World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) announced for their flagship race in Frankfurt am Main, Germany a new major supply partnership. Automotive giant Mercedes-Benz extended their existing partnership for 2014 and 2015. IRONMAN is considered the global leader in long and half distance triathlon events. The European Championship events in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden accumulate the biggest budgets beside the World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Additional sponsorship announcements are expected soon.
Powerful partnership – MERCEDES-BENZ V-Class NAMED THE OFFICIAL CAR OF THE IRONMAN TRIATHLON european tour
Stuttgart/Frankfurt. (April 28, 2014) –– IRONMAN® today announced Mercedes-Benz as the Official Car Partner of the IRONMAN European Tour for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. With its involvement in the best-known European long-distance triathlon series, the premium automotive brand is extending its presence in this elite class of endurance sport. The new Mercedes-Benz V-Class is the youngest and most spacious member of the Stuttgart passenger car family and the ideal car for sporty, active people.
“IRONMAN and Mercedes-Benz make a perfect and powerful combination. Both brands are renowned for their firm belief in passion, quality and determination to provide their customers with a great experience. We are confident that IRONMAN is the perfect platform to present the new V-Class and are happy to welcome Mercedes-Benz as a major partner of our races and our flagship event in Frankfurt,” adds Thomas Dieckhoff, Chief Executive Officer of IRONMAN Europe, Middle East & Africa.
In 2014, Mercedes-Benz will be present at nine races in eight countries, including Germany, Denmark, France, Austria and Spain. They will also be an important part of the IRONMAN European Championship in Frankfurt am Main, IRONMAN’s premier event in Europe. On July 6, 2014 the international triathlon elite will again compete here in the IRONMAN European Championship.
"The IRONMAN European Tour is the ideal platform for addressing sports enthusiasts and people who are active in their leisure time in our most important sales markets and to make the V-Class part of their lifeworld,” says Klaus Maier, Head of Marketing and Sales at Mercedes-Benz Vans. "Versatile and uncompromising like an IRONMAN athlete, our new MPV holds its own in the various disciplines of everyday life. That makes it the perfect vehicle for athletes who have special requirements where space is concerned because of their training and competition equipment, and at the same time need the highest standards from their vehicle where their work and family life is concerned.”
As well as general support for the IRONMAN European Tour national organisers will have at their disposal V-Class vehicles as a support and shuttle service throughout the year at all the competitions. In addition to this the new Mercedes-Benz MPV is accompanying the European series with wide-ranging communications activities and comprehensive branding along the race course, plus vehicle displays and its own exhibition area at the IRONMAN EXPO at each event location.
About the V-Class – The Mercedes Among MPVs
The new V-Class impresses with maximum flexibility and performance with highest-possible safety and efficient energy consumption – properties which also characterise the best triathletes. It blends the generous amount of space and the functionality of an MPV with the hallmark strengths of a Mercedes-Benz passenger car. This makes the V-Class the Mercedes among MPVs.
The interior facilitates countless seating and loading configurations for the various moments in life. In a few minutes it can be converted from a luggage compartment for several bicycles to a comfortable oasis of wellbeing for the whole family or for business partners. And the V-Class offers an extraordinary comfort experience – including the quietest and highest-quality interior in the segment, the most modern control and display system plus the best road roar and tyre vibration characteristics thanks to the AGILITY CONTROL suspension with its new frequency-selective damping.
Top performance is ensured by the ultramodern 2.1-litre four-cylinder diesel engine with two-stage turbocharging. The V 250 BlueTEC top model develops 140 kW (190 hp) and with a maximum torque of 440 newton metres effortlessly achieves the output level of the previous V6 turbodiesel. Yet at 6.0 litres per 100 kilometres it consumes up to 28 percent less fuel. In the acceleration phases it even reaches an impressive figure of 480 newton metres. In just 9.1 seconds the V 250 BlueTEC sprints from 0 to 100 km/h. Thanks to speed-dependent electromechanical power-assisted steering with active steering response and a variable steering ratio the V-class is always safe in bends. A total of eleven driver assistance systems also ensure exemplary safety.
About IRONMAN
The iconic IRONMAN® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines at the world’s most challenging endurance races. Recognized for excellence through distinguished events, world-class athletes and quality products, IRONMAN has grown from a single race to a global sensation with more than 190 events across five unique brands: IRONMAN®, IRONMAN 70.3®, 5150™ Triathlon Series, Iron Girl® and IRONKIDS®. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.
