Just seen this on Realmx.com.........
Fans of motocross athlete Travis Pastrana will be seeing Red Bull in competition next year.
Motocross superstar Travis Pastrana has started his own race team, and the Red Bull energy drink has signed on as the title sponsor. It’s rare for a rider to own his own team in motocross, and also rare for the title sponsor to be a consumer brand and something other than a motorcycle company.
But Pastrana’s agent, Steve Astephen of the Wasserman Media Group-owned agency The Familie, said this could be the wave of the future. He said another The Familie client, Chad Reid, will have his own Yamaha-supplied team next year, and sponsors are being pitched now.
“We believe that motocross is the next NASCAR. At up to 50,000 fans per event, it’s the largest action sport out there, and we believe that corporate America will really take notice,” he said.
The 21-year-old Pastrana will continue with support from Suzuki, but the team will be called Cernic’s Red Bull Racing; Jeff Cernic, a Pennsylvania motorcycle dealer, is Pastrana’s longtime sponsor.
Astephen said the team has sponsorship commitments in the mid-seven figures annually. Red Bull’s deal is in the low seven figures over its three-year term, he said.
Michelin is a major secondary sponsor, and a wireless company will be on board soon, Astephen said. Numerous smaller sponsors are on board as well, ranging from equipment and fuel producers to DC Shoes and Ogio backpacks.
Pastrana is among the top motorcycle riders today, having won a host of X Games and Gravity Games gold medals, his first in 1999.
Astephen said Red Bull will be deeply integrated into all of Pastrana’s professional life — “a title sponsor for everything he does in life” — including all of his motocross, supercross and supermotocross competitions. Pastrana also races Subaru automobiles in World Rally events; Red Bull will be a prominent secondary sponsor there.
Red Bull has a wide presence in action sports and other youth-lifestyle events, as well as racing worldwide. Astephen said it will ratchet up its marketing around motorcycle events starting with the season in January, to support the Pastrana relationship, including major hospitality at every major event, starting with the THQ AMA Supercross season next month.
Fans of motocross athlete Travis Pastrana will be seeing Red Bull in competition next year.
Motocross superstar Travis Pastrana has started his own race team, and the Red Bull energy drink has signed on as the title sponsor. It’s rare for a rider to own his own team in motocross, and also rare for the title sponsor to be a consumer brand and something other than a motorcycle company.
But Pastrana’s agent, Steve Astephen of the Wasserman Media Group-owned agency The Familie, said this could be the wave of the future. He said another The Familie client, Chad Reid, will have his own Yamaha-supplied team next year, and sponsors are being pitched now.
“We believe that motocross is the next NASCAR. At up to 50,000 fans per event, it’s the largest action sport out there, and we believe that corporate America will really take notice,” he said.
The 21-year-old Pastrana will continue with support from Suzuki, but the team will be called Cernic’s Red Bull Racing; Jeff Cernic, a Pennsylvania motorcycle dealer, is Pastrana’s longtime sponsor.
Astephen said the team has sponsorship commitments in the mid-seven figures annually. Red Bull’s deal is in the low seven figures over its three-year term, he said.
Michelin is a major secondary sponsor, and a wireless company will be on board soon, Astephen said. Numerous smaller sponsors are on board as well, ranging from equipment and fuel producers to DC Shoes and Ogio backpacks.
Pastrana is among the top motorcycle riders today, having won a host of X Games and Gravity Games gold medals, his first in 1999.
Astephen said Red Bull will be deeply integrated into all of Pastrana’s professional life — “a title sponsor for everything he does in life” — including all of his motocross, supercross and supermotocross competitions. Pastrana also races Subaru automobiles in World Rally events; Red Bull will be a prominent secondary sponsor there.
Red Bull has a wide presence in action sports and other youth-lifestyle events, as well as racing worldwide. Astephen said it will ratchet up its marketing around motorcycle events starting with the season in January, to support the Pastrana relationship, including major hospitality at every major event, starting with the THQ AMA Supercross season next month.
