NEW SPONSOR FOR BATHURST 1000
New Sponsor for the Bathurst 1000 – Photo: InSyde Media
The naming rights sponsor for the Bathurst 1000 will change ahead of next year’s event with Genuine Parts Company subsidiary NAPA Auto Parts set to be announced as taking over the role.
By HEATH McALPINE
NAPA Auto Parts takes over from Supercheap Auto, which ends a 16-year naming rights partnership with Australia’s largest motor race that began in 2005.
Nothing has been officially confirmed by Supercars, but Supercheap Auto’s Benjamin Ward confirmed to News Limited that the Australian-based company was unwilling to match a larger offer made by a rival company.
“We had hoped to continue supporting the iconic Bathurst 1000 event for many more years, but were not in a position to counter big-money offers without a flow on price impact for our loyal Supercheap Auto customers,“ Ward told News Limited.
“We are disappointed that Supercars Australia chose to offer the event to an overseas competitor, particularly after such a longstanding relationship.
“I can assure our loyal Supercheap Auto customers that while we may not have our name on the Bathurst 1000 race, we will continue.”
NAPA has been a staple of recent Bathurst 1000s; the company was featured on the winning Erebus Motorsport Holden Commodore of David Reynolds and Luke Youlden. It also took up naming rights sponsorship of the Walkinshaw Andretti United wildcard entry driven by IndyCar stars Alexander Rossi and James Hinchcliffe.
Owned by Genuine Auto Parts, which also purchased Repco back in 2013, NAPA made its push into the Australian market in 2017, opening its first store at Logan City in Queensland.
More than 6000 NAPA stores are located in the United States.
UPDATE: Auto Action also understands NAPA is in line to take over the naming rights of the Sueprcars Championship next season, replacing Virgin.
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