By Barry Copping, Crain News Service
MELKSHAM, England (Sept. 11, 2013) — Cooper Tire Europe Ltd. has engaged ex-Formula 1 driver David Coulthard as "ambassador" for its ultra-high performance (UHP) tire range.
Mr. Coulthard, 42, chalked up 13 F1 wins during a 15-year career, driving for the Williams, McLaren and Red Bull F1 teams. He now anchors BBC-TV's F1 television coverage.
Cooper introduced Mr. Coulthard as its UHP ambassador during the recent launch of its Zeon CS Sport range. The Melksham-based subsidiary of Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. said Mr. Coulthard helped with testing and development of the CS Sport.
He will offer technical advice and feedback to Cooper's product development team and represent the manufacturer at key events.
"By pairing with Cooper Tires as ambassador of its UHP range," he said, "there's a sense I've returned to a company which was a big part of my pre-Formula 1 career. I cut my teeth in F3 and F3000 on Avon Tyres, which is a Cooper Tires brand—and Cooper is the current supplier to the British F3 Series."
After retiring from F1 in 2008, Mr. Coulthard returned to racing in 2010, driving for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM German Touring Car Championship.
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Barry Copping is editor of European Rubber Journal, a UK-based sister publication of Tire Business.