A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and Ferrari announce landmark partnership

from Automotive (1605 articles)

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Ferrari has signed a six year deal with A1GP

October 12, 2007 In one of those rare deals which promises great benefits for both parties, the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and Ferrari have reached a long term agreement for the supply of engines as well as to design chassis and consult on manufacture for new cars.

The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport was launched in March 2004 as a single car, control-tyred race series that pits driver against driver and country against country, bringing together 22 nations to compete as equals, without financial or technological advantage.

By supplying engines and consulting on the car, Ferrari is consolidating its position at the pinnacle of motorsport and from a country viewpoint (the teams are based around countries), every national team will be driving a Ferrari, further engendering positive emotions for the company across the world. For the race series itself, which has effectively been manufactured from zero, the deal gives it the utmost credibility in that everyone will be racing cars of the highest pedigree… and they'll all be the same. Perhaps the only weakness in the formula up to now is that the cars have not been perceived as F1 level cars - now they will be.

The six-year agreement will see Ferrari manufacture and supply all A1GP engines for this unique series as well as design and consult on the manufacture of all A1GP car chassis for use in Season Four (2008/09). The partnership with Ferrari extends to an exclusive licensing agreement for all A1GP merchandise to use the Ferrari name and phrase ‘Powered by Ferrari’ from January 2008.

“Partnering with a world-class organization like Ferrari will officially position A1GP as one of the most significant motorsport series’ in the world,” said A1GP Chairman, Tony Teixeira.

The introduction of A2GP has also been announced - this regional single-seat racing car series developed by A1GP will begin testing in 2009. Ferrari will be integral to the growth of the new series and will again supply all engines and design and consult on the manufacture of the new chassis. “Ferrari will add significant value to our brand and in our opinion there is no better partner to progress the series,” added Mr Teixeira. “We will be meeting with our commercial partners over the next few weeks to discuss the multitude of exciting opportunities that this partnership presents.” Finally Tony Teixeira notes; ‘Ferrari has a global presence through its dealer network. We will be working closely with them to ensure that they are a part of every A1GP World Cup of Motorsport event.’

About A1GP With three days of on-track action, an A1GP event offers a rare opportunity for fans to interact with teams and drivers. Now entering its third season and taking in a mix of established world- famous venues plus exciting new state-of-the-art facilities and tight twisty street circuits, A1GP promises to deliver high-speed adrenalin fuelled action at every turn.

This season’s fixture list is as follows: 1) 30 September 2007 A1GP Zandvoort, The Netherlands 2) 14 October 2007 A1GP Brno, Czech Republic 3) 25 November 2007 A1GP Sepang, Malaysia 4) 16 December 2007 A1GP Zhuhai, China 5) 20 January 2008 A1GP Taupo, New Zealand 6) 3 February 2008 A1GP Sydney, Australia 7) 24 February 2008 A1GP Durban, South Africa 8) 16 March 2008 A1GP Mexico City, Mexico 9) 13 April 2008 A1GP Shanghai, China 10)4 May 2008 A1GP Brands Hatch, Great Britain