The tyres were unveiled at Silverstone during the launch of the 2011 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series, where they were bolted on to the race car of Carlin driver, Rupert Svendsen–Cook.
The 2011 season is also the 30th consecutive year that Cooper Tire and its associate brand, Avon Tyres, have acted as sole supplier to the prestigious championship.
In the last 60 years, the list of former British F3 competitors to progress to Grand Prix racing include such luminaries as Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Jenson Button, Damon Hill, David Coulthard, Martin Brundle, Nelson Piquet, Johnny Herbert, Mika Hakkinen and Rubens Barrichello to name but a few.
Julian Baldwin, Managing Director of Cooper Tire Europe, said, “The Cooper and Avon brands have been involved in Formula 3 for half of the entire existence of the series in Britain. The diamond anniversary is huge landmark for Formula 3 and we are proud to continue our long-standing relationship with one of the most important single-seater championships in the world.”
Keeble, owner of FK Diamonds, said, “The process of setting the diamonds was certainly a little different from what we are used to doing.”
In order to set the crystals and diamonds, Keeble cut the Cooper logo out of metal and then set the stones within that to ensure they would be secure. The individual lettering was then attached to the tyre with a strong adhesive.
The first round of the Cooper Tire British F3 International Series is at Oulton Park in Cheshire on April 23-25.
