PRESS RELEASE
Land Rover Leads Sponsorship Role for Promising U.S. Cycling Team
IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ — Land Rover has entered the cycling market with a new sponsorship role for Land Rover-ORBEA, the young cycling development team based out of Portland, Ore. Looking to step into a first year U.S. continental squad for 2009, Land Rover-ORBEA now has the title sponsorship it needs to push them to the next level. Land Rover-ORBEA benefits the Lance Armstrong Foundation and has two core missions, raising funds and awareness for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and developing young and up-and-coming cyclists. While the team is U.S. based, the riders are from around the globe. The team will be looking to expand its program to Canada in 2009 and have athletes from the U.S., New Zealand, Australia and Canada. “We are proud to serve as title sponsor of the Land Rover-ORBEA cycling team,” explained Finbar McFall, Vice President Marketing, Land Rover North America. “The resilience and endurance represented by the team are at the core of Land Rover’s ideals and values and we look forward to being part of their inspiring journey.”
“With Land Rover’s involvement in the team and the sport of cycling, team Land Rover-ORBEA, benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation, will be able to travel the U.S. more and inspire people who have been affected in any way by cancer to take control, face it head on, take no prisoners and reach out to others for support,” said team co-founder and team director Norrene Godfrey, who lost both her parents to cancer. “As a cycling team, we hope to visit as many hospitals as possible handing out as many yellow wristbands as we can, to encourage those individuals to keep fighting, and let them know they’re not alone.”
Each year the team raises funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and each year the team gives away it’s spot in the Portland LIVESTRONG Challenge to a cancer survivor. For more information, visit http://www.landrover-orbea.org/.
ORBEA, who has been the team’s long time partner and supporter, will also continue its co-title sponsorship role with the team.
“Land Rover-ORBEA has developed into a major league team, doing great things on and off the bike. It’s been fun and feels good to be a part of,” commented Justin Slarks, Marketing Director of ORBEA-USA.
“Our goal is to be that stepping stone or bridge for young riders and will provide them with the tools and education they need to make that jump into the professional ranks,” says Norrene Godfrey. “With Land Rover coming on board, we will be able to grow the team and help a few more young guys make that leap.”
Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4×4s that represent true ‘breadth of capability’ across the model range. Defender, LR2 (Freelander 2), LR3 (Discovery 3), Range Rover Sport and Range Rover each define the world’s 4×4 sectors, with 78% of this model range exported to over 140 countries. Land Rover employs 8,500 people and supports a further 40,000 jobs supported in the supply chain.
Land Rover takes its responsibility to the environment seriously. Emissions have been cut with all new models and, together with Jaguar, it is investing 700m pounds Sterling on technology specifically aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Also, since September 2006, carbon dioxide generated by Land Rover manufacturing activities and UK customer vehicle use has been balanced through an industry leading offset program run by Climate Care.
Go to http://media.landrover.com/ for news releases and high-resolution photographs.
Source: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
CONTACT: Nicole Marshall, Media Communications Officer, +1-949-341-6809,
nmarsh15@landrover.com; Deborah Sandford, Communications and Public Affairs
Manager, +1-949-341-6184, dsandfor@landrover.com, both of Land Rover; or
Norrene Godfrey, Land Rover-ORBEA Team Director, +1-503-806-2215,
landrover-orbea@comcast.net
Web site: http://www.landrover-orbea.org/
http://www.media.landrover.com/
