Autoblog

Conn. Senator Murphy urges NASCAR to reconsider NRA race sponsorship [w/poll]

Zach Bowman — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Racing

Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy wants NASCAR officials to reconsider calling one of the sport's upcoming events, the NRA 500. Murphy, who has helmed the conversation on gun control in the US since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut last December, sent a letter to NASCAR officials asking them to reconsider the move. According to reports, the senator addressed his correspondence to Brian France, chairman and CEO of NASCAR, saying the National Rifle Association has placed itself at odds with both "the overwhelming majority of the American people, and even their own members" over the "proper response" to the tragic school shooting.

NASCAR, it should be noted, honored the victims of the Connecticut shooting with a special green-and-white car at the Daytona 500. The machine's livery featured a green Sandy Hook ribbon, along with instructions on how to donate to funds set up for victims. In his letter, Murphy said, "I believe it would be imprudent for NASCAR to step into such a heated political debate and take sides in this debate by allowing the NRA the title role in the race." The NRA 500 is set to take place April 13.

Meanwhile, Texas Motorspeedway president Eddie Gossage insists the naming has less to do with politics and more to do with sports marketing, and NASCAR has said race sponsorships are agreements between the track and the sponsor, though technically the race organization can approve or reject those agreements.

What do you think, should NASCAR reconsider its sponsorship with the NRA? Vote in our poll and have your say in Comments.

View Poll

Conn. Senator Murphy urges NASCAR to reconsider NRA race sponsorship [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Coca-Cola returning to F1 with Lotus sponsorship [w/videos]

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Lotus

Even before Red Bull Racing became a record-breaking three-time Constructor's Champion in Formula One, it has dominated conversations both as a team and as an energy drink. After seven years of "Red Bull this" and "Red Bull that," Coca-Cola is reportedly ready to jump into the F1 fray with its Sweden-based energy drink Burn.

Rumors had placed Coca-Cola's entry with McLaren F1, but it's actually Lotus that has secured the deal. We have no idea what the sponsorship will look like, but the website for Burn says that "We [intend] to foster that creativity by incorporating art and music in a way that will break the conventions of traditional F1 sponsorship," Lotus F1 team principal Eric Boullier adding "We are excited to partner with burn to build a new and innovative model for sponsorships that will combine experiences, content creation and social media..."

Since most - including this writer - have no idea what Burn is, we've included a couple of Burn commercial spots to help get us up to speed, which you'll find below. The 2012 season hasn't even ended, and we're already looking forward to 2013...

Continue reading Coca-Cola returning to F1 with Lotus sponsorship [w/videos]

Coca-Cola returning to F1 with Lotus sponsorship [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Nov 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyundai pulls out of all motorsports in North America [UPDATE]

Chris Paukert — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 09:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Hyundai, Racing

Following word from Rhys Millen Racing that its main sponsor, Hyundai, is withdrawing support from its Formula Drift and Global RallyCross Championship campaigns, the Korean automaker has confirmed to Autoblog that it is ceasing all motorsports support programs in North America.

With Hyundai building sales and financial momentum not just in NA but in virtually all markets in which it competes, the timing of the pullout from racing seems curious, but Hyundai reportedly wants to focus on new marketing strategies. Hyundai never really attempted to crack mainline motorsports series here in North America like NASCAR or IndyCar, instead preferring to get a toehold in racing via edgier (and less costly) extreme-sports-style forms of competition like rallycross, hillclimbs and drifting.

Millen's operation says it is looking for new sponsors and partners for next season, but Hyundai's support of the team will evidently remain until the conclusion of its 2012 seasons.

Hyundai will continue motorsports programs elsewhere in the world - indeed, is debuting a new i20 racecar concept at today's Paris Motor Show with which it plans to return to the World Rally Championship, a series it exited back in 2003.

UPDATE: Hyundai spokesperson Jim Trainor has provided us with the following statement:

"Hyundai Motor America has made a decision to step back and re-evaluate its motorsports strategy in order to determine what is best for the brand following the conclusion of the 2012 Global Rallycross and Formula Drift seasons. We are also reconsidering our continued involvement in Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, having achieved the world record in a Hyundai Genesis Coupe this year."

Hyundai pulls out of all motorsports in North America [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Scuderia Ferrari drops Marlboro from its name

Noah Joseph — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:07:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Ferrari

While cigarette-brand logos once adorned most of the Formula 1 cars on the grid, tobacco sponsorship in F1 has been banned for years. The last holdout was Ferrari, but even that's been scaled back to oblivion over the past few seasons.

As countries hosting races gradually banned tobacco advertising, Ferrari was forced to remove the Marlboro name and logo from its cars at some grands prix. Eventually, it was removed altogether in favor of the bar-code graphic that was, according to some, designed to evoke the Marlboro logo while skirting the sponsorship rules. Last year, even that was dropped after controversy erupted over the issue.

The last vestige of the collaboration between Ferrari and Philip Morris remained in the team's name, but reports now indicate that's over. The team is reverting from Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro to Scuderia Ferrari. This change comes after the two outfits recently announced a renewal of their contract, but you to wonder what Philip Morris is getting out of its multi-million-dollar sponsorship deal at this point, and by extension, how much longer it will last.

Scuderia Ferrari drops Marlboro from its name originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chevrolet sponsors 2011 Woodward Dream Cruise [w/video]

Aaron Richardson — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Classics, Chevrolet

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Chevrolet has inked a three-year deal to sponsor the Woodward Dream Cruise starting this year as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations. The arrangement means Chevrolet will enjoy an enormous showing at the next three Dream Cruises, with past, present and future models getting to bask in the limelight.

This year, the company will host a flotilla of its classic models, joined by some of its future performance products and the current Chevrolet Equinox, Volt, Cruze, Camaro and Corvette. To keep things exciting, Chevy will roll out a pre-production version of its upcoming 2012 Camaro ZL1 hot rod. That's certainly something worth looking forward to.

Sponsoring the Woodward Dream Cruise will put the Golden Bowtie front and center and it means the company will have a captive audience on its home turf to advertise, celebrate itself and get feedback on upcoming models. As always, you can expect a full suite of coverage right on these pages.

Check out the complete press release after the break, along with a video featuring various GM machinery at previous Dream Cruises.

Continue reading Chevrolet sponsors 2011 Woodward Dream Cruise [w/video]

Chevrolet sponsors 2011 Woodward Dream Cruise [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jaguar severs ties with Australian Olympian over homophobic Tweet?

Noah Joseph — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:42:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Marketing/Advertising, Jaguar, Australia, Celebrities

Stephanie Rice was crying when she apologized on television, but was probably crying even more when she had to hand back the keys of her complimentary Jaguar XF. The Australian triple-gold-medalist swimmer was apologizing for ostensibly off-hand remarks made via Twitter following an international rugby competition, remarks that have reportedly cost her a sponsorship deal with the British automaker's Australian arm.

According to Inside Line, after watching the Australian Wallabies rugby team - a member of which with whom Rice is reportedly romantically involved - defeat the South African Springboks, she reportedly derided the vanquished rivals as "faggots" in a Tweet on the popular social media portal. Rice subsequently apologized for her remarks, but Jaguar Australia evidently felt the association was no longer in their best interests and have terminated her deal as a result.

[Source: Inside Line]

Jaguar severs ties with Australian Olympian over homophobic Tweet? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

American Le Mans Series gets a new Patron

Noah Joseph — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising

Highcroft Acura ARX-02a sponsored by Tequila Patron - Click above for high-res image gallery

Imagine, if you will, that every motorsport discipline can be equated to one kind of alcohol or another. Formula One might be champagne. NASCAR, moonshine, or maybe a case of domestic light beer. Andros Trophy ice racing, vodka. (Grey Goose on the rocks, to be precise.) A martini at Le Mans, perhaps. So what kind of booze, then, would you equate with the American Le Mans Series? How about tequila? At least, that's what Patron would like you to think.

The agave booze brand has been active in the series pretty much since its inception, most notably sponsoring Highcroft Racing's Acura prototypes. This season the ironically lime-green livery will also be seen in the GT2 category on Extreme Speed's Ferraris (one of which, incidentally, will be driven by Patron chief Ed Brown) as well as on the Porsches fielded in the GT Challenge category by Alex Job Racing and Velox Motorsports.

The bigger news, however, is that starting this season, Patron will be the series' title sponsor. Like clothier Izod picked up the naming rights for the IndyCar Series, ALMS will now be dubbed the American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patron. Along with it you can expect more track-side advertising and hospitality. The news you can take to the bank, but the prospect of a complimentary shooter in the paddock you can take with a grain of salt or two.

Gallery: Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-02a at Laguna Seca 2009

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Autosport]

American Le Mans Series gets a new Patron originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Justin Timberlake named new Audi "brand ambassador"

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Marketing/Advertising, Hatchback, Audi, Celebrities

All we really want to do at this moment in time is make a never-ending series of N'Sync jokes. But we don't know any. So instead, let's talk about how Audi has just picked Justin Timberlake to be their new spokesman. What's JT doing specifically? Seems as if the four interlocking rings folks are gearing up to do some sort of "extraordinary Internet campaign" for the A1 and "That's where Timberlake will play a leading role."

Just yesterday, we published a report that the new Audi A1 will possibly not be coming to the U.S. Obviously, a star of Timberlake's caliber will be able to effectively move metal outside of our shores. But we have to wonder if Audi's naming Timberlake its brand ambassador doesn't kick a little sand into the eye of the A1-is-not-for-here theory. After the all, the guy started his music career on Star Search and later as a Mouseketeer. It seems fairly apparent that Audi would make a move like this if us American types are in fact getting their small premium city car. Then again, we're not really up on our star watching and our Significant Others tell us that JT is an international phenom. In any case, at this moment in time, we just don't know what to think. Press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2011 Audi A1 Graffiti Teasers

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Justin Timberlake named new Audi "brand ambassador"

Justin Timberlake named new Audi "brand ambassador" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mopar pulls sponsorship of Sam Hubinette's drift team

Damon Lavrinc — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Chrysler

Formula Drift Mopar Dodge Viper - Click above for a high-res gallery

In an unsurprising turn of events, Chrysler has pulled its sponsorship of Sam Hubinette's drifting team as part of the company's restructuring plan. The bankrupt automaker's Formula Drift program was run by Shaun Carlson's NuFormz Racing, which began with Mopar in 2002, competing in the NHRA Sport Compact division. The team eventually made their way into drifting in 2004, where Hubinette captured the championship behind the wheel of a Dodge Viper during Formula D's inaugural season. Hubinette went onto several podium finishes, placing second overall in 2006 and claiming runner-up finishes in both 2005 and 2008.

Although the team's last sideways outing will be at the New Jersey Speedway on June 5 and 6, Chrysler's Director of Brand Marketing and Strategy, Mike Accavitti, said in a release, "At this time, [Chrysler] plan[s] to continue supporting our other racing sponsorships into the foreseeable future." Make the jump for the press release.

[Source: Chrysler via EverythingDrift]

Continue reading Mopar pulls sponsorship of Sam Hubinette's drift team

Mopar pulls sponsorship of Sam Hubinette's drift team originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 May 2009 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford named Official Truck and SUV of Yankees

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Lifestyle

Audi is the official luxury vehicle of the New York Yankees, Toyota said it's a sponsor but hasn't said how, and now Ford joins the cavalcade of motorized Yankee stadium financial backers by providing the official truck and SUV of the pinstriped boys. The deal is mostly for signage on the field and concourse, along with Yankees promo materials, with some display dates thrown in (as with the Audi deal) on Babe Ruth Plaza. Ford hasn't said how long the partnership will last, but we suppose it's best to throw coin at promoting trucks and SUVs with the way gas prices are right now. With the new Yankee stadium giving up a record number of homers, maybe Ford can knock it out of the park as well. You can check out Ford's press release after the jump.

Continue reading Ford named Official Truck and SUV of Yankees

Ford named Official Truck and SUV of Yankees originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rahal-Letterman to quit IRL unless a sponsor steps up

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Click for a gallery of shots from the 2008 Detroit Grand Prix

Roger Penske once said "the quickest way to make a small fortune in racing is to start with a large fortune." Bobby Rahal is a racer, but he's no fool, and he appears to be taking Penske's sage words to heart. Unless a company steps up in the next couple of months with a truck-load of cash, Rahal-Letterman Racing won't be fielding a car in the 2009 IRL season. Rahal has seen plenty of other teams soldier on without a sponsor over the years only to finish at the back of the pack (if they finish at all) until they go bust. Rahal doesn't plan to be in that spot now that the ethanol company that sponsored his IndyCar team has pulled out. He and his partner David Letterman want to run in IndyCar, but if no one steps up before the the season opener on April 5, they won't be fielding a team. Rahal is confident the crew can at least line up something for the Indy 500 and the firm plans to remain in business regardless of what happens on the IRL front. The team has operations in Indy Lights, Formula BMW Americas and its factory ALMS GT2 program with the new BMW M3.

Gallery: Detroit Grand Prix 08: IndyCars

[Source: TSN]
Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Rahal-Letterman to quit IRL unless a sponsor steps up originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chrysler sponsors Terminator: Salvation, we see hope, irony

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Chrysler, Celebrities

If a company is going to stay in business, there's no question that it must continue to market itself. Yet Chrysler's choice to pay to do so via this summer's Terminator: Salvation is a head-scratcher. Some folks have made an issue -- a valid one -- of public funds being used to secure the sponsorship. Regardless of who's paying, we don't get this at all.

Chrysler's director of media, Susan Thomson, said "We have a following with the Terminator movies and we are going to continue with that." We have no idea what following she's speaking of, unless she means the ancient Dodge police car or equally ancient Jeep from the first film, neither of which made us think, "Chrysler rocks!" A modern, beat-up Wrangler makes a cameo in the latest trailer, but again, it doesn't leave us jonesing for a Jeep.

When all anyone wants from Chrysler is good looking, ably performing cars, we don't know what kind of mojo they expect to garner by showing up in the post-apocalypse. However, we also don't know what Chrysler's sponsorship entails. It could merely be a "Brought to you by" tag. Or maybe Chrysler just likes the word "Salvation." Or there could be a shiny red-eyed Terminator sub-frame hauling ass in a 2009 Dodge Ram with lasers and miniguns. Now that would rock. Hat tip to RDS

[Source: Reuters via World Car Fans]

Chrysler sponsors Terminator: Salvation, we see hope, irony originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

HUMMER ends sponsorship of Rod Hall Racing

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, SUV, GM, Hummer

Click above for high-res gallery of our time embedded with Team HUMMER

The swan song (or would that be swan hummer?) has come for HUMMER's involvement with Rod Hall Racing. HUMMER has announced it's ending sponsorship of the team that has brought it numerous race championships and victories. Last year's accolades include first in the stock full class in the Baja 1000, and season championship honors in SCORE's stock mini and stock full class, and the Best in the Desert series.

With General Motors a little light right now on the cash front, and with HUMMER up for sale, the move had to be expected. We had a chance to ride with Chad Hall in last year's Baja 500, and we can tell you that the Hall family and the trucks they drive are first class. The H1 and H2 SUT trucks are up for sale, so if you're keen to get in the dirt with some proven tech, there's probably no better place to start.

Gallery: The Baja 500: race day with Team HUMMER Racing

[Source: Hummer Guy]

HUMMER ends sponsorship of Rod Hall Racing originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

GM strikes out with Yankees, Toyota and Audi trot in from the 'pen

Alex Nunez — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:58:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Audi, GM, Toyota

When the Yankees move from the House That Ruth Built to the House The Boss Built next April, General Motors won't be part of the migration. In a move that's not particularly surprising, GM has announced that it will not be re-upping with the Yanks as a sponsor for the 2009 season. The Bronx Bombers aren't the only team that GM is severing ties with - the Pittsburgh Pirates' sponsorship also wasn't renewed, and the Associated Press is reporting that another six expiring Major League Baseball team contracts are "under review." We'd expect those to go "poof" as well, as GM looks to find areas where it can quickly and easily trim spending.

As for the Yankees, there's no need to break out the Kleenex for Team Steinbrenner. They are replacing GM as their official automotive sponsor with both Toyota and Audi. Hey, maybe it's time to bring back an old tradition. R8 bullpen car, anyone? Thanks for the tip, Jack!

[Source: AP via ESPN]

GM strikes out with Yankees, Toyota and Audi trot in from the 'pen originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Schumi's retired, but he still makes more than you

Noah Joseph — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:55:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Earnings/Financials

For a retiree, Michael Schumacher sure has been getting a lot of press lately. If he's not testing prototypes for Ferrari, he's taking on rivals in the Race of Champions or getting in trouble with the fuzz for driving a taxi. But the 7-time world champion is also making an awful lot of money for someone who isn't even working.

Thanks to continued partnerships with some of Schumacher's biggest sponsors, the driving superstar is expected to pull in a staggering €35 million over the next seven years, taking his sponsorship deals through 2014.

Schumi's manager Willi Weber has been hard at work maintaining the commercial relationships with such big sponsors as Shell, Omega and Deutsche Vermogenberatung. At this year's RoC, the champ wore a white, black and orange suit decked out in sponsor's logos instead of the scarlet he wore while driving for Ferrari.

[Source: F1-Live, Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty]

Schumi's retired, but he still makes more than you originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Telecom wars come to NASCAR: Nextel vs. AT&T

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:19:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising

Over the past decade, SBC has spent hundreds of millions of dollars establishing the Cingular Wireless brand name, billions more buying AT&T Wireless, switching all their customers over to Cingular, and dropping the AT&T Wireless brand. Then, when they bought the rest of AT&T as well as Bell South, and for reasons known only to some marketing genius deep in the bowels of the company, they threw away all that investment and decided to drop the Cingular brand and switch the cellular service back to AT&T.

What does any of this have to do with cars you might ask? Well it goes back to 2003 when Nextel stepped in to replace Winston as the title sponsor of NASCARs top series. Nextel didn't want their investment diluted by the presence of competitors on the cars. Cingular and Alltel were both sponsoring cars at the time and were allowed to maintain that sponsorship as long as they didn't expand it or switch teams. Of course since the Cingular brand is going away, AT&T would like to change the branding on the Richard Childress Racing #31 car and therein lies the rub. NASCAR wants to block the change to the ~~new~~ ~~old~~ new branding and AT&T is suing NASCAR to make it happen. Remember when there was once a time when racing was about who got get the finish line the fastest instead of about which company got the most screen time and mentions from commentators and drivers?

[Source: Advertising Age]

Telecom wars come to NASCAR: Nextel vs. AT&T originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Golf Clap: Lexus sponsors USGA

Dan Roth — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 06:55:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Lexus

Unless we see LS 460s and Lucernes out on the greens tearing it up in a combination demolition derby-polo match, we're going back to sleep. In a snore-inducing move, Lexus has signed up with the US Golf Association to be the official vehicle of the US Open, US Women's Open, US Senior Open, and US Amateur. Lexus will also be the USGA's first-ever automotive partner. Tiger, however, will stick with Buick.

Lexus stepped up their involvement with the sport in an effort to further engage their customers, who are apparently passionate about golf. In support of their collaboration with the USGA, Lexus will be rolling out a multifaceted media campaign including advertising, direct marketing, events, and, of course, the auto brand will be on-site at USGA events. We're sure to see more Lexus branding and signage in television coverage, as well. The Lexus golf team has been expanded by the addition of some members from the Toyota team, and there's some big names playing for the brand. Lexus is actually involved in sponsoring many different types of sporting events -- polo, tennis, golf, sailing; a laundry-list of rarefied sports.

We suppose that there probably are a fair amount of Lexi in country-club parking lots, and most of them can haul a foursome's worth of clubs without a hiccup. Golf just seems so... dispassionate and indifferent from a car guy's point of view. Then again, that's the prevailing car guy notion of Lexus, as well; perhaps it really does make for a neat dovetail. Golf is not particularly easy to excel at, nor is it easy to build cars as obsessively tweezed as the Lexus lineup, but neither golf nor luxo-Toyotas get our adrenaline pumping as much as a simple parking lot autocross with something as mundane as a '91 Scoupe.

You can find the press release after the jump.

[Source: Lexus via Automotive News - sub req'd]

Continue reading Golf Clap: Lexus sponsors USGA

Golf Clap: Lexus sponsors USGA originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Jan 2007 06:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Anyone got $18 million for Jacques?

Noah Joseph — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 16:26:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Earnings/Financials

Evidently undeterred by the breakdown in negotiations to get himself into the Busch series, and ever-determined to make it into NASCAR one way or another, Jacques Villeneuve is making some fine progress in starting up his own team.

The former world champion has reportedly reached an agreement with Roush Racing, Ford's biggest fielder of stock cars, to help him set up his own team. After winning the Indy 500 and the CART title, JV moved to F1, and has raced for half a dozen teams since then. As such, he may have a good scope of how teams are run, but running his own team in NASCAR should present a whole new slew of challenges to the French-Canadian driver.

What the Jacques needs now is more than love, sweet love...he needs to secure $18 million in sponsorship to finance the venture. Certainly not an impossibility for a name like Villeneuve, but any way you cut it, that's a big lump of cash for a series rookie to raise on his own.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

Anyone got $18 million for Jacques? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 Dec 2006 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Takuma Sato earns the big bucks

Noah Joseph — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 19:26:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Japan, Honda, Earnings/Financials

You may be shocked and startled to find out that Takuma Sato is among the highest-paid drivers in F1. This despite his dismal driving record, reputation as an irresponsible driver, and inability to hold on to his race seat without protection from his patrons at Honda.

Factoring in his salary from perennial backmarkers Super Aguri, plus his sponsorship contracts - which we'd assume would be substantial given Japan's love of F1 and Sato's standing as Japan's premier racing driver - Takuma pulled in an estimated $7.7 million in 2006. His new team-mate at Super Aguri, meanwhile, will be paid about $250,000 - barely a fraction of Sato's earnings.

That kind of dough puts Takuma in the same earning bracket as world champion Fernando Alonso and ahead of his old team-mate Jenson Button, among many, many other well-reputed drivers.

At this point, Autoblog would like to welcome Super Aguri to hire any member of our writing staff. There are several of us who'd be glad to crash a whole bunch of cars for you for a lot less than $7.7 million!

[Source: F1i]

Takuma Sato earns the big bucks originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Nov 2006 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments