DETROIT – Andretti Autosport has added Magneti Marelli, a global advanced systems and component supplier for the automotive industry, as a sponsor and partner.
Magneti Marelli is the primary sponsor on Carlos Munoz’s No. 26 Honda for this weekend’s Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans and as an associate sponsor of Marco Andretti’s No. 27 Snapple/United Fiber & Data Honda for the remaining races on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule.
Magneti Marelli and Andretti Autosport will also collaborate on development and engineering projects to optimize the team’s performance.
“We are proud to support a top global motorsport team such as Andretti Autosport,” said Stephane Vedie, President and CEO of Magneti Marelli Holding USA, “which is involved in some of the most interesting racing challenges in the world, like the Verizon IndyCar Series, FIA Formula E championship and Global Rallycross, and have just achieved a fantastic result in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
“Also, Magneti Marelli has a cross-expertise and a strong commitment in all the main motorsport championships on a global scale. We believe we can bring in this technical partnership the best of our know-how and experience, that goes from motorsports to road cars and vice-versa.”
Turns for Troops program to benefit injured military
United Rentals, which debuted its primary car sponsorship on Graham Rahal’s No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda this weekend for the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit, used today to also announce it had reached an agreement to become the official equipment rental company of INDYCAR and the Verizon IndyCar Series.
An important component of the sponsorship is the Turns for Troops program that will see United Rentals donate $50 for every lap Rahal completes in the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season to SoldierStrong, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping American military veterans.
Turns for Troops will aid veterans with major injuries sustained while serving their country. The program will fund access to education, state-of-the-art rehabilitation programs and technologies that address a variety of combat-related injuries. The program has already earned more than $40,000 with Rahal completing 811 laps in the first six races.
“It’s not about me, it’s about United Rentals and everything that they are doing,” said Rahal. “Being an American and as passionate as I am about supporting the military in general, without a doubt, it feels good. Anything that we can do to help veterans is key.
“Everything they do for us, the sacrifices that they make, even if they do come back from war completely healthy, I think mentally there are still challenges. So we’re working with SoldierStrong now, and previously with National Guard and even before that working with K9s for Warriors to help them with PTSD, it feels only right to give back as much as we can.”
To learn more about the program and opportunities to directly support SoldierStrong, visit www.turnsfortroops.com.