V australia Renews As Title Sponsor
Brisbane, Australia – Renewed sponsor support promises to make Fly V Australia’s upcoming season even more impressive than the long list of accomplishments it compiled in 2009.
Team Owner Chris White announced that the team’s primary sponsor, V australia, has extended its agreement with the team’s management company, Pegasus Racing Pty Ltd, through 2011.
“We commenced working with Virgin Blue in 2008 and to have their backing for a further two years creates a four year partnership," said White. "We look forward to ensuring that the team has strong foundations from which to deliver on its primary objectives.”
V australia is the international airline of Virgin Blue, and was launched in February 2009 by Virgin Group Chairman and Virgin Blue major shareholder Sir Richard Branson. The airline operates nonstop, round-trip flights originating in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Los Angeles. Other destinations that have come on-line recently include Fiji, Thailand and South Africa.
White said the team goal for 2010 is to improve on the success of 2009 by becoming the leading professional team in North America and Australia and to build a platform for elevation to Professional Continental status in 2011.
“You're only limited by the objectives you set yourself, so you keep ratcheting your goals up to make things happen,” White added. “The foundation of Virgin Blue’s support is key to our long-term success and vision for what we believe this team can accomplish over the next couple of years.”
What Fly V Australia accomplished in 2009 was nothing short of remarkable for a first-year continental team. The squad of nine Australians, three Americans and a Canadian and an Italian won 94 races, including its first and last events in both Australia and the United States.
“Bernie Sulzberger got our success rolling with a win at the Australian Criterium champions title and Ben Kersten (2009 USA Cycling national criterium winner) capped things off at the Cronulla International Grand Prix,” White said. “In between in the U.S., we won our first race (Boulevard Road Race) with Ben Day in the snow and our last one with Bernie on Stage 5 at the Tour of Utah.”
White said an announcement on its 2010 roster is forthcoming, as is the squad’s race calendar, which will include a full slate of events in both Australia and the United States. In 2009, Fly V Australia scored more than 40 wins in North America and victories in all but one of the tours in the Australia National Road Series.
Materials used for this post contributed by Christopher White
Photo: © Leonard Basobas
Related Posts:
Leave a Response
Entries(RSS)