AMERICA'S RAM TRUCK brand has signed a multi-year official truck partnership deal with Tucker Hibbert and his Monster Energy/Arctic Cat team in an increasingly commercial winter sport – snowmobiling.
The sport is governed by the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), which sanctions the FIM Snocross World Championship, won twice by Hibbert, who is also a six-time national champion and 10-time ESPN Winter X Games medalist.
Hibbert signed up as one of Monster Energy’s first sponsored athletes in 2003 and is the owner of Team Monster Energy/Arctic Cat, which he established in 2006.
The deal with Ram Truck highlights the demographic interested in snowmobiling. According to Ram Truck, there are more than 1.4 million registered snowmobilers in the US and nearly 600,000 in Canada (2012 statistics) of which more than 50 per cent travel to a destination to participate in the sport and require a trailer to haul their equipment.
A high proportion of truck owners are interested in the snowmobile market, which represents a new marketing and promotion arena for the Ram Truck brand, the company said.
"Our involvement with America's top snowmobiler is a natural association," said Fred Diaz, President and CEO, Ram Truck Brand and Chrysler de Mexico. "Folks up north are already gearing up for the winter season and pickup trucks are their No. 1 choice for transportation and towing."
Along with Monster Energy, energy drink sector champion Red Bull has a strong presence in the sport via the annual Red Bull New Year No Limits event, which last year featured a world record for distance jumping on a snowmobile by champion snocross racer Levi LaVallee.
By Matthew Glendinning
Follow Matthew on Twitter: @lukeharmanSBG