With one of the fastest tracks of the season under his belt, Verdier marked 100 mph plus as he slid his way to victory on Cooper Zeon 2XS ultra-high performance tires at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., August 21-22. Adding to the excitement, fans were also treated to both drifting and IndyCar Series racing during the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma weekend.

Verdier fought through a laundry list of top-notch challengers on his way to his first professional title including Kazu Hayashida, Chris Forsberg, Vaughn Gittin, Ryuji Miki and Ken Gushi. The victory moves Verdier into the top 10 of the championship standings.

“What an unbelievable finish to a great weekend,” said Verdier. “This victory obviously means a lot to the Cooper Tire team and me personally. Tires play such an important role in drifting and I credit my win to the tires for providing high track speeds in addition to a high level of control.”

Entering its sixth season, Formula DRIFT is recognized as the North American professional drifting championship series. As the first official series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme attracting fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life. This high-skilled, high-powered motorsport where drivers intentionally maneuver their cars into well executed, controlled sideways slides at high speeds through a marked course, has more than 60 professional drivers competing in all seven competitions this year.

Verdier, and other Cooper-sponsored drifters, compete on a mix of Cooper Zeon tires including the Cooper Zeon RS3, Cooper Zeon 2XS, Cooper Zeon Sport A/S and Cooper Zeon ZPT. Cooper Zeon tires are known for providing excellent cornering ability and steering response along with optimum wet and dry traction while at high speeds.

Cooper Tire and Verdier will look to defend their title October 16 and 17 at the Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, Calif., in the final event of the Forumla DRIFT season – Judgement Day. Tickets are available at http://www.formulad.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: http://www.coopertire.com.