REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP?
By Bruce Williams
Date posted: 30 August 2020
Repco Supercars Championship? – Photos: InSyde Media
Having just secured the rights to the Bathurst 1000 for at least five years from 2021, auto parts giant Repco has confirmed its interest in backing the entire championship as well.
By BRUCE NEWTON
It is also in discussions with a number of teams about becoming the primary sponsor of at least one Supercar in 2021.
More immediately, it seems certain that it will claim naming rights for least one of the upcoming Supercars outings currently being negotiated for late September.
All this potential sponsorship activity comes on top of Repco’s existing commitments in Supercars as number two sponsor on the DJR Team Penske Ford Mustangs, and its role as the championship’s retail parts partner.
Add up everything it is doing now and what it could commit to and Repco is making a multi-year multi-million dollar investment in Supercars.
“The (Repco) business is in really good shape now and the conditions are right to now be able to look forward, spend more on the brand and appeal to a larger consumer and commercial customer base,” GPC Asia-Pacific managing director and CEO Rob Cameron told Auto Action.
“We are doing this for the right reasons. We really want to be a partner, we want to help and work with Supercars to grow the category and grow the appeal.
“This is a not a passive relationship, we want to be really close and we want to extend our involvement in the category.”
Current Supercars championship sponsor Virgin Australia is not expected to renew its deal when it expires next year. The airline has just emerged from bankruptcy with new ownership and has announced a significant downsizing.
Asked about Repco backing the championship, Cameron admitted:
“That’s potentially an option for us and we will talk to Supercars and (CEO) Sean Seamer about that.
“But we are not in any position to either confirm or deny that at this point.”
Repco has been known to want a Supercar in its colours since it started to build up its presence in the category in 2018.
Walkinshaw Andretti United is the team most often mentioned on the rumour mill as the candidate to have a Repco-branded entry in the championship in 2021.
WAU already has a connection to GPC through Repco’s sister brand NAPA Auto Parts, which is a team sponsor and also backed its wildcard Holden Commodore driven by Alex Rossi and James Hinchcliffe in the 2019 Bathurst 1000.
“We have got a number of teams now reaching out to us right up and down pitlane,” confirmed Cameron.
“We are definitely going to be talking to teams. I am not sure you will now see us as a full-car sponsorship, but we definitely are talking to a number of teams up and down pitlane.”
Cameron indicated the decision to back the Bathurst 1000 had been taken ahead of committing to a naming rights across a full two-car team.
“It (Bathurst sponsorship) doesn’t mean we will stop our involvement with the teams. You will still see Repco or NAPA stickers up and down pitlane, I have no doubt,” he added.
For more of the latest Supercars news pick up the current issue of Auto Action. Also make sure you follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or our weekly email newsletter for all the latest updates between issues.
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