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USF2000 to Join ALMS Weekend
At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca May 20-23;
Exhibition Doubleheader Will Set Stage
For Likely Addition to 2011 Schedule

PALMETTO, Fla., April 6 - The Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National
Championship powered by Mazda's 2010 schedule features races in the East, the
South and the Midwest. Today series officials announced they are making a
special effort to reach out to open-wheel racing's rising stars on the West
Coast too by staging a special exhibition doubleheader during the American Le
Mans Series (ALMS) weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.
May 20-23.

Although this year's doubleheader will be a non-points event, series
officials said they hope the venue can be added to the USF2000 Championship
schedule starting in 2011.

The event gives drivers who are already competing in this year's USF2000
Championship the opportunity to test during actual race conditions on one of
the continent's most popular road courses while vying for a special enhanced
prize package posted to help offset their travel costs.

The fans will benefit too. They'll get the opportunity to see the
established sports car stars of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila
Patrón and the stars of the future in both open-wheel and sports car racing
tackle the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course, including its famous Corkscrew, all
on one weekend.

Many top drivers in the IZOD IndyCar Series and endurance sports car racing
honed their skills in F2000, and the Cooper Tires presents the USF2000
National Championship powered by Mazda is an important training ground for
rising stars. The series is the revival of the very popular USF2000 series of
1990 through 2006. Sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, it and the Star Mazda
Championship presented by Goodyear are the only two series that are part of
both the IRL's Road to Indy ladder system and the MAZDASPEED Motorsports
driver development program.

The event at Mazda's "home" track will be a showcase for many of the series
that Mazda and Cooper Tires support, as the Playboy Mazda MX5 Cup, Cooper
Tires Prototype Lites Championships, the Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama and
the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear are all on the card in
addition to USF2000 and the ALMS.

The USF2000 competitors are invited to participate in the promoter's test
day at the track on Thursday, May 20. Two official practice sessions that
are part of the event, called the American Le Mans Series Monterey presented
by Patrón, will be held on Friday, May 21. Qualifying will follow the next
morning prior to the ALMS headliner that afternoon. The USF2000 doubleheader
exhibition races will be 30-minute races on Sunday, May 23 at 10:15 a.m. and
2:30 p.m. The starting line-up for the afternoon race will be established by
each competitor's fastest race lap during the race in the morning.

"We wanted to include Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on our 2010 calendar of
events, and we're delighted that the opportunity has now presented itself so
our drivers can compete there," said Dan Andersen, chief executive officer of
Andersen Promotions, which promotes the USF2000 Championship. "Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca is one of the greatest road courses in North America, and I
know our USF2000 competitors will put on a terrific show for the fans. While
this is a non-points event this year, we hope to return in 2011 with an event
on our regular schedule."

As yet another way Mazda and Cooper Tires are supporting the USF2000
series, Mazda has posted $10,000 in additional prize money for the Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca doubleheader for the Championship class podium finishers whose
cars are powered by the Mazda MZR engine. Cooper Tires is also offering some
free tires to teams that competed in the season-opening doubleheader at the
St. Petersburg Grand Prix March 27-28 in St. Petersburg, Fla. The series is
also offering price reductions on entry fees for teams that competed in St.
Petersburg to help defray their expenses of towing to California. Staubli,
Tilton and Performance Friction Brakes will also award their usual USF2000
contingency prizes.

Andersen added that the USF2000 series has arranged for the Pacific F2000
series to join the USF2000 series at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and compete
within the USF2000 series' National class.

Those USF2000 drivers who decide to make the trip west will have a street
course and a road course race under their belts before they tackle the
series' two oval-track races on the 2010 schedule. They will be held May 29 at
O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Ind. and June 19 at Iowa Speedway in
Newton, Iowa. In addition to tweaking their Laguna Seca set-ups for possible
points races there next year they will also be preparing for the bulk of this
year's season, which will be staged solely on road courses after the race at
Iowa.

For more information see usf2000.com.

About Mazda:

On any given weekend there are more Mazdas on the road courses of America
than any other brand of vehicle. MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and
other vintage Mazda models are all popular race cars because every Mazda has
the soul of a sports car. In fact, the largest road-racing class in the
world is Spec Miata. With more than 2,500 first- and second-generation Miatas
tearing up America's racetracks, it the most-raced production car in the
world. Mazda's involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with one
of the world's premier road courses, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey,
Calif., and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary in the United States in 2010, Mazda North
American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. It oversees the
sales, marketing, parts business and customer service of Mazda vehicles in the
United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in
Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario. Operations in
Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

For more information see MazdaUSA.com.

About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company:

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is a global company that specializes in the
design, manufacture, marketing and sales of passenger car and light truck
tires and subsidiaries that specialize in medium truck, motorcycle and racing
tires. With headquarters in Findlay, Ohio, Cooper Tire has manufacturing,
sales, distribution, technical and design facilities within its family of
companies located in 10 countries around the world.

For more information visit Cooper Tire's Web site at coopertire.com.