million-dollar deal

Symantec Corp, the company which produces Norton security software, has upped its involvement in Australian V8 Supercar racing, securing sponsorship on the TeamVodafone V8 Supercars driven by current V8 Supercar champion, Jamie Whincup and V8 Supercar legend, Craig Lowndes as well as the title sponsorship of the competition’s Melbourne round, which will be known as the Norton 360 Sandown Challenge.

The Norton 360 Sandown Challenge will comprise two sprint-length races on the first weekend of August. The partnership with TeamVodafone is an extension of an existing relationship between Symantec and Lowndes, who carried the Norton logo on his helmet and race suit throughout the 2008 season.

“Our partnership with Craig Lowndes has been extremely successful, helping raise consumer awareness of Internet safety issues and promoting the speed and performance of our products,“ said Symantec spokesman, Matthew Drake. “Motorsport is a great platform for communication with consumers given our products are engineered for speed. Our partnership with the team complements the awareness-raising work we have been doing with Craig in our region, as well as various Symantec online safety programs currently underway elsewhere in the world.“

Cameron Levick, chief executive of V8 Supercars Australia, said: “Like a number of other key sponsors Symantec clearly sees good value in V8 Supercars and we are pleased that the audience of the sport aids the awareness-raising objectives. This is a key announcement for our sport as we and our teams continue to defy current commercial trends. We welcome Symantec, through the Norton name, into our sport and look forward to a lengthy relationship.“

Souce: SportsPro Daily Deal