PGA Tour veteran Jim Furyk has announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Constellation.

Constellation’s logo will be prominently featured on Furyk’s tournament apparel – two locations on the golfer’s shirt – for all tournaments and professional functions during the three-year term (2013-2015).

Furyk, ampoule a 42-year-old, 20-year Professional Golfers Association (PGA) professional and U.S. Open Champion, also will be featured in promotional materials and participate in Constellation sponsored hospitality events. 

“Jim is a world class professional who has won 16 tournaments and played at a championship level for two decades,” said Kenneth Cornew, president and CEO, Constellation.  “He’s passionate about winning and his approach to the game is intelligent, analytical and, above all, strategic.  It’s the same philosophy we embrace in helping customers customize a strategy to meet their complex energy and power supply needs.  Jim is a consummate pro our customers can relate to and we’re pleased he’ll be championing the Constellation brand on and off the course.”

Furyk, currently 27th in global golf rankings, enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with Exelon Corporation, Constellation’s parent company, serving as host of the Exelon Invitational tournament in Pennsylvania from 1999-2010.

“Constellation is an industry leader, serving more than one million customers nationwide and two-thirds of the Fortune 100,” said Furyk. “We share the same approach to strategy, competition and winning, and I’m proud to represent the company and serve as an ambassador to its customers.”

Putinka Vodka will sponsor the No. 4 Rev Racing Toyota Camry of Bryan Ortiz in his attempt to win the inaugural UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona International Speedway, an all-star event consisting of the top drivers in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series East and West divisions on Tuesday, Feb. 19.

Tonight’s race marks the second time that Putinka Vodka will support Ortiz’s NASCAR effort. The Puerto Rican driver, who finished fifth in last year’s K&N East point standings, piloted a Putinka-sponsored entry in last fall’s K&N West season finale at Phoenix International Raceway to an eighth-place finish.

“Putinka has been an amazing partner and I cannot thank them enough for coming onboard for the Battle,” said Ortiz. “I’m thrilled that Mr. Ramon Abad and everyone at Russian Roulette (parent company of Putinka Vodka) enjoyed their experience with us at Phoenix and I hope to give them a strong finish on Tuesday.”

Abad, President of Russian Roulette Puerto Rico, said: “I am proud to be associated with such a great up-and-coming driver like Bryan. Phoenix was a great experience for us and we couldn’t ask for a better ambassador of the Putinka brand than him.”

Though Tuesday night will be Ortiz’s first oval race at the World Center of Racing, it will serve as his second DIS appearance in 2013; he and teammate Roly Falgueras finished 14th in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Series race in January.

EEM World, the organizer of the Masters Grand Slam Indoor, has announced a new partnership with Gucci as lead sponsor on the second round of its calendar, the Longines Hong Kong Masters.

Held at the AsiaWorld-Expo from February 28th to March 2nd, 2013, this first edition of the second round of the Masters Grand Slam Indoor promises to carry forward the tradition of the Gucci Paris Masters.

When first established in 2009, upon Gucci’s return to equestrian sponsorship after an absence of 20 years, the Gucci Paris Masters immediately established itself as one of the world’s most prestigious indoor equestrian competitions. Now following Paris, Hong Kong becomes the place to be in 2013 for the most prestigious equestrian events. A noteworthy calendar welcomes the world’s 25 best riders and horses.

Gucci’s partnership with the Longines Hong Kong Masters is the latest extension of the House’s relationship with the equestrian world. When Guccio Gucci first opened his company in 1921 in Florence, horse riding often inspired the motifs and symbols of his designs. 

Christophe Ameeuw, EEM World CEO, added: “We are proud to welcome Gucci as official partner of the Longines Hong Kong Masters. Gucci is our loyal partner since the beginning and it is a real honor for us to see that they follow us at this second round of our Masters Grand Slam Indoor calendar. The prestigious Gucci brand will grace the Friday evening when the 25 best riders of the world will tackle the GUCCI Gold Cup.”

Frida Giannini, Gucci Creative Director, said: “The Masters provides a perfect link to Gucci’s values, prestige and culture. It is an event that perfectly symbolizes the traditions we proudly carry forward from Guccio Gucci’s original fascination with the noble spirit and infectious allure of the equestrian world.”

The Moto2 by Team Gresini taking part to the World Championship 2013 will be equipped by Spark Exhaust Technology full systems.

Melania Vecchi – CEO Spark, viagra said: “Seeing our products on the Team Gresini motorbikes in Moto2 gives us the motivation, sickness the strength and the desire to make our brand Spark grow more and more. What was missing by now was a strong and visible image.

“Therefore, we proudly decided to sponsor one of the most important teams racing the World Championship so as to spread our brand in the world and open new frontiers and new markets for our products, 100% made ??in Italy! Fausto Gresini and all his staff, racers and bikes are the best way to hit the mark. I sincerely want to say thank you to Fausto Gresini for this wonderful and unique opportunity.”

Fausto Gresini – Team Manager Gresini Racing, added “I’m very pleased to announce the partnership with Spark. Beyond the pride to be linked to such an important company, for us Spark means to have access to all the experience, expertise and know-how the company acquired over 40 years in the field of exhaust systems. The technologies they have and their attention to every detail will be the key factor for the development path we will undertake in the coming months. Obviously, the goal is to provide the best exhaust systems for our Moto2. I’d like to say thank you to Spark and all Vecchi family for their trust in our project… I hope to reward them with an exciting motorbike season in 2013.”

South African rugby union team, ampoule The Sharks has confirmed that their stadium naming rights sponsorship with Mr Price has ended. 

The stadium, order which over the past two years has been known as Mr Price Kings Park, will now be referred to as Kings Park.

Sponsorship negotiations are currently underway with potential new sponsors and an agreement is expected to be concluded shortly. 

Mr Price remain the title sponsors of the team. 

Sharks CEO, Brian van Zyl said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Price for their contribution to the Sharks as naming rights sponsor over the past two years and for restoring the name Kings Park, which means so much to our fans. A new sponsor is currently being finalised and we will inform all stakeholders once a deal has been concluded.” 

The Sharks open their 2013 Super Rugby campaign against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday, February 23. 

Motegi Racing will be the title sponsor of the Super Drift Challenge, order the first night race in the 39-year history of the world-famous Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 19-21.

The Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge, an invitational Formula DRIFT event, will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights on the eastern end of the race circuit – turns nine, 10 and 11 – and is expected to feature 16 of the sport’s top cars and drivers including 2012 Formula DRIFT champion Daigo Saito, 2011 champ Daijiro Yoshihara, plus Frederic Aasbo, Aurimas Bakchis, Michael Essa, Conrad Grunewald, Ken Gushi, Tyler McQuarrie, Robbie Nishida, Justin Pawlak, Matt Powers and others to be announced. Friday’s action will include practice and qualifying runs, while Saturday will see the teams compete for a $25,000 prize pool. On Sunday, the Super Drift Challenge cars will drift the entire race circuit after the featured IZOD IndyCar Series race.

Grand Prix fans that purchase any admission ticket for Friday or Saturday racing activities will be able to see that day’s Super Drift Challenge. Seating for the Super Drift Challenge will be in Grandstands 16, 18, 24, 25 and 26 on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning at 6:30 p.m.

“Motegi Racing is pleased to be part of the first night race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in nearly four decades,” said Marketing Director Rhett Sander. “The Super Drift Challenge is a great addition to the race weekend and we look forward to seeing a great smoke show under the lights.”

“We are excited to have Motegi Racing expand on their relationship here at Long Beach to include the entitlement of our first-ever night racing event,” said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “This is just another example of the added value that will be provided to all of our race fans over the weekend at no additional cost.”

Motegi Racing has been a supporter of drifting in the United States since its first season and has backed top drivers including Fredric Aasbo, Matt Powers, and Tanner Foust. The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is a special weekend for the aftermarket wheel company, which backs teams and drivers in many of the races on the schedule including drifting, ALMS and IndyCar.

 

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest and Le Mans Endurance Management have announced that Michelin has been selected as the official tire supplier for the LMPC and GTC classes in the 2013 European Le Mans Series.

LMPC will use the Michelin S9H tire as it is the specification used with success in previous seasons in the category. The S9H has shown a large working window, high performance and durability, with good consistency of performance and balance.

GTC will be limited to three sets of slick tires for each of the five race weekends and each set will be marked either A, B or C. Each set will be assigned to a session – ‘A’ to Free Practice 1, ‘B’ to Free Practice 2 and ‘C’ to Qualifying. T

he used sets will then be used in turn during the race. This regulation for three sets of tires will help reduce the costs to each team while the more sustainable use of the tires will mean the category is more environmentally friendly.

“We are pleased to welcome Michelin as the official tire supplier for the LMPC and GTC categories,” said Gerard Neveu, CEO of Le Mans Endurance Management. “The company has a long and fruitful relationship with the ACO and is a leader in every category of endurance racing around the world. 

“The use of control tires in these categories will help reduce the costs to the teams while maintaining a good balance of performance on the track for all the competitors.”

Serge Grisin, manager of the Michelin’s four-wheel motorsport programes, added: “Michelin is delighted to have been chosen as a partner of the European Le Mans Series to supply tires to competitors in its LMPC and GTC classes. It provides us with a chance to showcase the benefits of the Michelin Total Performance plan not only to those involved in the championship but also to fans of endurance racing. 

“The Michelin Total Performance plan uses unique technologies to develop tires which deliver high performance on every front, even in those areas frequently believed to be irreconcilable. Indeed, the championship’s regulations call for highly versatile tires in both classes, since only one type of slick and one type of rain tire are authorised. 

“Also, in addition to supplying tires from the Michelin endurance racing range, we provide competitors with an on-event support service, as well as advice from a team of experienced technicians.”

The European Le Mans Series will feature a strong grid of 29 cars at the opening round of the relaunched series at Silverstone on the 13th April.

SPEED Energy Drink has agreed a partnership with Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach as the Official Energy Drink Sponsor with a display in the Lifestyle Expo and will be sampled and sold throughout the facility during the April 19-21 event.

SPEED Energy’s Street Team will be on-hand to sample product and sell merchandise to the thousands of fans that will be a part of the weekend event.

“To have SPEED Energy the Official Energy Drink of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach makes great sense for both the race and us as a company, apoplectic ” said Robby Gordon, CEO of SPEED Energy Drink. “It’s a marketplace that is very exciting, up-scale event that is in our backyard.

“The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is a SPEED weekend. Full of high octane racing machines, including our very own Stadium SUPER Trucks that will provide a great show for the race fans. To have our product showcased at this event is an honor and we’re excited about the opportunity. We look forward to race fans being able to touch, feel, taste and purchase SPEED Energy at the track. I think the Long Beach weekend is going to be a marquee weekend for us and I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about it.”

Pasta brand, San Remo, Macaroni Company has extended its partnership with Netball Australia for a further three years.

San Remo first began sponsoring netball in 2008, throwing its support behind junior netball, the underage National Netball Championships, ANZ Championship and Australia Diamonds for the last five years.

The new three year agreement means the brand is a Gold Sponsor of Netball Australia until 2016, including throughout the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 World Netball Championships.

Michael Neale, chief marketing officer for San Remo said “We see netball as a fantastic vehicle for engaging with our target market – the Main Grocery Buyer – who is predominantly female.

“We also know that interest in netball, particularly in the Australian Netball Diamonds, far exceeds the 1.2 million regular netball participants who, like Main Grocery Buyers, are predominantly female.”

Neale said San Remo carefully selected netball as an appropriate sport for it to be aligned with.

“One of the most appealing things about netball is the calibre of the elite players. The Australian Netball Diamonds stand out as fantastic role models – not just as athletes but as people. This is really important when you have a high quality brand with strong traditional family values. You can’t be too careful about with whom you associate,” she said.

Squash in Namibia received a further major boost this month with the announcement that Trustco Group International signed a sponsorship agreement with the Namibian Squash Association for a three-year period with the All-Africa Squash Championships on the horizon.

Teams throughout the region will compete in this week’s All-Africa Squash Championships, hosted for the first time by Namibia. 

The championships will take place in the Namibian capital Windhoek from 19-23 February, following an Opening Ceremony at the Wanderers Sports Grounds in Pioneerspark. 

Later in the year, Namibia will further enhance its status in the region by hosting the All Africa Under 19 Championships.