British Formula Virtual team Phoenix - currently halfway through it’s second season in the top tier of Virtual Motorsport - has lost three of its key sponsors, the team has confirmed. The team, based in Greater Manchester, recently announced their split from DS Automobiles and - in turn - a return to their original name; Phoenix Motorsport for the 2020 Formula Virtual season. Global medical company Alcon, one of a raft of new sponsors brought by DS Automobiles for the 2019 season, confirmed earlier today that it would not be extending it’s £5m-a-year backing beyond the current season. Furthermore the European multinational aerospace giant Airbus, along with British based company GKN, have both announced their intention to terminate backing of the team following the conclusion of the season. Above: GKN headquarters, Redditch, Worcestershire, UK.
Team principal Alex Easton said: “The loss of these three large sponsors for next year is a bit gutting, but it’s just one of those things. Ultimately the deals were brought about as part of the deal with DS Automobiles and, although we will keep our ties with DS through the Downton engine partnership, it’s not any great surprise that the sponsors didn’t wish to continue with us for the future. Obviously, this changes nothing for the current season, their logos on the cars and merchandise will of course remain. The changes will only come into effect after Brazil, there’s not much else to say really, we'll keep battling and enjoying every minute of life in this great sport.” It remains to be seen how this will affect the Phoenix outfit; a team well known for its lack of financial punch. They currently sit seventh in the championship after a relatively successful first half of the 2019 season, scoring twenty-one points so far.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
|