By Steve Wittich
Andersen Promotions and the three USF Pro Championships (USF Juniors, USF2000, and USF Pro 2000) will have a new tire partner for the upcoming 2024 seasons. Continental Tire (Continental) will replace the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (Cooper) as the sole supplier of tires for the race series. Additionally, this means the USF Pro Championships will go through a rebranding process in the off-season and will enter 2024 as the USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire.
Continental, a long-time partner with IMSA and Grand-Am, currently produces tires for the Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America. The U.S. headquarters for the German company is in Fort Mill, SC. The tires will be manufactured at Hoosier Racing Tire in Plymouth, Ind., and supplied to competitors beginning in November for off-season testing.
“We are excited to partner with the USF Pro Championships,” said Travis Roffler, Director of Marketing, Continental Tire. “We have a long and diverse history of competing in different avenues of motorsport – from sports cars to Stadium Super Trucks – and now in the open-wheel racing ranks. The Continental brand focuses on delivering products for premium performance and we’re thrilled to provide that to the USF Pro 2000, USF2000 and USF Juniors championships.”
“Our experience in high-performance racing aligns well with the USF series’ driver development program,” said Joerg Burfien, President & CEO, Hoosier Racing Tire. “We look forward to progressing the career of racers around the world and elevating this series to new heights while creating an exciting experience for all.”
Cooper Tires has been an essential partner in developing American junior formula open-wheel drivers on and off the track for almost two decades. Unfortunately, the closure of their Melksham, England manufacturing facility means the long-standing relationship with Andersen Promotions comes to an end with the USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires and USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires finales at the Portland International Raceway this weekend.
Cooper began their support of the Formula Atlantic Championship in 2007, joining USF2000 (2010-2023), USF Pro 2000 (2013-2023), and INDY NXT/Indy Lights (2014-2022).
On the track, the Findlay, Ohio-based Cooper played an essential role in the development of hundreds of drivers, including NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winners Colton Herta, James Hinchcliffe, Kyle Kirkwood, Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, and Rinus VeeKay. The loyal sponsor was an essential contributor to the over $26M in prizes and awards distributed since 2010.
Off the track, Cooper’s enthusiastic activation and consistent sponsorship with promoters allowed the ladder series the opportunity to join the INDYCAR circus. Since 2014, Cooper has sponsored the monthly Cooper Tires Hashtag program, instructing drivers and teams on the importance and impact of social media.
“We are fortunate to have had 14 great seasons with Cooper Tires,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “Change was inevitable, but we will be forever grateful to Cooper Tires, Chris Pantani [Senior Manager, Event Marketing, Sponsorships and Motorsports] and his team. Their passion drove our sport, and our ladder program wouldn’t be what it is today without them.
“Moving forward, we had solid interest from five major tire brands, which was gratifying in underscoring the professional racing program we have in place. We are excited to announce a new partner in the coming days and look forward to building our partnership for many years to come.”
Andersen added a previous relationship with Hoosier back in the 1990s, during an earlier iteration of the USF2000 series.
“My earliest tire provider in racing back in 1992 was Hoosier Racing Tires and they were a terrific partner for all those early years,” Andersen said. “They have always built high quality products, made here in the U.S., and with great trackside service so it was natural for me to reach out to their parent company, Continental Tire.”
Nicolas Giaffone wrapped up the second USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires championship at Circuit of The Americas last weekend. The USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires and USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires titles will be decided with a pair of tripleheaders at Portland International Raceway this weekend. Pabst Racing and Force Indy pilot Myles Rowe leads the USF Pro 2000 standings by 58 points over DEForce Racing’s Kiko Porto. In USF2000, Pabst Racing’s Simon Sikes owns a substantial 69-point lead over Lochie Hughes in the chase for the $433,200 Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship.