SAP AG HAS ADDED a new team property to its international sailing portfolio with the title sponsorship of the SAP Extreme Sailing Team, formerly the Danish Extreme Challenger Team.
Like SAP’s Formula 1 sponsorships, the deal is a mix of cash and value-in-kind, with SAP looking to implement a range of technology solutions to improve overall race and training performances.
"Through our existing work with Sailing Team Germany, Kieler Woche [the world's largest sailing regatta] and the 505 World Championships, SAP continues to deliver cutting-edge innovations to the sport of sailing," said Stefan Lacher, head of technology for the SAP Sailing Programme.
Known as “Stadium Sailing," the Extreme Sailing Series sees teams race close to the shoreline to enhance the spectator experience.
It is funded by the city venues taking part, however the organisers say they are looking for two main sponsorship partners as a minority funding stream.
As mentioned above, SAP has signed up with a number of major sailing events to showcase its technology within the sport.
In 2011, SAP worked with Audi Sailing Team Germany, the Olympic team for London 2012, on solutions to support the decision-making process of sailors in order to increase the effectiveness of their racing strategy and execution.
As premium sponsor of Kieler Woche, SAP puts together live race results, analytics software and 3-D visualisation with commentary to enhance the viewing experience.
SAP's longstanding relationship with the 505 World Championship has also provided a platform to showcase the company’s innovation within the sport.
At the 2011 505 World Championship, SAP launched a prototype application that consolidated GPS tracking data with an augmented-reality function that offered spectators access to a live results list by pointing their phone toward race markers or the fleet of 90 participating boats.