several forest, gravel, ice and historic rallies over three decades. In recent times it has supplied the North American Rally Championship and the Mobil Rally Chile. Cooper also supplies the FIA World Rallycross Championship, the sister FIA European Rallycross Championship and the FIA European Autocross Championship – completing the set of premier off-road FIA category sponsorships.