Talkin Sport - BOWEN MOTORSPORT AND SPIES HECKER ANNOUNCE LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP

Sydney-based Sprintcar team – Bowen Motorsport – last night announced the biggest corporate partnership in the history of Australian Speedway racing with one of the world’s leading automotive paint manufacturers, Spies Hecker in conjunction with the McGrath Lander Motor Group.

The six-year partnership includes significant title sponsorship to the team, as well as a number of corporate entertainment initiatives to be conducted in conjunction with the racing program.

Bowen Motorsport Team Principal – Rod Bowen – said the partnership with Spies Hecker and the McGrath Lander Motor Group sets new standards for Australian Sprintcar racing.

“The sport has never seen a sponsorship to this degree and I’m happy to say that the McGrath Lander Motor Group and Spies Hecker have seen the value in our program,” Bowen said. “Bowen Motorsport has always strived to set the benchmark when it comes to presentation and to be partners in progress with the benchmark company in the automotive, commercial vehicle and industrial finishing industries will allow us to not only continue that trend, but expand upon it.”

Natalie Armstrong, Group Sales Manager – Parts and Paint, for the McGrath Lander Motor Group says that the partnership provides significant opportunities for both the McGrath Lander Group and Spies Hecker.

“The McGrath Lander Motor Group and Spies Hecker have been at the forefront of their industries for many years and Bowen Motorsport has been innovators in its chosen sport of Sprintcar racing,” Natalie said. “This program will allow the McGrath Lander Group to expand on our brand association as the biggest distributor of genuine parts and paint in the Sydney market, as well as providing Spies Hecker the opportunity to reinforce their core brand values on a national level using sprintcar racing – one of the world’s most exciting sports – as the vehicle to do that.”

Bowen took the opportunity to confirm his driver line-up – spearheaded by second generation racer – Roddy Bell Bowen and hinted he is expected to announce a full time professional driver as the team’s second driver in the coming weeks.

The Bowen Motorsport Spies Hecker Racing J&J will be appearing on Network Ten’s flagship motorsport program – RPM – on Saturday, September 8, where host Greg Rust will provide a full preview of the upcoming speedway season.

ABOUT SPIES HECKER
Spies Hecker is one of the world's leading suppliers of products for automobile and commercial vehicle finishing. The company began developing paints in 1882, and from the outset, Spies Hecker built its reputation on the high quality of its products. Now, with over 125 years of experience, Spies Hecker is regarded as a benchmark in vehicle refinishing - a true global player with more than 160,000 successful customers in over 60 countries around the world.

ABOUT BOWEN MOTORSPORT
Bowen Motorsport has been built on a heritage of excellence. Team Principal, Rod Bowen is one of the most recognisable names in Australian motorsport and for over 20 years has been at the forefront of the sport as a competitor and car owner. Now, a second generation has taken to the racetrack in the form of 18-year-old Roddy Bell Bowen – one of Australia’s emerging Sprintcar talents – and talented kart racer – 14 year old Toby. 2007/2008 represents a new era for Bowen Motorsport having signed the largest corporate partnership in the history of Australian Speedway racing with leading automotive, commercial vehicle and industrial finishing paint supplier, Spies Hecker.

ABOUT SPRINTCAR RACING
Sprintcar racing was developed in the United States in the early 1970s and emerged from the heady days when the likes of AJ Foyt, Johnny Rutherford and Mario Andretti raced for Championships comprised of events on both bitumen and dirt race tracks in the 50s and 60s.

Sprintcars spread to Australia in the mid-1970s and now boast 450 competitors nationwide with a combined capitalisation worth in excess of $100 million AUD.

Conducted on dirt race tracks, Sprintcars are powered by 6.7 litre (410 cubic inches), 634 kilowatt (850 horsepower) V8 engines and have a power to weight ratio that surpasses a Formula One car.

Sprintcar racing is one of the most environmentally sound motorsports, utilising Methanol fuel, which burns cleaner than most commercially available fuels.

The sport is conducted at a professional level in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.