The Tour Down Under, Australia’s largest cycling competition, is again going to be supported by Škoda Australia.
Škoda has signed up as a premier partner to the event for the next three years and will continue to provide support vehicles to this popular event.
The Santos Tour Down Under was first held in 1999 and has grown year on year to become the biggest cycling race in the southern hemisphere. 782,300 spectators experienced The Santos Tour Down Under in 2011. The Qantas Australia Tourism Awards earlier this month awarded the Santos Tour Down Under as the country’s best major event and festival for the second year in a row.
As part of its sponsorship, Škoda will have naming rights to the King of the Mountain and provide vehicles for the race staff, while Škoda vehicles also transport all members of the organization team together with many partners and media representatives.
Support of cycling events has been one of the strategic activities of Škoda Auto since 2004. Škoda is a major partner of the famous Tour de France.
In Australia, Škoda also is fostering the talented cyclist and dual Commonwealth Games Gold medalist Jack Bobridge, who joined the brand as an Ambassador in 2009.
Commenting on the strategy of sponsoring the Tour, Head of Škoda, Mathew Wiesner, says: “We have a long history with cycling dating back to Škoda’s early history as a bike manufacturer. Cycling offers great opportunities for presenting Škoda vehicles in the heart of the competition. Continuity in this aspect is very important, and we also appreciate the organisers’ efforts to grow the Tour Down Under into the largest cycling race in Australia”.
