AC35 – One of the world's largest tyre manufacturers partners with ETNZ

THAT'S TYRE, as in tire for us Yanks. This is one of those posts where a picture is almost certainly worth a thousand words. Over the past few days, keen observers (and not so keen – you can't fail to notice it) of the passing AC scene in BDA will have noticed the bright, new yellow rudders on Emirates Team New Zealand's AC50 race boat, and the Pirelli branding on the topsides. What's up with that? From the ETNZ press release this morning:

Pirelli, one of the world’s largest tyre manufactures, announcing its partnership with the team confirms once again to be at the forefront of international sports events.

“For Emirates Team New Zealand is definitely a plus to have Pirelli on our side just before the racing begins in what will be one of the most competitive America’s Cup ever” said Grant Dalton “We value associations with premium international brands like Pirelli where continuous innovation and dedication are a core part of the culture.”

“The sponsorship of Emirates Team New Zealand" – says Marco Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli CEO and executive Vice President – “adds to the already rich portfolio of high profile sporting collaborations which Pirelli, the leader in the Prestige segment, has and which has grown ever richer in recent months, even beyond motor competitions, with the goal of strengthening the brand’s positioning at the high end of the market”.

Pirelli, which sponsors 350 motor championships in the world, including F1, is committed to support not only motorsports but it is proud partner of a wide range of team and events such as the Ski World Championships, those of Hockey which are now under way and in cycling of the Giro d’Italia, in addition to the 20-year commitment to soccer alongside Internazionale di Milano and the recent collaboration with the Dodgers of Los Angeles in the National Baseball League.

Pirelli logos and branding will feature on Emirates Team New Zealand’s boat and rudder for the competition starting on the Great Sound at 5.00pm on Friday 26th May (8:00 am of Saturday 27th in New Zealand) then, from the day after, racing will start at 2:00 pm (5:00 am +1 in New Zealand).

So, congrats to ETNZ on their new partner. Pirelli has been the supplier of tires to all F1 teams since 2010. Can STP be far behind? What about Texaco or Mobil? Surely an ad for Champion spark plugs would look great on the boat....

ETNZ photo of the team's AC50, now sporting bright yellow branding for their new sponsor, Pirelli, one of the world's largest tire companies.