Virgin Australia is to become the naming rights partner of the V8 Supercars championship for the next five years, with fans and teams set to benefit from the airline’s new V8 Supercars travel platform.
The V8 Supercars Championship will become known as the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship from July 1. The deal will see Virgin Australia carry the 26 drivers and their support staff from the 11 teams, together with thousands of fans around the country each year through its new dedicated Virgin Australia Supercars Championship travel platform. This platform will help fans travel to races, which take place in each state and the Northern Territory across ten months of the year.
“We are delighted to welcome one of Australia’s most recognisable and premium brands as our naming rights partner for the next five years,” said V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton. “We are focused on delivering a first class experience for our fans and this is a big win for our fans who fly thousands of kilometers every year across the country.
“Supercars generate $250 million in economic and tourism benefits to the cities and regions we visit in every state and territory and Virgin Australia will play a vital role in continuing to drive this growth.”
The new partnership with Virgin Australia means a switch to ‘Supercars’ comes earlier than expected, with fans not expecting to see the brand change until 2017 as the sport transitions into its ‘Gen2’ regulations.
While the name change takes effect early, this does not affect the regulations or bring forward Gen2, which opens up body shape and engine requirements.
“V8 engines will always be part of our sport,” added Warburton. “But as we continue to open the door to new manufacturers and different engine configurations as part of the transition to the Gen2 regulations, we believe the time is right to move Supercars.”
