Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber News
  • European Rubber Journal
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • Current Issue
  • News
    • OPINION
    • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
    • COMMERCIAL TIRE
    • GOVERNMENT & LAW
    • Humanitarian Award
    • RETAIL TIRES
    • SERVICE ZONE
    • TIRE MAKERS
    • Best Places to Work
    • RUSSIA WAR IN UKRAINE
  • Aligning with ADAS
  • Data
    • DATA STORE
  • Custom
    • SPONSORED CONTENT
  • Events
    • ASK THE EXPERT
    • LIVESTREAMS
    • WEBINARS
    • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
  • Resources
    • DIRECTORY
    • CLASSIFIEDS
    • SHOP FLOOR
    • AWARDS
    • BALANCING
    • DEMOUNTING
    • SAFETY
    • TIRE REPAIR
    • TPMS
    • TRAINING
    • VEHICLE LIFTING
    • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Best Places to Work
  • ADVERTISE
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
March 11, 2003 01:00 AM

Cooper buys Mickey Thompson performance tire company

Tire Business Staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    FINDLAY, Ohio (March 11, 2003) — Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has bought specialty/off-road tire marketer Max-Trac Tire Co. Inc. for an undisclosed amount.

    The company, which does business as Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels, is based in Stow, Ohio, and also operates its Dick Cepek off-road division in Temecula, Calif. Max-Trac designs, develops and distributes specialty tires for street, drag strip, track and off-road racing.

    As part of the purchase, Cooper acquired the Mickey Thompson and Dick Cepek brands. For several years, Cooper — along with Specialty Tires of America Inc. — has supplied Max-Trac, providing specialty and off-road tires under the two brand names. Max-Trac also has provided trackside assistance for Cooper's Avon racing tires.

    In a statement, Cooper said it does not have any changes planned for the company's relationship with suppliers, and the business will continue to be managed from Stow.

    “We've had a great partnership for years, and now we can combine our resources for even more opportunities around the world,” said Mark F. Armstrong, president of Cooper's North American Tire Division.

    Mr. Armstrong added Cooper will look for areas to use the Mickey Thompson name to promote the tire maker's image in the racing arena. The deal, combined with the recent arrangement for Johnny Unser to act as performance tire adviser to Cooper, is part of the tire maker's stated plan to expand its ultra-high performance business.

    “We have an aggressive plan to grow sales in the (H-,V- and Z-rated) segments, which are the fastest-growing tire lines in the U.S. today,” Mr. Armstrong said in the statement. “And we have an even stronger presence in the radial light truck and SUV segments. This Mickey Thompson deal, with its racing and off-road connections, will help us in these efforts.”

    After years of competing against each other in the marketplace, in early 2000, following the liquidation of bankrupt longtime specialty tire and accessories marketer Dick Cepek Inc., Max-Trac stepped in to acquire the 42-year-old company's assets and resurrect its well-known product lines.

    At an auction of West Coast-based Cepek's holdings, privately held Max-Trac beat out two other firms with a winning bid of $1.6 million that gained it the Cepek name, its tire molds and its vehicle suspension and lighting divisions. Max-Trac also got all inventory left in Cepek's 11 retail stores and in its former Beaumont, Calif., headquarters and warehouse.

    Cepek had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 1999, but after months of unsuccessfully trying to find a buyer for the firm, the court ordered the case converted to a Chapter 7 liquidation in February 2000.

    Max-Trac's founder and namesake was auto racing legend Mickey Thompson who, with his wife, Trudy, were murdered March 16, 1988, in the driveway of their Bradbury, Calif., home. A former business partner, Michael Frank Goodwin, was charged with the murder and is awaiting trial.

    Max-Trac's president is Lee McMannis, whose father was a partner with Mr. Thompson in the founding of the company.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].

    Most Popular
    1
    Updated: ATD to buy Monro tire-distribution unit for $105M
    2
    Sun Auto Tire adds first locations in Oregon
    3
    Michelin worker dies at Nova Scotia tire plant
    4
    Allied Oil founder R. Conrad Heinson dies
    5
    Apollo fiscal '22 sales up 20%, earnings down
    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Newsletter Center

    Staying current is easy with Tire Business delivered straight to your inbox.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Subscribe to Tire Business

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Tire Business is an award-winning publication dedicated to providing the latest news, data and insights into the tire and automotive service industries.

    Reader Services
    • Staff
    • About Us
    • Site Map
    • Industry Sites
    • Order Reprints
    • Customer Service: 877-320-1716
    Partner Sites
    • Rubber News
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Automotive News
    • Plastics News
    • Urethanes Technology
    RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Media Guide
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Classified Rates
    • Digital Edition
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • OPINION
      • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
      • COMMERCIAL TIRE
      • GOVERNMENT & LAW
      • Humanitarian Award
      • RETAIL TIRES
      • SERVICE ZONE
      • TIRE MAKERS
      • Best Places to Work
      • RUSSIA WAR IN UKRAINE
    • Aligning with ADAS
    • Data
      • DATA STORE
    • Custom
      • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • Events
      • ASK THE EXPERT
      • LIVESTREAMS
      • WEBINARS
      • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
    • Resources
      • DIRECTORY
      • CLASSIFIEDS
      • SHOP FLOOR
        • BALANCING
        • DEMOUNTING
        • SAFETY
        • TIRE REPAIR
        • TPMS
        • TRAINING
        • VEHICLE LIFTING
        • WHEEL TORQUE
      • AWARDS
        • Best Places to Work
    • ADVERTISE
    • DIGITAL EDITION