Neste Oil to continue as main sponsor of the Finnish WRC rally
Neste Oil Corporation
Press Release
29 January 2010 at 10.00 am (EET)
Neste Oil to continue as main sponsor of the Finnish WRC rally
Neste Oil and AKK Sports Oy, which is responsible for organizing the Finnish World Rally Championship (WRC) event, have signed a three-year sponsorship agreement. This will see Neste Oil continue as the main sponsor of the event between 2010 and 2012.
Neste Oil and AKK Sports have been partners for many years, at main sponsor level since 1994. Known as the Neste Oil Rally, the Finnish rally celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and has been voted the best event on the WRC calendar many times. It has long been a pioneer in the rally world and was the first to develop a rally into a real event for everyone - drivers, sponsors, and spectators - something that has made Jyväskylä a standout venue for rally fans.
"The Neste Oil Rally has been the safest and best-organized event on the WRC calendar for years. It's also the biggest spectator event in Finland and the Nordic region and a high-profile one internationally. The Neste Oil Rally is a great way for us to interact with a large number of the users of our end-products and to offer our stakeholders something special," says Neste Oil's Marketing Director Sirpa Tuomi.
"I'm very happy that Neste Oil has decided to continue as our main sponsor," says Jarmo Mahonen, Managing Director of AKK Sports Oy. "The decision underlines the fact that the partnership works for both of us, in terms of sport, business, and the social dimension. We're very proud that one of Finland's largest companies wants to be involved in the world's best WRC event and profile itself alongside us in its marketing."
"Motor sport has always been a testing ground for new safety features that have then been introduced in regular cars to bring better safety standards. Recently, motor sport has proved a very useful laboratory for testing fuels and high-efficiency fuel injection systems. Together, these help reduce fuel consumption and promote cleaner combustion," continues Mahonen.
Neste Oil Corporation
Hanna Maula
Director, Corporate Communications
Further information:
Sirpa Tuomi, Marketing Director, Neste Oil, tel. +358 (0)50 458 8335
Jarmo Mahonen, Managing Director, AKK Sports Oy, tel. +358 (0)400 459 650
Neste Oil Rally in brief
The Neste Oil Rally is part of the World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar and is held in and around Jyväskylä in Central Finland between July 29 and 31. The legendary event celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and is widely known in the rally world for its fast gravel sections, great jumps, and beautiful lake scenery. To find out more, visit www.nesteoilrallyfinland.fi.
Neste Oil in brief
Neste Oil Corporation is a refining and marketing company concentrating on low-emission, high-quality traffic fuels. The company is the world's leading supplier of renewable diesel. Neste Oil's refineries are located in Porvoo and Naantali and have a combined crude oil refining capacity of approx. 260,000 barrels a day. The company had net sales of EUR 15 billion in 2008 and employs around 5,200 people. Neste Oil's share is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.
Neste Oil is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and has been awarded 'Best in Class' recognition for its social accountability by Storebrand. The company is also featured in the Ethibel Pioneer Investment Register and included in Innovest's Global 100 list of the world's most sustainable companies. Further information: http://www.nesteoil.com/.