Cooper tires rock...

http://www.motorcities.com/vehicle/09GCC321132621.html said: 2009 Avon Tires Aiming for Record Run of Pikes Peak Avon Tyres aiming for record run on Pikes Peak hill climb Avon Tyres is aiming to be the first tyre manufacturer to beat the 10-minute barrier at the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event on July 19. Essex-based team, Mach 2 Racing, is entering the famous race up the Pikes Peak mountain in Colorado Springs, USA, with a 1,150bhp Ford RS200 driven by double ex-British Rallycross Champion, Mark Rennison. The 12-mile Pikes Peak course starts at 9,440 feet and ends at an altitude of 14,110 feet. Its 156 turns, mixture of asphalt and gravel surfaces and the sheer drops of up to 6,000 feet make it one of the toughest challenges in motorsport. But Rennison and car owner, pharmaceutical businessman Alan Greenwood, believe they have the car, and the tyres, to complete the course in under 10 minutes, a feat that has never been achieved. The Mach 2 Racing RS200 has been developed specifically for the Pikes Peak event. Its Garrett turbo and high-octane fuel deliver 950bhp, but 70 litres of Nitrous Oxide gas boosts the power output to a mind-numbing 1,150bhp. Rennison raced on Avon’s acclaimed rallycross tyres when he won the British Rallycross Championship (BRC) in 1987 and ’88 and said there was no contest as to his choice of rubber for such a gruelling event. “When I first tested the car, it was on different tyres but the team had some Avon rallycross tyres so I tried them and they transformed the car,” he explained. “We tested the tyres at Millbrook on harsh concrete and they stood up extremely well, so I am sure they will be well-suited to the Pikes Peak course. “If everything on the day goes right and the weather conditions are good beating the 10-minute barrier shouldn’t be a problem. But strange things happen at Pikes Peak, it’s a unique event.” Practice on different sections of the hillclimb will be between July 15-17, with each competitor getting a single timed run up the full course on Sunday, July 19.

Cooper tires is controlling interest in AVON IIRC.

That sounds cool. I do not like the company though. I had 2 sets of avon tires and i liked them alot, but they discontinued all the sizes that fit any vehicles i have.

I hope this leads to a pair of Kiwis putting a real effort into defending the family crown...

I'd love to see them drag the Celica out of mothballs!

I don't know, the current record was made on (to my knowledge) off the shelf Falkens.

http://www.larrymason.net/images/PICT3796.JPG

http://www.falkentire.com/Tires/Ziex-S-TZ04-6

http://www.suzukisport.com/motorsport/hillclimb/07/ppihc/en/index.html

Cooper Tires also used this music for one of their commercials:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdSr88U1M5A

Carmen (frolicking), Dave (playing), and Perry (posturing) - what's not to like?

Isn't Pikes Peak mostly or fully paved now making a new record not really comparable to past records?

Yep, it's mostly paved and has some guard rails now, so when the weather gods allow, the ten minute barrier will certainly fall, and fall big. In ideal weather I wouldn't be surprised to see a 9:30 run, probably by Tajima because he knows the hill. I'd love to see Gronholm do it, but the Fiestas don't look to have nearly enough aero for the thin air. The RS200 looks cool, and they are among my all-time favorite cars, but they haven't done well in the half-dozen times they have been used in the past, even in the hands of Blomqvist (the REAL Stig).

Now the DRIVER I'd really like to see tackle the Peak in a really good car is Loeb! I've seen Vatanen, Rohrl, and Millen run, and I'd bet that Seb would be just as cool.

I just love reading pre-Peak press releases from teams who haven't been there before. The horsepower claims get more and more outrageous (1150? Please!) and the vertical dropoff claims get more ridiculous - 6000 feet? Bottomless Pit is pretty much the only really big one, and I'd bet that examining a USGS map would show that it's more like maybe 800 or so.

Still, plenty of time to get scared before the sudden stop...

But I agree - Roddy ran the "Tacoma" at Goodwood, it wouldn't take much prep to have it ready, just the OK from Toyota and a big sponsor check. You want to see aero, you would not believe the size of its ground effect tunnels!

Cooper just shut down their plant in my hometown, costing the community about 30% of the manufacturing jobs in the whole town. While I don't begrudge them their business decision, I can't be too happy with them right now, even if they sponsor cool stuff.

Those pictures look like R/C cars.