Formula One racing team McLaren has extended its long-standing partnership with ExxonMobil for another five years after a deal was announced yesterday, bronchi February 10, bronchi | just over a month before the start of the 2011 season.

The deal represents the 17th year of partnership between the company and team – a record for a team and an oil company in Formula One.

Financial details were not fully disclosed but based on previous partnerships between the two the deal is likely to have a value, cure once the many elements are taken into account, of at least US$35 million a year.

As well as continuing to supply fuel to the team, through its Mobil 1 brand, ExxonMobil will continue to play an active part in developing new solutions and what the team described as ‘next-generation lubricants for the engine and gearbox’. It also supplies a range of lubricants and greases in the McLaren Technology Centre, the team’s Woking base in the United Kingdom, and products for use in the team’s transporters.

In a change to the previous contracts between the two, there will be an increasing focus on business to consumer activation with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, the team’s drivers, thought likely to star in advertising campaigns as they do for another of the team’s sponsors Santander. Previously ExxonMobil has activated its sponsorship to a business to business audience.

Vice president of global marketing for ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties Company, Nigel Searle stated: “We view the technology partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes as a high-return investment that helps drive the global growth of the Mobil 1 franchise, and we look forward to continuing our successful collaboration.”

Ron Dennis, the executive chairman of the McLaren Group, said the extension reflected the team’s loyalty to key partners, adding: “The success and longevity of these relationships send a clear message that working with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes offers a consistently impressive return on investment, not only in terms of the marketing value of our success on track, witnessed by hundreds millions of people worldwide, but also in terms of measurable results from the targeted B2B and B2C campaigns we orchestrate in close collaboration with our partners.”

After announcing that the distribution rights had been agreed by the BBC to air horse racing’s premier flat season climax event, British Champions Day, it has now been revealed that the broadcast company have obtained international rights to distribute worldwide. BBC have acquired the rights for the 2011 and 2012 event as part of the deal.

The new event concept will take place at Ascot in October of next year and will become the circuit’s richest card with a total prize fund of £3m (US$4.65m).

Danny O’Toole, acting sports sales manager at BBC Worldwide, said: “British Champions Day and British Champions Series mark the start of an exciting new era in British racing. This new race day and series promises to rejuvenate the sport and become a major television event, and with BBC Worldwide’s longstanding association with British racing, we’re thrilled to be taking the broadcast coverage to a new generation of racing fans worldwide.”

Karl Oliver, chief executive of British Champions Series, added: “We are delighted to be launching British Champions Series in 2011, which can have a hugely positive effect on the future of our sport.  We look forward to working with BBC Worldwide to develop British Champions Day into one of the world’s most famous race days and the fantastic new climax to the British racing’s premier flat season.”

Architecture firm Mackenzie & Ebert Ltd. have been appointed to suggest changes to the Dunluce Course and Valley Courses in anticipation of The Open Championship being held at Royal Portrush Golf Club in the future.

Mackenzie & Ebert Ltd. has provided golf course architectural advice to Royal Portrush on both courses since Mackenzie & Ebert was formed in 2005. A fundamental priority regarding the changes to the Dunluce Course will be to respect the original design characteristics of Harry Colt and to imagine what he would advise in the same circumstances. 

Plans will be submitted for consideration and approval by the members in the near future.

Martin Ebert will be the partner in charge at Royal Portrush Golf Club who said: “The opportunity to work upon such great courses as the Dunluce and Valley is a great honour for us. The setting for the courses is magnificent and the detail of the Harry Colt designed greens and green surrounds illustrates the finest qualities of his work. We look forward to imperceptibly blending the changes in to the existing course features.”

”We are again delighted to have Mackenzie and Ebert appointed to undertake such important work on behalf of Royal Portrush. Mackenzie and Ebert have been instrumental in advising Royal Portrush over the last nine years and this work will be their greatest challenge to date. This is a wonderful and exciting opportunity and I am totally confident Mackenzie and Ebert will deliver a result for the world of golf to be proud of.”

The Open is returning to Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951 with 2019 a possibly date.

Mackenzie & Ebert Ltd advise five of the nine current Open venues, cialis viagra including Turnberry, Royal St. George’s, Royal Lytham and St Annes, Royal Troon and Carnoustie.

Leading motorsport group FIA has signed a collaboration agreement with ACO for the World Endurance Championship (WEC) for another three years.

Having organised the Le Mans 24 Hours since 1923, the ACO has been the promoter of the WEC since its launch in 2012. During this year’s Le Mans weekend it was announced that the FIA and ACO had agreed to extend its agreement to work together in the organising of the WEC for the next three seasons up to and including 2017. 

Pierre Fillon, president of the ACO, said the new agreement would help to expand the WEC even further as a result of the stability. 

“I am delighted with the extension of this agreement,” Fillon said. “In partnership with the FIA, we have set up a World Endurance Championship based on the Spirit of Le Mans which has been key to the success of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1923. This competition, which offers enthusiasts the excitement of year-round worldwide endurance races has been a huge success both with spectators and among the biggest organizations in the automotive industry. 

“The extension of this agreement is not only proof of the quality of the joint work in the past three years, but also guarantees the sustainability of the Championship, and is conducive to growing development while ensuring worldwide exposure to all competitors and partners.” 

FIA president Jean Todt said the recently-announced arrival of Nissan in LMP1 highlights just how strong the series is becoming. 

“I welcome this signing, which demonstrates the excellent cooperation established between the ACO and the FIA for 3 years,” Todt said. “The WEC has been able to build on a solid foundation and continues its development. The seasons to come promise to be exciting, especially the arrival of Nissan in LMP1. This success confirms the interest of constructors in the value of technological innovation in this discipline to which I feel a great bond.” 

And Gérard Neveu, CEO of the FIA World Endurance Championship, said he only sees the championship growing further over the term of the agreement. 

“The FIA World Endurance Championship has made great progress in three years,” Neveu said. “With this agreement between the ACO and FIA, it will allow us to continue to build on the success we have had since 2012. Continuity and visibility are two important factors that will help us continue to develop the World Championship. 

“This is great news for the WEC paddock. Next year, Nissan will join Audi, Porsche and Toyota in LMP1, demonstrating the attractiveness of endurance racing to big manufacturers in the development of new technologies and to help them in the markets we visit in the World Endurance Championship. The FIA WEC will continue to grow and progress in 2015 and beyond.”

The UCI Management Committee has announced that the 2016 UCI BMX World Championships will be held in Medellin, prostate Colombia, viagra and that Cairns, viagra 40mg Australia, will host the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships.

Meeting in Bergen, Norway, the Management Committee meetings were held alongside meetings of the Professional Cycling Council (PCC).

UCI President Pat McQuaid said: “We’re delighted that Medellin, the ‘City of the Eternal Spring’ in the Andes Mountains, will be our host city in 2016 for the UCI BMX World Championships. The event will take place on a brand new track built in the city’s existing cycling complex.

McQuaid continued: “In 2017, the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships will be held on the iconic Smithfield course in Cairns. We’re certain that the thousands of professional athletes, coming from all around the globe, will relish competing in this beautiful tropical location.”

During the meeting, the Management Committee discussed the UCI Stakeholder Consultation ‘A Bright Future for Cycling’ at length, as well as the resulting recommendations put forward by the Deloitte report.

The Management Committee accepted in principle the 11 ‘crucial’ and ‘high-priority’ recommendations in the report– and agreed to establish an action plan based on these recommendations. 

In particular, the Committee decided to continue with the establishment of an independent auditor group to look into the Armstrong era and agreed that the UCI should continue to move forward with its discussions with WADA in this regard.

Commenting on the decision, Pat McQuaid said: “I am extremely happy that the Management Committee has accepted in principle the 11 recommendations. The UCI is committed to listening to its stakeholders – the people we serve – and responding to what they tell us.

“As I said when the report was first published, a number of the recommendations are already underway. In addition to the discussions with WADA around holding an independent audit, we are also in the process of developing a long-term strategic plan for cycling.”

There will be no Ice Hockey for National Hockey League fans until next year after two more weeks of games were cancelled through to 30 December.

The league continues to talk with the Players’ Association over a solution to the row over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Their latest set of talks broke down last week after fans and players alike had admitted they were more hopeful of a breakthrough than at any point during the lockout, which has been in place since the summer.

A total of 526 regular-season games – 42.8 percent of the season – were scheduled for the period from 11 October to December 30.

The warring parties hope to talk again later this week, and the cancellation of only another 16 days worth of games is taken as a broad hint that a result might not be too far off.

Commissioner Gary Bettman said last week, after the most recent round of negotiations, that a season must consist of at least 48 games to protect its integrity, the same number played during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season.