V8 Supercars team owner Paul Morris says that his team is in a better financial position than last year, despite losing two major sponsors between seasons.
At the end of last year, Castrol and King Gee left the Queensland-based squad, but some hard work in the off-season has seen the team secure new backers to the sport, including Bayer-owned natural energy drink Berocca, plus worldwide fast food chain Hungry Jacks.
Also, VIP Petfoods has returned to V8 Supercars as the major backer of new team driver Steve Owen’s Commodore VE.
Morris is looking forward to the new year and thinks that his team has got back its “b-b-bounce.”
“We’re in better shape than we were last year,” he told Speedcafe.com.au.
“When we lost Castrol, it was a massive shame because it is a pretty cool sponsor and we thought it was going to be very difficult to replace them.
“I think Berocca, in particular the ‘Twist-and-go’ drink is a great product – a good health drink and to have a company like Bayer on board gives us a huge opportunity.
“We’re very glad to be a part of Bayer’s entry into V8 Supercars. It really suits our profile too. You can only have so many of those Red Bull and Monsters before you start to get the shakes. This is a healthy alternative.”
Morris took the opportunity to congratulate his commercial manager Scott Jennings on his efforts to lure new backers, and couldn’t resist a swipe at other team’s ethics.
“Scott Jennings has done a fantastic job over the break,” he said.
“To bring Bayer and Hungry Jacks on line is a big feather in his cap.
“It’s good to see some new faces in there as well, rather than just doing what everyone else does and go pinch someone else’s backers.
“We just need to make sure we can give them the best value possible by producing some good results on the track.”
The PMM Commodores of Ingall and Owen will be at next week’s pre-season test at Eastern Creek Raceway (Saturday, 29 January).
