Leading international fluid systems company PIRTEK has reinforced its commitment to V8 Supercars with the naming rights sponsorship of the V8 Supercars Enduro Cup for the next four years.
The PIRTEK Enduro Cup will be awarded to the V8 Supercar driver and co-driver combination with the most points accumulated from three iconic Australian events – the Sandown 500 in September; and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and Armor All Gold Coast 600 in October.
The winner of the PIRTEK Enduro Cup will be presented with a perpetual Cup, designed and created by leading international Australian artist James Corbett, and which is set to be one of the most easily-recognised trophies in Australian sport.
This year’s PIRTEK Enduro Cup will be the first time the three V8 Supercar endurance races will be drawn into their own Championship-within-a-Championship.
V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton (pictured left) welcomed PIRTEK’s support of the new Enduro Cup and the commitment to a four-year agreement, with a further option to extend during today’s official announcement at the Michael Commerford Art Gallery in Sydney.
“The iconic Sandown 500 and Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 have been amongst the most prestigious sporting events in Australia for half a century,” Mr Warburton said.
“Last year we announced the Armor All Gold Coast 600 would join them in the Enduro Cup.
“With its wonderful heritage in motorsport, it’s fantastic to be able to announce that PIRTEK will assume the naming rights for the PIRTEK Enduro Cup.”
PIRTEK has had a long association with Australian sport and V8 Supercar racing in particular. They were the naming rights sponsor of Marcos Ambrose’s famous Championship wins in 2003 and 2004, the PIRTEK Legends Series on the streets of the Gold Coast, had a relationship with TOLL Holden Racing Team and currently sponsor former MotoGP Champion Casey Stoner in the Dunlop Development Series and former Bathurst winner Nick Percat in the Porsche Carrera Cup.
PIRTEK has also been a long-term sponsor of the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League competition and support a wealth of grassroots community projects throughout the country through their 94 franchisees.
PIRTEK CEO Stephen Dutton (pictured right) said he believed the support of the PIRTEK Enduro Cup was a natural extension of his company’s commitment to Australian motorsport.
“The V8 Supercars endurance races represent quality, durability, preparation and teamwork from each of the 28 cars that begin all three of these events and that’s exactly what PIRTEK is all about,” said Mr Dutton.
“These elements are the foundation of PIRTEK’s systems which have seen the company grow from a small Western Sydney business to having over 400 franchises in 22 countries around the world.
“The endurance races at Sandown, Bathurst and the Gold Coast transcend sport in Australia and are renowned around the world as some of the most hard fought sporting contests that motorsport delivers.
“PIRTEK is committed for the next four years to this program. From our time back winning two Championships with Marcos Ambrose through to our current support of Casey Stoner, V8 Supercars has constantly delivered for our brand and franchisees.
“The PIRTEK Enduro Cup will extend that relationship and provides outstanding opportunities for us to engage all of our stakeholders both locally and internationally.”
To add a further piece of history to today’s announcement, the 2013 PIRTEK Enduro Cup is the first time since V8 Supercars inauguration in 1997 that four manufacturers will fight it out for each of the events, with four Nissan Altima’s and three Erebus Motorsport Mercedes-AMG E63’s joining the traditional Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore base.
All three of the PIRTEK Enduro Cup events take on very different racing formats at unique circuits and PIRTEK will be undergoing major activations for spectators, customers and franchisees alike at each one.
Furthermore, PIRTEK will be putting in place a major media and social media campaign around James Corbett’s design and creation of the actual PIRTEK Enduro Cup.
The Sandown 500 is a two-driver, 500 kilometre race to be held on Sunday, September 15. Individual qualifying races will be held for each driver on the Saturday of the event, with the combined results to determine the grid for Sunday’s race.
The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 is Australian motor racing’s answer to the Melbourne Cup. Engulfing the NSW regional city of Bathurst for four days between October 10-13, the Bathurst 1000 is a six hour, two-driver flat dogfight fight around 6.213 kilometres of majestic, mountainous roadways.
Finally, the PIRTEK Enduro Cup will end with the party to end all parties – the Armor All Gold Coast 600. Two 300km races will be held within Australia’s holiday playground. A new focus to include home grown drivers and bring back the fun of the Gold Coast to the event will be a fitting end to what promises to be the most exciting trio of endurance races in the history of the V8 Supercars Championship.
