Renault announced a double coup on Friday by agreeing engine supply deals with Red Bull and Lotus Racing.

Both contracts cover next season as well as 2012, and mean Renault join Mercedes, Ferrari and Cosworth in supporting three teams on the grid.

The extension of the arrangement with Red Bull will now run to six years as the team and manufacturer initially joined forces in 2007. As for Lotus, they were able to break free of a three-year tie-up with Cosworth earlier this season, with Friday’s confirmation of a Renault partnership unsurprising in Formula One circles.

Bernard Rey, president of Renault Sport, said: “Renault is delighted to announce an expanded agreement with Red Bull and the arrival of a new customer.

“These new agreements mean Renault engines will power three teams next year – in simple terms, 25% of the cars on the grid.

“We remain firm believers in the benefits of our successful involvement in F1. It positions Renault as a technological leader, and boosts awareness of the brand across the globe.”

In recognition of the new deal with Red Bull, Renault branding will feature more strongly on the cars and drivers’ helmets, starting with this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

Team principal Christian Horner said: “We have always enjoyed a very straightforward relationship with Renault. They have supported us extremely fairly during the past four seasons, contributing to our 13 grand prix victories so far.

“The relationship continues to evolve and we look forward to working with them during our 2011 Formula One World Championship campaign.”

Lotus Racing owner Tony Fernandes added: “There has obviously been a great deal of speculation about which engine will be powering our cars from 2011, and now the announcement has been made I think everyone can see just how ambitious we really are.”

Saracens Rugby Club has been given a deadline of 3 September to make a decision on its future at Vicarage Stadium.

The Aviva Premiership team has played at the ground since 1997, but Championship football side Watford, who also play at the ground, activated a ‘break clause’ in the deal between the two clubs in May.

The agreement had been set to run until 2017, but now Saracens has to consider its options or negotiate a new lease with Watford.

If Saracens decide not to enter into a new lease agreement, its tenancy will end on 1 June, 2011.

Watford chief executive Julian Winter said: “We have given them a couple of proposals around a future lease and their response will be back to us by 3 September. 

“I think we have to know where we are. That is what we have agreed. We need some certainty with Saracens so we can crack on and plan with or without them.”

The oldest major tournament in golf, the Open Championship, has increased its prize fund from US$6.3 million to US$7.25 million for its 150th anniversary this year.

The fund had been static since 2006, with the first prize at US$1.1 million. The winner will now take home US$1.3 million.

Chief executive at tournament organisers R&A, Peter Dawson, said: “The Open Championships sits at the forefront of world golf and it is appropriate that our prize fund reflects that position in the game. Over the last 18 months we have had to take account of the pound’s weakened position against the US dollar and euro and we have increased our prize money accordingly.”

This year’s Open Championship will take place between 15 and 18 July and will be held at St. Andrews golf course in Scotland.

Disneyland Paris has been selected to host The 2018 Junior Ryder Cup after being nominated by the Fédération Française de Golf (FFG).

Disneyland Paris was considered by all parties to be the ideal venue to host the Junior Ryder Cup in 2018. The site offers a prestigious Championship golf course, arthritis which has already proved its pedigree through hosting major events, ed including a European Challenge Tour event back in 1993, which was incidentally won by five-time Major winner Phil Mickelson of the USA, before he went on to become one of the most famous names in the game. In 2011 Golf Disneyland Paris also hosted another Challenge Tour event, the Challenge de France.

The venue, located east of the French capital on the grounds of Disneyland Paris – which attracts approximately 15 million visits per year – will add to the family-orientated atmosphere of a tournament which was established as an international showcase for golf’s next generation and to acknowledge the work of the different Federations in developing their youth programmes.

Richard Hills, Ryder Cup Director said: “This is an historic day for the development of the Ryder Cup, Junior Ryder Cup and European golf. The French Golf Federation and Disneyland Paris both present unique assets, as well top quality entertaining activities. This is an opportunity to seize if we wish to develop golf in France, in Europe and throughout the world.”

Pascal Grizot, Vice President of the French Golf Federation and Chairman of Ryder Cup France 2018, said: “Paris and the Ile de France region will give us the unique opportunity to turn the 2018 edition into the most beautiful in the history of The Ryder Cup. We will offer all the fans an exceptional experience. By hosting the Junior Ryder Cup, Disneyland Paris will greatly contribute to kick off an unforgettable week. This Junior Ryder Cup will also allow a great number of young persons to come discover the best players in junior golf in a venue that makes children dream all year long. 

“This is going to be a huge golf celebration like France has never seen before.  I am very excited that the event will start at Disneyland Paris with the Junior Ryder Cup,” said Colin Wood, President EGA said. “I am delighted with FFG’s vision for the event, a collective push for golf in Europe with such a European attraction.

“It is also a great honour to announce our next European Team Captain here this week. Stuart has done a superb job in the last four years leading the lines for our young stars and I’m sure Maitena will represent the flag of Europe with great pride and accomplishment in the next four years.”

Thierry Pedros, Vice President Strategic Alliances at Disneyland Paris, is honoured to welcome such a well-known event. He said: “We are very proud to host the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup. This event is not only the perfect opportunity to bring together an interest in golf and family entertainment, but will also highlight Disneyland Paris know-how as a host of major sports events.”

The Junior Ryder Cup is a biennial contest played between two teams of six boys and six girls under the age of 18, representing Europe and America.  

Apparel brand Panic Switch Army has signed a partnership with the Monster Energy Company to allow the brand to have trackside mobile merchandise store that will make the rounds on the NASCAR circuit this year.

Debuting at the Bristol Motor Speedway NASCAR race, drugs August 22-24, 2014 in Bristol, Tenn., the retail hauler will feature Panic Switch Army’s full line of merchandise including t-shirts, tanks, hats and accessories as well as Monster Energy branded t-shirts and fleece.

“I’m extremely excited about this because Monster Energy is one of the biggest, most well-known brands in the world,” said Luke Burrett, creator and CEO of Panic Switch Army. “They cater to an adrenaline-fueled lifestyle, supporting all things action sports and that’s what Panic Switch Army represents.”

The mobile retail store will be live on the scene at NASCAR races throughout the country for the rest of the racing season.

Newly promoted Championship team Brentford FC have retained Goodform as their CRM Agency for the 2014/15 season.

The Club is seeking to further develop and enhance the relationship with the fans by placing a stronger focus on customer relationship management (CRM), data and insight strategies.

Mark Devlin, Brentford FC Chief Executive, said: “With promotion to The Championship and with a new stadium to fill within the next three years, the time was right to capitalise on all the information and data the Club has collected over the years.

“We needed CRM expertise to assist in our growth strategy and ambitious marketing plans.

“A central part of that is to dramatically improve our communication with our fan base.

“We were very impressed with Goodform’s CRM credentials and their experience and success with other sporting organisations and I’m delighted to be partnering with them at a pivotal time in the Club’s history.”

Goodform’s remit spans design, data and digital, including an initial re-design of email communications, hosting and optimising data, receiving data feeds across ticketing, retail and hospitality, broadcasting email communications as well as overseeing the transition into a new stadium at Lionel Road South.

Their initial focus during the close season has been promoting Season Ticket sales, which has included a telesales campaign, as well as both the home and away kit launches.

Goodform’s CRM Services Director Michael Jones said: “We are delighted to have joined forces with Brentford FC at such an exciting time in the Club’s history.
“We have already undertaken an extensive audit of their data and we are using our unique insight techniques to target fans appropriately.

“Using this targeted approach we have already began to see excellent results from our email communications.

“With our vast experience of data growth, Goodform will support Brentford FC in ensuring all existing data is fully optimised and segmented into one single customer view, alongside leading strategically as the Club embarks on its journey to a new stadium.”

The sixth edition of Champions League Twenty20 is set to be played at Mohali, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Raipur from September 13 to October 4.

Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL winners, will face 2010 CLT20 champions Chennai Super Kings on September 17 at Hyderabad in the main draw opener. The qualifiers will be played at Raipur from September 13 to 16.

The tournament has retained its last year’s format with 12 teams vying for a total prize money of $6 million, according to a CLT20 media release. Barring the team from West Indies, the winner of the ongoing Caribbean Premier League, the remaining 11 teams have been confirmed. The tournament will see four teams from India, two each from Australia and South Africa and one each from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and New Zealand.

Of the 29 games to be played in the three weeks in September, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, the home of Chhattisgarh cricket, will stage eight matches, including all six qualifying games. This will be another opportunity for the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh, which hosted two IPL games in 2013, to make a case for being granted with the full-member status of the BCCI.

“This is a huge achievement for Chhattisgarh cricket,” CSCS president Baldev Singh Bhatia said. “No affiliate or associate member had hosted an IPL game till we did so last year. And now the BCCI has entrusted us with bigger responsibility by allotting the most number of matches, including those of the visiting team from Pakistan.

“Hosting such prestigious matches will hopefully take us closer to attaining the full-member status and thereby ensuring that the local cricketers from the state are rewarded for their hardwork with a place in the Ranji Trophy.”

Istanbul will host an ATP World Tour 250 tournament for the first time ever in 2015, and the ATP announced.

The ATP World Tour event in Turkey will be played on clay from 27 April – 3 May next year.

The Garanti Koza Istanbul Open will be held at the Koza World of Sports Facility, erectile which is promoted as the largest tennis academy in the world.

The centre court features a retractable roof and has a capacity of 7,500. The tournament venue is part of an overall tennis academy that features 15 outdoor clay courts, 20 outdoor hard courts and 28 indoor hard courts.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman and President, said: ‘‘We are delighted that the ATP World Tour will be taking place in Turkey for the first time from 2015.

‘‘This incredible new facility in Istanbul will make a wonderful addition to the many remarkable venues that feature on the ATP tour throughout the season.

‘‘As we add an important market such as Turkey to our global footprint, the ATP World Tour will be set to take place across 62 tournaments in 32 countries in 2015.’’