News Archive » Sky to Sponsor CR Scuderia

January 10, 2008

The wraps came off the CR Scuderia racing cars at Autosport International today, revealing a striking red, white and blue livery that carries across the team’s entries in the FIA GT, British GT and Formula Renault UK Championships.

COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS REVEALED
ITV’s Ted Kravitz was on hand to introduce CRS Team Principal, Chris Niarchos, who revealed that the team had secured an exciting multi-year sponsorship deal with BSkyB (Sky). This sponsorship will support the Sky brand across its TV, broadband and home telephony services.

“We are extremely excited about our sponsorship of CR Scuderia,” said William Mellis, Director of Customer Acquisition, BSkyB. “This platform provides us with an opportunity to support the Sky brand as it continues to innovate in home entertainment services and, following the launch of Sky Broadband and Sky Talk, also becomes a leader in great value home communications.”

CR Scuderia is also delighted to have secured commercial partnerships with companies including Grand Prix Racewear (GPR), Alpinestars, Giorgio, Fast Wax, Creative Print Group, Performance Friction, PPG and Autosmart.

“From day one I have said it is vitally important for us to enter our first year of racing on a solid commercial footing,” said CRS Team Principal, Chris Niarchos. “We are proud to run the Sky brand across our three race programmes and believe that this partnership will provide many opportunities for the team and for Sky in the coming years. We are equally delighted to have forged new relationships with some fantastic commercial partners and look forward to getting out on track and making them proud to be a part of this team.”

SUPPORTING YOUNG RACING TALENT
CR Scuderia will continue its successful Formula Renault campaign in 2008. The team ran in the 2007 Formula Renault UK Championship as ‘AKA Cobra’ and will be looking to take more race wins this year with a strong team of talented young drivers.

Two of the team’s signings appeared at Autosport International today: Adam Christodoulou (18) enters his second season in cars and will be pushing hard to get his first win after coming so tantalisingly close last year. Karting sensation, Scott Jenkins (16), is a talented British racer entering his first full season of car racing in 2008.

“Adam did a very good job for us in 2007,” commented Andrew Kirkaldy. “He is the highest-placed 2007 driver returning to the championship and I think he has what it takes to win the title. He is a level-headed driver who learns quickly and recovers fast from any setbacks and he also won the Graduate Cup last year which says it all. We watched Scott during testing for the Winter Series and he impressed us when he drove our car. He has a good karting pedigree and I think he will do a great job for us.”

The identity of the other two CRS Formula Renault drivers will be revealed soon.

CRS has also recognised that it is vital to nurture young motorsport talent. Over the last few years, Chris Niarchos - through his company, The Cobra Group plc - has sponsored some talented young drivers, most recently Jonathan Cocker. In 2008 the Cobra Group will sponsor Sam Jenkins (13), the younger brother of Scott, as he continues to blaze his way through the karting ranks.

ACTION-PACKED GT PROGRAMMES
CR Scuderia will run two Ferrari 430s in the GT2 class of the FIA GT Championship in 2008; one car for Andrew Kirkaldy and Rob Bell and one for Chris Niarchos and Tim Mullen. The FIA GT Championship is an ambitious target for a team in its first year of competition but CRS has four drivers who are all proven winners at that level of racing.

The team will also run a domestic programme in the British GT Championship, which is familiar territory for CR Scuderia. Niarchos, Kirkaldy and Mullen have all been British GT Champions in recent years and most of the CRS team members have worked as part of a winning team in that category. In 2008 the competition will be tough, especially between the Ferrari runners, so CRS plans to field a team of exceptional drivers in British GT. That team of drivers will be announced in due course.

RACING FOR CHARITY
Eight of CRS’ drivers will take a break from the team stand tomorrow (Friday) when they move over to the karting hall to take part in the 2008 Racing for Charity Celebrity Kart Challenge. They will be competing on behalf of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Whizz-Kidz, racing against the likes of David Brabham, Allan McNish, Darren Turner, Gil De Ferran, Johnny Herbert, Marino Franchitti, Jamie Green and Gary Paffett, to name but a few. The racing will be close (and probably dirty!) but it will be a lot of fun and will raise much needed money for the charities concerned.

ENDS

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