New Zealand Market Report
Cox Automotive Initiatives
Q3
Cox Automotive brands partner with DJR Team Penske in the Gold Coast 600
“It is always
exciting to
debut a brand
new sponsor
to our sport
and the activity
leading up to
their event has
been impressive
with the Sell
My Car and
Manheim
activations.”
Sell My Car and Manheim
shine on the Gold Coast.
T
he sponsorship of DJR Team
Penske by Sell My Car and
Manheim sees an extension of
the strong ties in the USA between
Cox Automotive and the Penske
Automotive Group. Cox Automotive
are supporters of Team Penske’s USA
NASCAR program via sponsorship
promoting their Autotrader brand.
The sponsorship and activation was a
first for Sell My Car in Australia.
It was primarily aimed at promoting
the consumer profile of Sell My Car
with their signage appearing on the
bonnet and both sides of the car,
while a corporate element to the
package saw Manheim signage on
the roof.
According to Justin Hodgson,
Director of Marketing for Manheim
Australia, the Cox Penske
sponsorship here is a one off at
this stage. “We are really excited to
be working with DJR Team Penske
and expect our sponsorship will
generate some great exposure for
our brands,” said Justin Hodgson,
Director of Marketing for Manheim
Australia.
“While it is a one one-off partnership
this year, if it proves to be effective,
it could certainly lead to an ongoing
relationship between our companies.”
Cox Automotive have a number of
brands in this market so it could
provide an important platform as we
continue our expansion into different
aspects of the Australian automotive
landscape.”
DJR Team Penske Managing Director
Ryan Story said. “This is a great
new partnership for the team. Cox
Automotive are long term partners
of Team Penske, and the Australian
company has embraced the DJR Team
Penske Supercars program.“
It is always exciting to debut a brand
new sponsor to our sport and the
activity leading up to their event has
been impressive with the Sell My Car
and Manheim activations. We look
forward to welcoming the team and
their guests to the DJR Team Penske
garage over the weekend.”
As the major sponsor of one of DJR
Team Penske’s cars, Sell My Car ran
a competition for one lucky customer
and a partner to win the ultimate
racing experience, attending the race
as guests of Sell My Car, Manheim
and the team. It generated awareness
of Sell My Car and the sponsorship in
the lead up to the race.
Race Report
T
he Gold Coast 600 was an
eventful race to say the least for
DJR Team Penske. Over the two
days of racing, the Sell My Car and
Manheim logos were on display as
driver Fabian Coulthard and co driver
Luke Youlden took to the track.
For the opening race, Coulthard and
Youlden qualified in 23rd position,
following their well deserved 6th
place in the iconic Bathurst 1000 in
the previous race.
They raced superbly, working their
way up into 5th position, with a
real shot for a podium finish before
disaster struck.
Their day ended in dramatic fashion
when Coulthard crashed at 265km
per hour, after an incident with
Garth Tander which took him out
at the fastest point of the circuit.
The Sell My Car Ford was left badly
damaged so the team decided
to leave the car on the flat bed
recovery truck and take it straight
to the chassis manufacturer PACE
Innovations to rebuild the car
overnight.
Creating a lot of attention and
questions around the ability to fix
the car in time, with a massive team
effort the car was repaired and
ready for race two on Sunday. The
team worked all night and the car
was ready with just one hour to
spare, looking like it was in brand
new condition.
After the huge rebuild, both drivers
did an excellent job and crossed the
finish line in 15th position.
Although the crash was not on the
team’s agenda, the controversial
nature of the incident, combined
with the extraordinary overnight
rebuild in order to be ready for race
two, added up to massive coverage
of the Sell My Car Ford. >
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