Starleaton, supplier of materials, hardware and software for the sign, display, photo and exhibition industries, had a pleasant surprise when its sponsored car driven by Jonathan Allard won the opening Porter Hire International Sprintcar Series at the Vodafone Speedway, Western Springs, New Zealand, on December 5.
Sprintcar racing is popular in New Zealand, Australia, North America and South Africa and, as the name implies, cars have a very high power-to-weight ratio so they sprint around the oval dirt track over shorter distances than the endurance forms of car racing. Amazingly, these pocket rockets can produce between 900 and 1,100 horsepower, which is 140-340hp more than a Formula One car! The V8 engines can be up to 6.7L and rev up to 9,000rpm.
The‘wings’ that bear the Starleaton sponsorship logo are designed to keep the Sprintcar planted on the ground and maneuverable around corners but they have been known to become airborne, flip or roll – they require very skilled handling which Californian-based Kiwi Jon Allard provides.
Starleaton operations director Josh Eaton was there and was graciously given the trophy by NZ Sprintcar Champion Allard, who has over 300 career Sprintcar wins and has accrued over 20 titles. Starleaton’s sponsorship came about through Auckland-based printer and Sprintcar supporter BDR Max, who held a supplier-based draw to win the Sprintcar wing sponsorship position.
BDR Max’s CEO, Jason Hall, says: “In the 2015/16 season we and Jonathan Allard Racing were able to win all major titles including: Auckland Championships, North Island Championships, International Sprint Car Championship and the elusive NZ Championships, allowing us to feature number 1 NZ on the back of the car. Thanks to the support of companies like Starleaton who drew the prime sponsor spot, Jon Allard is back in his 900+ bhp machine for the 2016/17 season and, in his first two major outings, he has smashed all international rivals, recording the fastest ever lap around the Auckland-based Western Springs Speedway and winning the two big feature races of the year so far.”
Starleaton national sales manager for New Zealand, Ashton Lines-Sherwood, confirms that Starleaton’s sponsorship of Allard’s Sprintcar NZ 1 will continue for the rest of this season.