Moroccan fuel station operator Afriquia has been named the presenting partner of the country’s leg of the World Touring Car Championship motor racing series ahead of its move to a new venue.
Afriquia will take on naming rights to this year’s event, which will take place in Marrakech from May 6-8 at the all-new Circuit Moulay El Hassan. The WTCC event will mark the first-ever race to be staged at the circuit.
Under the agreement, Afriquia, which is part of the Akwa Group conglomerate, will be given significant trackside branding exposure. The company will receive further exposure through national and global television coverage, and benefit from a host of other promotional opportunities.
“Last year’s race recorded the highest audience impact of all the WTCC events with more than 56 million viewers following the action live from Morocco,” François Ribeiro, head of Eurosport Events, the WTCC’s promoter, said. “With local hero Mehdi Bennani now established as one of the leading WTCC drivers, we expect that interest from fans and the media for this year’s race will be even greater.”
Moroccan driver Bennani is currently fifth in the WTCC standings after the first round of the series in France earlier this month. The WTCC will stage events in Slovakia this weekend and Hungary from April 22-24 before Morocco plays host in May.
The WTCC has staged an event in Morocco every year since 2009, with the exception of 2011.