Maxxis Marks Ten Years of British Motocross Sponsorship

Recently Maxxis announced its continuation as headline sponsor of the ACU British Motocross Championship by signing up for the 2011 to 2013 seasons. To mark a decade of commitment to the series – the tyre maker first served as sponsor in 2001 – Maxxis has decided to take stock of how its presence in the motorcycle sector has grown over the years.

The company has proactively sought to increase its sector brand awareness during the past few years through a campaign that includes the Maxxis babes, who give Maxxis a high level of visual recognition at motorcycle events and potential consumers a strong point of identification with the brand. The company’s brand awareness campaign also includes ongoing partnerships with Maxxis Henderson LPE in Motocross and MSS Colchester Kawasaki in BSB and Road Racing. Maxxis notes these partnerships have successfully established the brand with a “wide spectrum” of race fans.

For next year the tyre maker is renewing its team sponsorship with Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasaki, a team it describes as “going from strength to strength,” with rising Estonian MX1 rider Gert Krestinov confirming he will enter his second season in the UK as part of the Official Kawasaki Motors UK motocross team. Riding a KX450F in both the Maxxis Championships and Red Bull Pro Nationals, the 20 year old will also be fielded in selected Grands Prix, and Maxxis says the team has big plans in preparation for the new season.

MSS Colchester Kawasaki also benefit from a second season of Maxxis backing in BSB during 2011. British Superbike rider Stuart Easton has signed for MSS Colchester Kawasaki, stating he is “massively looking forward to the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R” and being re-united with his old team. The former British Supersport champion and Superbike race winner last rode for the official Kawasaki UK squad in 2008. “Ever since the opportunity came up to run in the MSS squad I’ve been really excited,” said the 27 year old Scot. “I know the team from last time around and they have massive potential, since then I’ve learnt a lot and have racked-up wins and podiums, so it feels like a good time to be re-uniting.”

Maxxis’ motorcycle division is headed up by Don McMartin, who discussed the company and explained its long-term commitment to motorcycle sport: “We have supported the British motorcycle industry for 30 years, and the Maxxis Motocross Championship has helped us to take the off-road sector by storm, sponsoring the MX1 and MX2 championship since 2001, has lead to Maxxis becoming the tyre of choice with club racers and factory teams now choosing to run Maxxis tyres can only reinforce our position in this sector.

“Products like the class leading Maxxcross IT meet the demands of top MX teams, while Maxxis’ street tyres – like the Supermaxx Sport – meet today’s high performance consumer needs,” McMartin continued. “Maxxis’ success has been well-proven through championship competition in the UK and USA.  Maxxis products are thoroughly tested in our own facilities and at the world’s leading tyre test centres before Maxxis’ engineers begin second stage development with national and world-class championship riders to further improve tread and compound performance.  We utilise some of the most advanced manufacturing equipment and engineering facilities in the industry. Only after extensive professional evaluation does a product go into production.

“Developed with class leading Virtual Intelligent Prototyping (VIP) technology, each Maxxis tyre is carefully constructed and tested to handle a variety of applications. Whether you’re looking for high mileage, performance or off-road handling, Maxxis has the right tyre for you,” McMartin concluded.

Maxxis supplies OEM fitments to many motorcycle and scooter manufacturers including Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha. In total, the company’s production facilities produce more than one million tyres and tubes each day. When the new Cheng Shin production facility in Zhangzhou, China enters production in October 2011, it will add 200,000 motorcycle products per day to this total.