Blame it on the fact that we’re based in Philadelphia, but we do not usually lump professional football fans and luxury car enthusiasts in the same category, unless by “enthusiast” you mean “thief.” Nevertheless, this afternoon Herndon, Virginia-based Audi of America announced the launch of a 5-year sponsorship deal with the Washington Redskins.
According to Audi, the promotional partnership will provide a unique and valuable branding opportunity that they intend to extend beyond the obligatory beer Koozies. In addition to more signage than you can shake a first down measurement stick at, Audi will also add its name to the heavy reconstruction currently in process on the east end of FedExField that will eventually become (dramatic pause) The Audi Club.
There’s been mucho speculation, rumors, innuendos, and other hoopla surrounding this reveal. So without any further ado, ignoring the Vegas odds and what that psychic told us behind the Carl’s Jr., here is the reveal in its full video glory.
Today, Audi of America announced they will become the official luxury vehicle and heavy sponsor of the New York Yankees. Scheduled to officially launch at the start of the 2009 baseball season, the Audi-Yankee partnership will extend through the 2011 season and provide Audi with an invaluable opportunity to demonstrate their support of America’s favorite national drug trade pastime. In addition to several branding opportunities (read: “The official Audi t-shirt cannon”), Audi will also open an exclusive VIP suite appropriately dubbed the Audi Yankees Club. “As our brand continues to grow nationally, and in New York especially, a relationship with the Yankees makes perfect sense,” explained Audi of America chief marketing officer, Scott Keogh. “Opening up the Audi Yankees Club was a great opportunity to get Audi front and center with one of America’s greatest franchises and to give Audi fans a terrific place to enjoy the games.”
Thanks to Volvo Cars’ new partnership with snowboarding outfitters, Burton Snowboards, this year’s male and female “best overall” winners of the 10th Annual Burton European Open Snowboarding Championships will take home Burton-custom Volvo XC60’s. Enjoying their third year of official partnership with Burton Snowboards, Volvo has supplied trophy vehicles at several of Burton’s European snowboarding events, including both the 12 Burton Amateur Tour stops and 15 Burton Demo Tours. In addition to the new crossover Volvo XC60, Volvo has also awarded event winners with exclusive Burton editions of the XC70, XC90, and C30 (all of which are pictured below after the jump).
Earlier this year, a video featuring Formula 1 bigshot and FIA President Max Mosley in some embarrassing situations hit the UK tabloids. Embarrassing is a bit of an understatement, however… it showed Mosley in the basement of an upscale Chelsea apartment taking part in what the tabloids called a “Nazi orgy”. Mosley played the part of a concentration camp prisoner and some of the five prostitutes in the video were dressed in Nazi uniforms, and took turns variously whipping and dominating him. The video has one of the classic lines in all celebrity orgy videos, Mosley, in his fake German accent, said to one of the prostitutes: “Zey need more of ze punishment I think.” It was Oscar worthy.
The story was huge news, and everyone thought Max Mosley would lose his job for sure, Bernie Ecclestone even pushed for him to quit. He managed to escape that fate somehow though, and is still the reigning rulemaster at Formula 1. The best part of this story comes 9 months later though, in the form of Bernie Ecclestone’s personalized Christmas card. Ecclestone’s card, sent to insiders in the FIA and Formula 1 teams, shows a cartoon of Mosley whipping an F1 team member, and a TV monitor in the background showing a woman in fishnet stockings and high heels. Other F1 personnel on the card can been seen nursing their sore, obviously whipped, bottoms. The message inside the card reads: ‘Usual team punishment, just a special for Christmas. Have a happy one. Bernie.‘.
Nascar, once thought of as bullet-proof in any economic climate, is showing signs of weakness. Its race attendance is starting to decline, ratings are slipping, and most frighting, its sponsors are starting to drop out. Out of Nascar’s 42 full-time drivers, 12 don’t have primary sponsors for the 2009 season, which is only 10 weeks away.
The primary sponsors are the companies with the most prominently displayed logo – on the hood of the car among other places. They pay around $20 million dollars for the whole season. Having one third of its drivers without primary sponsors is a huge problem to say the least, since around 75% of the budget comes from sponsorship.
And on top of the sponsor trouble, Nascar’s losing fans. This is the third season in a row with declining TV ratings and dropping race attendance, the latter of which is down almost 9% from last season.
Filipe Massa did everything he could at his home track, but it just wasn’t enough to keep Lewis Hamilton from winning the overall title and becoming the youngest F1 drivers champion in history. For Massa to take the title, he would have not only had to finish 1st, but Hamilton would have had to finish in 6th place or worse. There were more than a few Brazilians hoping for a Hamilton crash. But it didn’t happen that way.
The entire season came down to the final lap of the final race, which was a great end to a great season. Massa led for nearly the whole race, and eventually converted his pole position into a win. The nail biting came from Hamilton’s position. He was in 6th place as Massa passed the finish line, but moved up past Timo Glock in the Toyota to finish in 5th, assuring him the championship by a single point. Glock’s inability to hold off Hamilton also assured that millions of Brazilians will now hate him along with his team, Toyota.
If the claims made by the seller are to be believed, this gray 2006 HUMMER H2 currently up for grabs on eBay motors is owned by 2008 World Series champ and Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher, number 39 Brett Myers. Although eBay is notorious for harboring sellers with questionable integrity and a penchant for stretching the truth, photos of the interior reveal the letter “M” embroidered on the headrests as well as the number “39″ tastefully embossed into the headliner. As if that weren’t enough to verify the authenticity, this particular H2 was apparently equipped using genuine accessories from the “Professional Athlete With Money To Burn” aftermarket catalog.
As a Phillies fan who has heard that Meyers routinely double parks this rig so as to avoid rubbing door frames with the lower class, the ridiculous 22″ chrome Ion’s and 7″ TV monitors in the headrests not only thoroughly disgust me, but they also serve to confirm what I – as well as many other Phillies fans -already suspected: Brett Meyers is, indeed, a douchebag (Brad Lidge, on the other hand, is still my number one choice to father my first born).
The Yas Island Marina Circut, the new venue that will hold the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next year, has been unveiled. This track looks to be even more lavish than even Monaco or Singapore. It has a pit road that actually passes under the main track and a hotel that straddles the track.
For the 2009 F1 season, this new 3.4-mile, 21-turn track will replace Brazil’s Interlagos as the location for the final race of the year. The seating capacity is strangely low, only 50k. Although every single seat in the stadium is covered by a large shade, the first of it’s kind on such a large scale.
Check out the pictures:
In celebration of his honor as the 2008 MLB World Series MVP, GM gifted a brand new 2010 Chevy Camaro RS to Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. The Camaro, pictured above, was presented to Hamels along with his MVP trophy shortly after the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series title Wednesday. Presumably to avoid certain destruction at the hands of insanely enthusiastic fans, Hamels’ Camaro was transported from the stadium via flatbed truck. Hamels’ stated that he intends to gift the Camaro to his wife, Survivor alum and former Playboy Playmate Heidi Strobel, who just celebrated her 30th birthday.
