The 2011 Orrcon Steel Ford Performance Racing Falcon.
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By Briar Gunther 10:12 AM Thu 6 January, 2011
Source: BigPond Sport
Orrcon Steel clocks up 10 years in V8 Supercars in 2011 after it was announced the company will continue as a corporate partner of Ford Performance Racing (FPR) for the next two seasons.
The announcement confirms that Orrcon Steel, an Australian distributor of a range of steel products and tube and pip manufacturer, will remain as the naming-rights sponsor on Mark Winterbottom’s #5 FG Falcon.
Orrcon Steel is now has one of the longest non-automotive naming-rights sponsors currently in the Championship.
Orrcon Steel Managing Director, Leon Andrewartha, said being involved in V8 Supercars not only builds the awareness of the brand but also provides a great national platform to strengthen and build relationships with steel users.
“It is great to be involved in V8 Supercars for 10 years,” he said.
“We started out with Larkham Motor Sport and that was fantastic for us as a business.
“We have now got a very strong relationship with the team at Ford Performance Racing, which allows us to utlise a great sponsorship platform.
“Ten years is a long time to be involved in a sport like V8 Supercars, the partnership has been very rewarding for Orrcon Steel as a business and we hope to continue the association for a lot longer.”
Orrcon will have been a partner of FPR for five years in 2011, with FPR Team Principal Tim Edwards noting that consistency was important in the Championship.
“It is not just consistency of the drivers but also the consistency of the partners you work with,” Edwards said.
“We both understand each other and it is fantastic that they are continuing with us for a further two years.”
Edwards described Orrcon Steel as the class act when it came to sponsorship activation in the V8 Supercar Championship.
“Every other sponsor in the paddock looks towards what Orrcon Steel does enviously, as they leverage their sponsorship so well,” he said.
“They put on the best corporate hospitality and best experience for all of their guests.”
Orrcon Steel’s Sponsorships Manager, Stewart Smith, said the company’s motorsport program was designed to represent the best of Orrcon’s culture.
“We want to convey the competitive spirit that defines us on the trackside as well as in the marketplace,” he said.
“To our customers, we want to convey our dedication and commitment as a business, we want our customers to connect with the Orrcon Steel culture.
“As a company we want to be seen as dynamic, motivated, innovative and competitive.”
Smith said the steel industry was competitive.
“And as a business, it is important that we stand out in the public eye and in the top of customers’ minds,” he said.
“There is no better platform on the Australian sporting landscape than V8 Supercars and it fits perfectly with the steel industry.”
Orrcon Steel has enjoyed various amounts of success with their teams and drivers, including Larkham Motor Sport’s highest placed championship finish in 2004, Mark Winterbottom’s first event win in 2007 and his runner-up finish in the 2008 championship, Ford Performance Racing’s two pole positions at Bathurst, Jason Bargwanna’s most recent podium finish and Steve Richards leading home FPR’s first one-two in Darwin in 2008.
