The Bottle-O Racing Falcon has undergone a slight change to the look of its main sponsorship for this weekend’s opening round of the V8 Supercars Championship Series at Yas Marina Circuit.
The ‘Ts’ in the word ‘Bottle’ are regularly displayed as wine bottles, but to fit in with Abu Dhabi customs, the bottles have been changed to actual Ts.
Team owner Rod Nash told Speedcafe.com.au that there were some hurdles to overcome with the display of the Bottle-O sponsorship.
“The Bottle O is a retail chain, rather than an alcohol brand, and so we have changed the ‘Ts’ which are generally wine bottles and corkscrews,” he said.
“They decided that it was acceptable. We’ve also removed our VB sponsorship as well, but it will all revert back to normal for Bahrain where it is accepted.”
The Paul Dumbrell-driven Falcon, prepared by Ford Performance Racing, will hit the track today in the first official V8 Supercars session for 2010.
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Other teams affected by the alcohol advertising bans include Dick Johnson Racing, who will compete as ‘The Team’ rather than Jim Beam Racing. Walkinshaw Racing’s Bundaberg Red Racing’s signage has been changed to ‘Extra Smooth,’ while Kelly Racing’s Jack Daniel’s Commodores will feature ‘Jack Lives Here’ decals.
Alcohol supported teams are permitted to revert back to regular sponsorship at Bahrain, if they wish.
Nash was excited by the way his new association with Dumbrell and FPR is progressing.
“I’m very happy with how it’s going,” he said.
“We had a good test at Winton. Paul had a long day at the test day and he was consistently cutting good times and settling in with the car and team. The Ford Performance Racing team has everything organised.”
