PRODRIVE REBRAND TO TICKFORD IN 2018

Prodrive Racing Australia rebrands as Tickford Racing in 2018 – Photo: LAT

Prodrive Racing Australia will rebrand, changing over to Tickford Racing, for the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars season.

The name change is to bring the racing operation more closely into line with team’s sister company, the vehicle personalisation and performance business, Tickford.

It’s the second time in recent years that the team has gone through a rebrand, after loosing it’s Ford factory support and changing from Ford Performance Racing to Prodrive Racing Australia back in 2015.

Tickford Racing will retain the same driver line-up as previously announced with Mark Winterbottom, Chaz Mostert and Cam Waters being joined Richie Stanaway in 2018. The team will also retain the personnel behind the scenes as well.

The new Tickford Racing Logo – Image: Supplied

Tickford Managing Director, Rod Nash said the name change was a key component of creating a much stronger identity for the team and laying a foundation for future success on and off track.

“We’ve been considering the possibility of changing the team’s name for some time and I am pleased to announce that we’ll take on the Tickford Racing name for 2018 and beyond,” said Nash.

“The change creates a strong overall link between our rapidly growing performance road car business and our racing division. The new logo provides a very obvious brand identity for Tickford both on the race track and on the road.

“We were conscious of how another name change might be perceived by our fans and members given all the success we’ve had under the PRA banner with championships in the main game and Super2 plus Bathurst success.”

The new Tickford Racing logo takes its styling cues from the Tickford logo, yet consciously has a key link to the team’s creation and past successes.

“We made sure we kept blue in our logo as we know the fans love it. They want to see blue in our logo and on the grid and it nicely provides a constant link to our past and what we represent,” Nash explained.

“Tickford Racing adopts the modern interpretation of the Tickford logo like our automotive business has and we retain the same drivers and personnel that have made us so successful. I’d like to think it’s a win for everyone.”

The change to Tickford Racing creates a far stronger and more obvious link with Tickford’s vehicle personalisation and performance business which CEO, Tim Edwards believes will benefit fans and customers alike.

“Under our current structure with PRA and Tickford it can be a little confusing as to how the two entities are linked and their relevance to each other. With the switch to Tickford Racing that evaporates and creates new opportunities,” said Edwards.

“We can potentially create Tickford Racing special edition vehicles, and more easily use our expertise across both businesses and represent all our interests more efficiently.

“The release earlier this year of the Tickford Bathurst ’77 Special Mustang highlighted the interest in racing fans and performance vehicle enthusiasts wanting special edition road cars with race-bred performance.

“The Bathurst ’77 Special was our first attempt at bringing our racing expertise into our automotive business and by having the same name and look-and-feel we can make this a more special and holistic experience in future.”

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