55 replies to this topic

[bigears]

As I am a big fan of Adidas and wear some of their winter and casual clothes. I have noticed that the sportswear companies such as Puma and Adidas that are joining in to supply clothes for the mechanics, drivers and their logos on different cars nowadays.

I only can think of Fila sponsoring Brabham in 1983 as you can see its rear wing:



Adidas putting their logo on the Porsche RS Spyder:



I remember Reebok sponsored a Indycar in the late 1990s as you can see it from an avatar from a motorsport forum (who is the driver and when?)



I have scanned a photo of Kappa sponsoring the C1 Spice car at the Suzuka 1000kms in 1989:



Is there any more examples?

[wildman]

Daffy Sportswear, seen here just ahead of the front wheel on John Paul Jr's '85 March, was an associate sponsor on a number of IMSA cars in the mid-'80s.

[ensign14]

Playlife - Benetton's sportswear label.

And to continue the Toleman theme, Sergio Tacchini sponsored them in the early 80s.

Wasn't Nordica (Arrows 1981-2) a winter sports thing? And did New Man (Joest) have a sportswear line?

[Nordic]

The Loos Porsche team in the late 70's was backed by 'Gelo'

The orange and green Mazda's sponsor was a 'Charge' I think another clothing/sportswear company

The 936C entered by Joest at Le Mans in 86 was sponsored by 'McGregor'

[bigears]

I seem to remember that Ellesse sponsored a car at Le Mans in the 1980s.

This is their logo:

[wildman]

Originally posted by Nordic
The Loos Porsche team in the late 70's was backed by 'Gelo'

Wasn't 'Gelo' simply a contraction of team owner Georg Loos' name? Didn't know he made clothing.

[TooTall]

I guess it depends on how you define "sports wear". Levi's and Wrangler jeans have both sponsored in NASCAR. Wrangler with Dale Earnhart. I recall Botany 500 at Indy and Haggar slacks on an F5000 car in the US. On my toolbox at home I have a sticker for Clay Reggazoni and Push (or is it Pull?) jackets and Jeans. I've seen a photo from the '20s of an Indy car sponsored by Jantzen swimwear.

Cheers,
Kurt O.

[Alan Cox]

British Historic Formula 3 veteran Rob Moores owns a sportswear company that makes. among other things, rugby shirts, and has raced his ex-Derek Daly Chevron B38 for donkeys' years wearing sponsorship from his various brands - I recall that "Dash" was one of them.

[alansart]

John Bright had sponsorship from "Twinsocks" for his F3 Wheatcroft in the late 70's.

Doe's that count?

[Frank de Jong]

I think Loos started a clothing company after he started racing.
I can add Le Coq Sportif on the Canon-Porsche 956

[jcbc3]

Wasn't 'Australian' that sponsored Elio de Angelis a sports wear company?

[edit]
yes it was
[/edit]

http://fotos.sapo.pt...005zz1/s500x500

[Ray Bell]

And speaking of 'Australian'...

Speedo swimwear sponsored Peter Hopwood's Capri and Elan about 1977...

[ghinzani]

Frank Shorter sponsored the Porsche Cars GB Porsche Supercup (and other championships) in 1991/92 - I will take a picture of my jacket. You would'nt believe how shirty PCGB club members could get over their allocation of 1 jacket per person - I know as I dealt with most of the calls, people trying to wheedle extra jackets...

BTW if anyone has the preceeding Pirelli Porsche red bomber jacket and wishes to sell it please let me know, Id love to get mine back (red and grey), as mine was stolen from the kentagon!

[bigears]

Originally posted by bigears
I seem to remember that Ellesse sponsored a car at Le Mans in the 1980s.

This is their logo:

I asked the same question at an other forum and it was in fact the 1992 Andrea Moda car that was sponsored by Ellesse.

[fausto]

Marilena: Arrows early '80s, Capoferri and Lola (entered by Capoferri) late '70s

[Jager]

Adidas sponsored the '96 & '97 Listers at Le Mans - a great looking livery :

[AMICALEMANS]

In 24 hours of Le Mans, there are many examples and one is famous : Newman on the winning Porsche in 84 and 85 !

[ian senior]

Lyle and Scott, originally sportswear manufacturers, turned their hand to the production of "Y-front underpants", and under that brand they sponsored Neil Ginn's F3 GRD in 1972.

[fausto]

Nike: Dome Ford RC83 (Elgh-Needell) 1983 JSPC-Fuji WEC

[AMICALEMANS]

What means really sportswear ?
Just because, Hackett of London (Aston) or Burton of London (Porsche in 77) sell some Golf uniform !
But maybe Golf is not a sport !

[Gav Astill]

Does Surtees' 1976 sponsor qualify?

[AMICALEMANS]

Yes it is a real sport even if british people prefers Golf !

[Teapot]

Obermaier entered a "Babycresci" sponsored Porsche 956 for FM Ballabio, J.Laessig, D.Wood to race in the 1986 World Sports-Prototype Championship.

Babycresci was (and maybe still is) a sportswear company specialized in kids' clothing and I think it was the personal sponsor of Fulvio Maria Ballabio.

Here's a link to Racingsportscar.com website with a picture of the car (you can find some other pictures browsing through the 1986 races...) :

http://www.racingspo...6-08-24-009.jpg

[Mallory Dan]

How about Bob Evans 1972 F3 car, later used by Our Noige???

[Gav Astill]

Originally posted by Mallory Dan
How about Bob Evans 1972 F3 car, later used by Our Noige???

In a similar veign; Reg Gubbin's F5000 car ....

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by Teapot
Obermaier entered a "Babycresci" sponsored Porsche 956 for FM Ballabio, J.Laessig, D.Wood to race in the 1986 World Sports-Prototype Championship.

Babycresci was (and maybe still is) a sportswear company specialized in kids' clothing and I think it was the personal sponsor of Fulvio Maria Ballabio.

Here's a link to Racingsportscar.com website with a picture of the car (you can find some other pictures browsing through the 1986 races...) :

http://www.racingspo...6-08-24-009.jpg

That would tie in with Topolino being his old mans Disney franchise then... I really wish F-MV had got the Superlicence and thus 2nd Spirit drive in 84, it may have meant they could do more with the number 1 car - Baldi and Huub were both useful drivers who could have got it into the points with the wind blowing in the right direction.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Gav Astill
Does Surtees' 1976 sponsor qualify?

Oh curse you Gav, I was thinking of that and the Excita Chevron as I was working my way down this thread.;)

[petefenelon]

What about "Little Art" and Nanni Galli - I think "Fruit of the Loom" was Galli's brand of cotton sportswear, and I'm sure Merzario was backed by them for a while.

[COUGAR508]

Originally posted by petefenelon
What about "Little Art" and Nanni Galli - I think "Fruit of the Loom" was Galli's brand of cotton sportswear, and I'm sure Merzario was backed by them for a while.

I'd always imagined that "Fruit of the Loom" was an American brand, but it would seem that it was/is owned by the Galli family.

[jadb1]

Lole Reutemann in 1975 was sponsored by TOPPER a sportswear company




Lole Reutemann in 1978 was sponsored by FILA

[GeoffE]

I guess smeg means something different in Italian

[macoran]

Originally posted by GeoffE
I guess smeg means something different in Italian

euhm.... it says "elettro domestici" below it.... so it probably is something electric ?

[bschenker]

I cant say the correct name in english, but "ellectrodomestici" means, washmachine, coffemachine, toaster, in other words all electical machines used at home.

SMEG is a big name in Italy with warehouses over the whole country.

[fausto]

Originally posted by bschenker
I cant say the correct name in english, but "ellectrodomestici" means, washmachine, coffemachine, toaster, in other words all electical machines used at home.

SMEG is a big name in Italy with warehouses over the whole country.

domestic appliances

[jadb1]

http://www.smeg.com/

[Arjan de Roos]

Originally posted by jcbc3
Wasn't 'Australian' that sponsored Elio de Angelis a sports wear company?

Australian was also on the Spirit when Mauro Baldi drove it. I guess they also sponsored Mauro in the Arrows.

Originally posted by fausto
Marilena: Arrows early '80s, Capoferri and Lola (entered by Capoferri) late '70s

Also on the ATS around 1984-1985

Originally posted by AMICALEMANS
In 24 hours of Le Mans, there are many examples and one is famous : Newman on the winning Porsche in 84 and 85 !

Paul Belmondo drove an R5 Turbo in New Man livery IIRC.

Originally posted by Gav Astill
Does Surtees' 1976 sponsor qualify?

That was a very special rubber compound...

In BPR we had the 'Sportswear' Mercedes. And isn't Hugo Boss also partly a sportswear brand??

[Mallory Dan]

What about Gary C's Historic FF, does that count in its own right ?

[bigears]

Originally posted by Arjan de Roos
And isn't Hugo Boss also partly a sportswear brand??

Same thing for Tommy Hilfiler who sponsored Lotus on their last few seasons before 1994?

[Gav Astill]

Originally posted by Mallory Dan
What about Gary C's Historic FF, does that count in its own right ?

As per my Reg Gubbin's post above ....... (surely I can't have been too obscure even for TNF ???)

[Kevan]

Reebok sponsored some of the Nissans in Japanese touring car racing in the mid/late 80's:

http://www.poweraxel...image/img2f.jpg

http://www.bnr32.net...0-2007cal05.jpg

[raisinberry777]

Dee Cee Jeans sponsored Anthony West and Barry Veneman in the 2001 500cc championship (If I remember correctly)

[bigears]

Just discovered that Converse sponsored Oliver Grouillard's GDBA car for the 1988 F3000 season.

[cpbell]

Simod sponsored Minardi in (I think) 1985.

[Crowthorne]

Lotto Sport Shoes sponsored Riccardo Patrese in 1980.

In 1980 Patrick Depailler had 2 sponsors whose names appeared on his helmet visor, the first being Arvor and the second Renoma. The first one also appeared on a Porsche at Le Mans in the early eighties, while I have only seen the second one once in a photo which appeared in Alan Henry's The Turbo Years. Who / what were these sponsors?

[ghinzani]

I remember Renoma from a japanese group c Porsche I think, but I thought they made lamps?

[bigears]

Richard Lloyd's GTi Engineering had 'le coq sportif' sponsors on their Porsche 956s they entered at the 1984 Le Mans 24 Heures:

[962C]

Originally posted by Crowthorne
Lotto Sport Shoes sponsored Riccardo Patrese in 1980.

In 1980 Patrick Depailler had 2 sponsors whose names appeared on his helmet visor, the first being Arvor and the second Renoma. The first one also appeared on a Porsche at Le Mans in the early eighties, while I have only seen the second one once in a photo which appeared in Alan Henry's The Turbo Years. Who / what were these sponsors?

I think (purely based on a very dim recollection) Arvor made machines that make plastic bags.
Edit: Apparently the company still exists and still makes that kind of machines.
http://www.arvor.fr (in french)

[dnhrudi]

With Regards to Fruit of The Loom, they sponsored Williams in 1978

[Francois78]

Hi ! There was a March GTP entered in IMSA with Puma sponsoring.

Cheers

[Geza Sury]

Originally posted by cpbell
Simod sponsored Minardi in (I think) 1985.

Actually they sponsored the team from 1985 to 1990.