69 replies to this topic

[Joe Fan]

Does anyone have any funny examples of race sponsors?

In the 50's, there was a sports car race in Kansas City that was sponsored by a funeral parlor. What a great association: death and motorsport.

CART used to have the GI Joe's/Budweisor 200 at Portland. Which, unless you were from the Northwest and knew that GI Joe's was an auto and sports chain, it evoked laughter because GI Joe's are more well-known to Americans as soldier dolls we played with as children. Adult beverages and children's toys aren't a great mix.

Then I just noticed that ARCA had the following races in 2002:

The Waste Management 200

Pork the other White Meat 400

[ensign14]

The Donington Park Road Course K-TITS Trophy. Won by Tony Sugden in 1980. The trophy appears to have been an eggtimer.

[jarama]

Joe,

Not a race sponsor, but the Kansas City race you mentions got me thinking in "La Varesina Sofam / Onoranze Funebri" (funeral home) Merzario's sponsor for the 1979 Italian GP.

Carles.

[Ray Bell]

Belinda's Terrace...

You can guess what that was, I have no real sure idea... Phillip Island circa 1977.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Joe Fan
Does anyone have any funny examples of race sponsors?


Pork the other White Meat 400

Southern Organs sponsored the FAtlantic series over here for a while. Although nobody's all that sure if they ever actually sold any organs or if it was just some sort of tax dodge....

pete

[Jim Thurman]

Originally posted by Joe Fan
Does anyone have any funny examples of race sponsors?

CART used to have the GI Joe's/Budweisor 200 at Portland. Which, unless you were from the Northwest and knew that GI Joe's was an auto and sports chain, it evoked laughter because GI Joe's are more well-known to Americans as soldier dolls we played with as children. Adult beverages and children's toys aren't a great mix.

It also evoked (and still does) lame remarks by sportscasters before they launch into their weekly crash reel. It reached a low ebb when TV Guide editorialized against mixing children's toys and alcoholic beverages, which led to a reply from someone at Hasbro Toy telling them their product is G.I. Joe and the race sponsor is GI Joe's and explaining the difference to them (all the explanation in the world doesn't sway these hack sportscasters from their pre-determined jokes). TV Guide often had anti-racing screeds during that time, primarily due to the writers who did their sports sections. Funny how quick they jumped on the NASCAR bandwagon when they decided they could sell it.

Speaking of NASCAR, they had a race at Loudon a year or two ago sponsored by a Cosmetic Surgery concern. A perfect fit (in as much as money over ethics goes).

There have been some very odd sponsors, but I'll have to rack my brain for some other good ones. In these days of sponsorship, mergers and conglomerates...nothing is really that unusual.


Jim Thurman

[Rob29]

Originally posted by petefenelon


Southern Organs sponsored the FAtlantic series over here for a while. Although nobody's all that sure if they ever actually sold any organs or if it was just some sort of tax dodge....

pete

There was also National Organs and Northern Organs,all owned by the same man who I think ended up in jail for fraud. He sponsored several championships and drivers.
BTW In case anyone wondered the kind of organs involved were those you find in churches!

[maxie]

Indeed Nascar has quite a number of funny race sponsors, examples include Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 (at North Carolina Speedway) and Goody's Headache Powder 500 (at Martinsville).

[2F-001]

The National / Southern Organs saga was quite extraordinary (I think the're was a connection withe the National Saloon car Championship too - I forget the details for now).
This was discussed in a thread shortly after I joined TNF - even though I followed racing closely through that era, I ended up learning much more than I contributed - as seems to be normal!
The case made the headlines because a noted ''phsycic investigator'' played a part in the story of catching the fleeing 'fraudsters'. I think we had some links to a variety of strange information sources, for anyone keen to run a search.

[wingsbgone]

Being a former Phoenix resident, I alway found the 1989 "Iceberg" F1GP to be rather ironic. The race was held mid-summer (June?) when the temp is routinely 115F (in the shade!). That and the fact essentially no one knew what "Iceberg" was, other than a form of lettuce.....

[ensign14]

Originally posted by wingsbgone
That and the fact essentially no one knew what "Iceberg" was.....

Allen's dad?

[bill moffat]

diversifying slightly, I never quite understood how solid Prince Malik's credentials were at Arrows F1(RIP). The financial administration of this team seems to have been an appalling mess over the last few years, did the Prince's involvement help or hinder ? He allegedly told reporters that he had raced in the Le Mans 24hrs ( in a Lamborghini)...I've been to the last 25 races and can't remember seeing an African in a Lambo.

Is it true that the good Prince will be involved in CART this season ?

[maxie]

Originally posted by wingsbgone
Being a former Phoenix resident, I alway found the 1989 "Iceberg" F1GP to be rather ironic. The race was held mid-summer (June?)

The race was held on June 4, 1989, one of the most notorious days in modern history ...

[DOHC]

Segafredo?

No matter how much I love an exquisite Italian espresso, it never ceases to amaze me how there could be such margins on an espresso that you could support a Formula One team.

It reminds me of the James Bond movie, where M comes to Bond's home in the morning to give him some assignment. Bond is still in his robe, just getting out of bed after a (supposedly) wonderful night with yet another Bond girl. Bond -- James Bond -- offers M coffee, and then goes on to make him a cup using his heavily chromed espresso machine. The cup is exceedingly small. M takes it, looks at Bond, then the machine, and says:

"Is that all it does?"

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by DOHC
Segafredo?

No matter how much I love an exquisite Italian espresso, it never ceases to amaze me how there could be such margins on an espresso that you could support a Formula One team.

It reminds me of the James Bond movie, where M comes to Bond's home in the morning to give him some assignment. Bond is still in his robe, just getting out of bed after a (supposedly) wonderful night with yet another Bond girl. Bond -- James Bond -- offers M coffee, and then goes on to make him a cup using his heavily chromed espresso machine. The cup is exceedingly small. M takes it, looks at Bond, then the machine, and says:

"Is that all it does?"

Lavazza managed to sponsor quite a few drivers and cars too in the past.

(although when you consider that virtually every cafe/bar/restaurant in Italy has one or the other, and there's a lot of places selling a lot of coffee in Italy, it starts to make sense.

I remember wandering down the pit lane at Monaco on Friday (the logical "day off") in '96 and noticing that the activity in the Minardi pit seemed more focussed on the coffee machine than on anything else!

pete

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by wingsbgone
Being a former Phoenix resident, I alway found the 1989 "Iceberg" F1GP to be rather ironic. The race was held mid-summer (June?) when the temp is routinely 115F (in the shade!). That and the fact essentially no one knew what "Iceberg" was, other than a form of lettuce.....

Wasn't it some sort of designer sportswear?

I'm amazed by how little the inhabitants of Phoenix knew about the race - I was there a couple of years ago and even the folks in the PIR merchandise shop downtown didn't know about the GP. (About two thirds of the circuit's still in existence, the new convention center/baseball stadium covers the rest). Having walked such as still survives, GP racing in the grand style it most certainly was not!

pete

[No27]

Originally posted by DOHC
Segafredo?

No matter how much I love an exquisite Italian espresso, it never ceases to amaze me how there could be such margins on an espresso that you could support a Formula One team.

Cost to make an espresso: probably 25 Eurocent
Avarage price of espresso in Amsterdam 1.80 Euro
Margin: 500%, you can run an F1 team sole on espresso sold in Amsterdam

[fines]

Originally posted by petefenelon
(although when you consider that virtually every cafe/bar/restaurant in Italy has one or the other, and there's a lot of places selling a lot of coffee in Italy, it starts to make sense.

You forgot Saeco, who sponsor a Cycling team...

[Kaha]

Originally posted by DOHC
Segafredo?

No matter how much I love an exquisite Italian espresso, it never ceases to amaze me how there could be such margins on an espresso that you could support a Formula One team.

It reminds me of the James Bond movie, where M comes to Bond's home in the morning to give him some assignment. Bond is still in his robe, just getting out of bed after a (supposedly) wonderful night with yet another Bond girl. Bond -- James Bond -- offers M coffee, and then goes on to make him a cup using his heavily chromed espresso machine. The cup is exceedingly small. M takes it, looks at Bond, then the machine, and says:

"Is that all it does?"

The margins on coffee seems to be enough for a Swedish coffemaker to sponsor a Swedish elit hokey team, so an Italian coffee maker probably has quite alot of money to spend on PR.

BTW Here is a link to the Bond clip its rater big, 10Mb, a smaller clip can be found here . The clip is from the espresso machine maker la Pavoni's homepage

[petefenelon]

Well I think this thread deserves to come back to life, after the "Spongebob Squarepants Movie 300" NASCAR Busch race last weekend!

(I am informed that Spongebob Squarepants is a cartoon character aimed at the under-fives, who has also become a gay icon..... don't ask me, I just tell you about this stuff!)


http://www.nick.com/...ebob/main.jhtml
http://news.bbc.co.u...dio/2313221.stm

Poor old Casey Mears is carrying sponsorship from this brand in the Nextel Cup too:

(image linked from chipganassiracing.com)




What next? Penske South Team Barney?;)

[Twin Window]

Possibly only amusing to we Brits was a BRM (Can-Am or Interserie) sponsor from 1971...



Sponsorship or fortune-telling?!

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Twin Window
Possibly only amusing to we Brits was a BRM (Can-Am or Interserie) sponsor from 1971...



Sponsorship or fortune-telling?!

I'd say "generally pants" is probably the best description of the BRM Can-Am programme, yes ;)

[ian senior]

Always found it amusing that Neil Ginn's F3 GRD in 1972 was sponsored by Y-Front pants. And of course there was "Knickers In Tins".......

I wonder why so many manufacturers of undergarments have been attracted to motor racing - they probably saw a potential market for replacement pants amongst those drivers who had lots of nasty accidents.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by ian senior
Always found it amusing that Neil Ginn's F3 GRD in 1972 was sponsored by Y-Front pants. And of course there was "Knickers In Tins".......

I wonder why so many manufacturers of undergarments have been attracted to motor racing - they probably saw a potential market for replacement pants amongst those drivers who had lots of nasty accidents.

Northern favourites, Knickers In Tins Racing were - immaculate black and red minis - and as well as the girls, the cars looked good too ;) - now, does anyone have one of the tins?

[WGD706]

Back in 2001, The National Pork Board and Atlanta Motor Speedway announced that"Pork The Other White Meat will be the title sponsor of the track’s Nov. 17 ARCA race.
The race, the championship event for the ARCA Re/Max Series, will be known as the Pork The Other White Meat 400.
The National Pork Board also sponsors the No. 46 car driven by three-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel, who will be doing double duty for the Nov. 16-18 NAPA 500 weekend. Kimmel will also try to qualify his Pork The Other White Meat car for the Nov. 18 NAPA 500 Winston Cup race."

We never could determine is 'pork' was being used as a noun or a verb.

[RTH]

Originally posted by ensign14
The Donington Park Road Course K-TITS Trophy. Won by Tony Sugden in 1980. The trophy appears to have been an eggtimer.

This was Mike Kettlewell (Mill House Books ) "Kettlewell - Transport Infomation Trade Services "

A bit like" Trotters Independent Traders "

Or, being a " Fellow of the Automobile Retail Trade " - initials to put on your letter headings !

[ensign14]

Yes, I have his 1980 Motor Racing Directory (a most amazing dip-into book, the perfect bog read) with "Kettlewell TITS" as the colophon on the spine.

[canon1753]

Underalls (a type of women's underpants) sponsored Sterlin Marlin's car in Winston Cup back in 1987. That was the beginning of NASCAR marketing to the female race fan.

[Twin Window]

Anyone remember the Jockey Racing Team? That's Jockey, the company which makes mens undercrackers...


(Another shoddy pic from my Instamatic, chaps)

They ran this Gp2 BMW 2002, plus another IIRC, at the 1972 Victory Race...

[jonpollak]

General Pants indeed....

What about them WorldWide Pants then?
Winners of the Indy Phi Hundirt

Originally posted by maxie
The race was held on June 4, 1989, one of the most notorious days in modern history ...

I sat with Katia Heim watching the infamous tank video come in on CNN in Phoenix that Saturday night.
Scary stuff..

Jp

[Twin Window]

I don't think anyone's mentioned the various condom sponsors yet!

Mind you, I suppose that they're not really very funny. Like finding wearing your wellies in the bath not all that amusing.

;)

[WDH74]

Didn't one of Paul Newman's cars carry sponsorship from his film "Nobody's Fool"? And I remember seeing Tim Allen driving a Mustang with logos from his show "Home Improvement". If you weren't familiar with the show, it looked like his car was urging spectators to go home and re wallpaper the kitchen or something.

Several years ago, I remember reading a column by the late, great, Russell Bulgin about this same topic. He spent an awful lot of time wondering what the heck "Zent" was. Was there "Zent Light", or "Junior Zent"? He seemed rather disappointed when he found out that (IIRC) Zent made Pachinko machines.

-William

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by WDH74
Several years ago, I remember reading a column by the late, great, Russell Bulgin about this same topic. He spent an awful lot of time wondering what the heck "Zent" was. Was there "Zent Light", or "Junior Zent"? He seemed rather disappointed when he found out that (IIRC) Zent made Pachinko machines.

-William

I've obviously led a sheltered life, since I'd never heard of Pachinko.

So, with the help of Google, I found this, which explains it's a cross between pinball and a fruit machine. What worries me is that

When just playing for 500 or 1000 Yen, you may likely just lose all your balls within a few minutes.

[nigel red5]

Mika Hakkinen`s Lotus-Judd at the 1991 Monaco Grand Prix (this may also have been on Bailey`s car as well)

Main sponsor all over the engine cover.... "OLLOCKS"

[mp4]

Originally posted by Twin Window
I don't think anyone's mentioned the various condom sponsors yet!

Twinny,
You beat me to the punch. Durex sponsored Surtees. IIRC, Exicita (sp) also sponsored someone.
What about Penthouse with Rupert Keegan in, about '77, as well as with Arrows a few years later!

Peace Out

[Twin Window]

Ah, but did you also read my second paragraph, mp4?

As in, wellies...

Anyway, peace out to you too... bro?!

[Monstrobolaxa]

Not many people know this but Pacific GP was going to have a title sponsor in 1994....though the problem was that the contract was signed the week before the San Marino GP (Ayrton and Roland ) and the logos were going to be on the car starting at the Monaco GP! Now everyone is asking what's the name of the sponsor????

DEATH CIGARETTES

What a catchy name for a tobaco campany don't you think?

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Twin Window
I don't think anyone's mentioned the various condom sponsors yet!

I came close with 'Belinda's Terrace' I suspect...

Though that was pre-1980, so the thin latex sheaths were not yet so universally required in commercial operations.

I should also mention the cars that carried the entrant name, Team Party House in the late sixties.

This began before sponsors' signs were permitted in Australian racing, so the legend was restricted to a small (but readable...) line on the side of the cars involved. Drivers included Lynn Brown, Geoff Simmons, John Simmons, Peter Wallace and Paul Hamilton.

The 'party house' was merely the Simmons brothers' home, they having been orphaned and having inherited the family home at a relatively young age. It was a 24/7 party allied with much industry in the garage (and various rooms of the house...) as cars of all descriptions were prepared for racing.

There were those who dubbed it Team Panty Hose, of course...

[Muzza]

Originally posted by WDH74
Didn't one of Paul Newman's cars carry sponsorship from his film "Nobody's Fool"? [...]

Yes, and last year the Reynard driven by Newman/Haas driver Bruno Junqueira sported the logo of the movie "Road to Perdition" on its rear wing (rather odd words to be displayed on the back of a racing car!)

Originally posted by WDH74

Several years ago, I remember reading a column by the late, great, Russell Bulgin about this same topic. He spent an awful lot of time wondering what the heck "Zent" was. Was there "Zent Light", or "Junior Zent"? He seemed rather disappointed when he found out that (IIRC) Zent made Pachinko machines.

-William

Thanks - finally learned what Zent means!

[David Hyland]

Further examples in these threads:
Barmy Sponsorship Deals
Unusual sponsors.

[Pikachu Racing]

Justice League (DC comics super heroes) sponsored few cars at Michigan. Greg Biffle - Flash; Kurt Busch - Superman; Mark Martin - Batman; Carl Edwards - Green Latern; Ryan Newman - Justice League; Ricky Rudd - Wonder Woman.

[JRobert]

In reference to this year's Indy Five Hunnert winner, "Worldwide Pants," is David Letterman's production company. Rahal Letterman Racing being the current team name.

When Pfizer entered Cup sponsorship with Viagra, the Company's management was concerned about the TV and radio guys messing around and generally screwing things up. Pfizer held very extensive training sessions for all the on-the-air talent that probably resulted in less air time and fewer mentions but kept Pfizer protected with the Food and Drug Administration and marketing practices standards. One example where not all TV mentions are necessarily good for the sponsor.

Which reminds me that I saw the Kingsford Charcoal sponsored Busch car catch on fire during the February 2003 Daytona race.

The latest lingerie sponsor seems to be Love Fifi: http://www.lovefifi.com/

Matt McLaughlin, the resident curmudgeon at racingone.com had this to say about Fifi earlier this week:

"...out rolls a new Busch series car sponsored by, I kid you not, "LoveFifi.com" I thought maybe it was a poodle breeding farm and I checked in to see if they offered target practice during certain hours. As it turns out LoveFifi.com sells ladies' undies. I want to know exactly how much they are paying Mark Green to drive the LoveFifi.com Chevrolet. Hell, I want to know how much they pay Chevrolet to allow one of their cars to race with LoveFif.com written on the quarter-panels. If Green were to win, an admitted longshot, I want to see him keep a straight face thanking LoveFifi.com. And don't tell me these folks aren't evil either. They're pushing lingerie in plus sizes. Plus-size women looking to get their mates amorous already have a sponsor in our sport...Budweiser."

[jonpollak]

Originally posted by JRobert
Which reminds me that I saw the Kingsford Charcoal sponsored Busch car catch on fire during the February 2003 Daytona race.

Or the quote from a TV commentator when Jacques Villenueve's Lucky Strike BAR blew up as it often did last year....
"It's Toasted"

Jp

[ensign14]

Originally posted by JRobert
When Pfizer entered Cup sponsorship with Viagra, the Company's management was concerned about the TV and radio guys messing around and generally screwing things up.

There have been a few odd sponsors in NASCAR...wasn't Tammy Jo Kirk sponsored by a bra manufacturer?

Junie Donlavey's car is now being sponsored by Boudreaux Butt Paste...I don't think I want to know...

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by nigel red5
Mika Hakkinen`s Lotus-Judd at the 1991 Monaco Grand Prix (this may also have been on Bailey`s car as well)

Main sponsor all over the engine cover.... "OLLOCKS"

"OLLOCKS" didn't really exist, it was a nickname for a friend of Ted Ball (Landhurst Leasing)..... I think a few other Lotus sponsors of that era were jokes by Ted, weren't they?

[WDH74]

Many years ago, at the June Sprints, I saw a Honda CRX in the GT3 class that was sponsored by McDonalds (I would imagine that the driver or owner was a franchisee). The back was signwritten "Haulin' Buns". I may still have a picture somewhere.

I don't think anyone's mentioned the various condom sponsors yet!

Saw a car sponsored by Durex and some alcohol company described as "Someone's idea of a good night in..."

-William

[Pikachu Racing]

Kirk Shelmerdine NASCAR is deck in red, white, and blue with stars and stripes and "Vote For Bush" sponsor.

[Frank S]

For a smooth and natural segue from the "vote for":

Southern California sports car racing of the 60s often featured the team "Rubber Chicken Racing", whose car had the eponymous object flapping at the rear, head caught by the boot lid. Spitfire, if I recall correctly.

--
Frank S

[ensign14]

Politics and NASCAR have been bedfellows for a while. Neil Castles drove the "Free Lt William Calley Special" in about 1970; the Lieutenant having been involved in the My Lai massacre. Of which I know nothing, but given that he was the only US military man convicted of doing anything wrong there, it suggests to me that he was something of a scapegoat.

[Steffen]

There had been a formula 3000 driver with the name Fabrizio Walfish a few years ago. His car was sponsored by Delphi!