British GP gets new sponsor
Added on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
British GP gets new sponsor
Low cost airline Air Asia has been confirmed as the title sponsor of the British MotoGP at Silverstone on 18-20 June 2010.
The airline, which serves some 130 destinations in the Asian region as well as a number of long-haul destinations, including Australia, the UAE and London’s Stansted Airport through its Air Asia X affiliate, will become the title sponsor of the Air Asia British Grand Prix at Silverstone later this year.
The company is no stranger to MotoGP, having sponsored wildcard riders Elly Idzlianizar Ilias and Mohd Zulfahmi Khairuddinfor in last year’s Malaysian 125cc Grand Prix and this latest announcement is seen as being part of the company’s commitment to supporting motorcycle racing.
“We had our first taste of MotoGP when we sponsored the entries of Elly and Zulfahmi. It was a magnificent experience,” said AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes. “The boys did Malaysia proud, and we were thrilled to have helped make their dream a reality. We are proud and excited to be back in the MotoGP this year, with a bigger role by being the title sponsor of the British Grand Prix in Silverstone.”
“We are extremely happy that the best low-cost airline has chosen MotoGP to increase its impact on both the European and World stage, and specifically in the United Kingdom,” added Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. “It is fantastic to go back to Silverstone for this year’s race, and to do it with a new sponsor who has shown its dedication to the promotion of new talent – by sponsoring young riders last season – and the sport in general makes it even more satisfying.”
The deal is a significant boost for the British Grand Prix, with last year’s event at Donington Park left without a sponsor following the decision of gaming firm Bwin not to renew their deal before Visit Spain stepped in with a last minute offer.
Meanwhile, Silverstone have dismissed suggestions that the circuit’s redevelopment is behind schedule, with boss Richard Phillips claiming that the construction teams have caught up following some minor delays in construction due to recent snow.
“We started in December and have done a lot already and we are very pleased with the progress,” said Phillips.
“We have six teams of people working at once and the circuit is changing on a daily basis.
“We lost a bit of time due to the snow earlier this year but we are on track to be ready comfortably in time.
“We have also started work on the new F1 pits so we are busier than we expected to be but we are handling the workload fine and we are extremely excited about hosting the Grand Prix this summer.”
