GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED
Sponsor continues to make a mark
Mark Smyth reports on the successes and failures of the famous Martini Racing stripes
When you think of the most famous names in motorsport, chances are you will think of brands such as Ferrari or Porsche, or drivers such as Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher. But what about Martini? Yes, Martini, the drink so loved by James Bond. Many of us are aware of Martini’s sponsorship in various forms of motorsport, but walking around the paddocks at the Goodwood Festival of Speed recently, it was astonishing just how many vehicles have carried the red and blue stripes of Martini Racing over the decades. Those stripes continue to adorn race cars today, with the brand sponsoring the Williams F1 team, but the relationship with motorsport all started back in 1962 for the Italian drinks manufacturer. That first sponsorship was on a pair of Alfa Romeo entries in the Daytona 3 Hour race in the US. It was early days and only in 1968 did Martini Racing first appear in the way we know it today. The year 1968 was significant not just in that it marked the debut of Martini Racing, but i...
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