The 55-year-old Albury-based rider will represent his new sponsor for the first time in the next round of the 2024 Baja World Cup which starts in Qatar tomorrow, before wrapping up in Dubai next month and then heading to Dakar in early January.
Today’s announcement comes on the back of Velcro Companies recently signing an ambassadorship with young-gun driver Matt Payne, who is sitting fifth in the Supercars championship with one round remaining in Adelaide next month.
Both Houlihan’s helmet and bike will carry VELCRO® branding, and, more importantly, his GasGas and KTM motorcycles and safety gear will now be strengthened with a host of VELCRO® Brand hook and loop products which will be tested in some of the toughest conditions in world sports.
Houlihan will compete in the ‘Original By Motul’ class at Dakar in Saudi Arabia from January 3-17, where he will be one of just 35 riders who have qualified for the event.
The Original By Motul class was formerly known as Malle Moto and is regarded as one of the toughest competitions in world motorsport with riders receiving absolutely no outside help or assistance at any stage of the event.
“VELCRO® is an amazing international brand and obviously their products are second to none,” said Houlihan.
“I already trusted VELCRO® Brand products in so many aspects of competition, but since our personal introduction, I have been opened to a whole new world of their products and uses.
“I am proud that Matt [Browell] and the Velcro Companies team have selected me as a brand ambassador for them.
“In doing so, they have acknowledged the world of Safari Rally and what an amazing test bed it will be for their new and existing products.
“The Dakar rally is the toughest motorsport event in the world, and you cannot afford to have failures of any description. You need products you can depend on — whether that is mechanical or hook and loop — holding your gear in place to keep you in the race.
“We look forward to taking the team at Velcro Companies and the rest of Australia on an amazing adventure with us in the remaining Baja events this year and then Dakar in Saudi [Arabia] in January.”
Houlihan will have a tent, a sleeping bag and an 80-litre crate to carry his spare parts which will now include a full suite of VELCRO® Brand products.
VELCRO® Brand is synonymous with fastening solutions. Thanks to its iconic hook and loop technology, the VELCRO® Brand has changed the face of multiple industries from fashion and medical to aerospace.
“Andrew Houlihan is one of the great unsung heroes of Australian sport,” said Browell.
“What he has been through since starting his international career late in life is simply amazing and his passion and enthusiasm is incredibly infectious.
“Safari rallies, especially Dakar, dish up the toughest conditions in world motorsport and provide the perfect test lab and proving ground for the strength, reliability, durability and versatility of VELCRO® Brand products.
“At Velcro Companies, we strive to deliver innovative fastening products and solutions that perform across millions of applications.
“We bring Original Thinking to everything we do and approach every challenge to create innovative solutions.
“We believe that Andrew fits perfectly with those values and thinking, and I am sure will create opportunities for use of our products that are ‘out of the box’.”
Dakar 2025 will have more sand dunes than ever before in the Rub’ al Khali, or Empty Quarter, which spans 650,000 square kilometres and covers much of the south-central portion of the Arabian Peninsula. It is the largest continuous sand desert on earth.
Houlihan is currently third in the veterans class of the Baja World Cup, which continues in Qatar from tomorrow and finishes with the Dubai Baja from November 28.
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