Dongfeng Motor Corporation has been named as the title sponsor of a Chinese team that will compete in the 2017-18 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race sailing event.
French skipper Charles Caudrelier will lead the Dongfeng Race Team, which made its debut at the 2014-15 edition of the race. For the 2017-18 race, the sponsorship will be elevated from Dongfeng Trucks to the Dongfeng Motor Corporation.
The team will be 100-per-cent backed by Dongfeng Motor Corporation, which is headquartered in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Race chief executive Mark Turner, who previously oversaw the Dongfeng Race Team project, said: “It’s really pleasing to see a Chinese sponsor which was new to sports sponsorship, coming back a second time based on the strength of the success of the first campaign, both on the media side and the business to business side.
“It’s a very big vote of confidence in the race, not just for other Chinese brands, but for many companies around the world who are looking for a platform to help them transform their business, internally or externally or both.”
Dongfeng Race Team finished third in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race. The next edition of the event begins on October 22, 2017.