Global Partnerships
With its heritage rooted in the first discovery of Texan oil in 1901, the now-global lubricants and fuel retailer’s distinctive orange disc will feature on the Club’s digital perimeter boards during Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup matches at Old Trafford. The agreement will enable Gulf Oil International, a Hinduja Group company, to engage with United’s worldwide family of fans, including its 325 million followers in Asia, which Gulf sees as a major area of focus, having a strong presence in India and rapidly developing-businesses in China, the Middle East and Indonesia.
With Gulf lubricants’ presence in more than 110 countries worldwide, petrol stations in 25 countries and a thriving global marine business, this new partnership reflects Gulf’s commitment continually to add value to its customers.
Manchester United Group Managing Director Richard Arnold commented:
While both Manchester United and Gulf have evolved and adapted since their foundation more than 100 years ago, neither has forgotten its roots. Gulf always seeks to demonstrate its core values of quality, endurance and passion, which are principles that are also held by the Club. Gulf Oil International already has significant experience in sport and we are looking forward to working with them to expand that into football. Through this partnership we will further our commitment to reach our fans around the world, especially in Asia.
Gulf Oil International’s Vice President Frank Rutten said:
Gulf is regarded as an iconic brand in motorsport circles, but this is a truly exciting opportunity for Gulf to expand beyond our motorsport sponsorships and to stand on the global stage –showing the ambition and growth aspirations of the brand.This partnership with Manchester United, surely the world’s greatest football name, brings together two brands with incredible heritage, a pride in performance excellence and the ability to listen to the wishes of their customers –the fans in the case of Manchester United –and to turn this into action. We are extremely excited about the prospect of moving forward together.
GulfOil International in collaboration with Manchester United have launched the Gulf Fan Academy campaign. Here are the highlights:
Gulf is partnering Gulf Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), a competition that is designed to test the driver’s endurance to the limit.
9 events across the globe incorporating the legendary 24hrs of Le Mans. The Gulf Racing team has a history that stretches all the way back to 1930s. Gulf Racing will field a single Porsche 991 RSR in the GTE AM class with team Principal Mike Wainwright stepping up from the ELMS to now contest the world title.
Mike Wainwright (Driver & Team Principal):
.The pinnacle of Endurance Motor Racing… Driving a Porsche and in iconic Gulf colours–what more to say?! The team has worked very hard for this over the last few years and we now hope to demonstrate our ambition in what will be a very competitive championship. I thank Porsche and Gulf Oil International for helping to create this opportunity.
Matt Beers (Team Manager):
Of course we are very happy and proud to have the opportunity to bring the Gulf Racing name and iconic brand of Gulf and Porsche together in the international endurance scene at World Championship level, we have been working towards this for a number of years and now have the chance to take a Gulf Racing Porsche back to the 24hrs of Le Mans, it’s certainly a historic undertaking.
The newly strengthened relationship with Gulf Oil International sees the team working even more closely with the iconic brand, being the only race team able to carry the distinctive colours at this level of world competition.
Frank Rutten (Vice President at Gulf Oil International Group):
Endurance is one of Gulf’s core values, so it is both pleasing and fitting that Gulf is flying its coloursin the World Endurance Championship. This of course, will see the brand competing once again to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, for the world’s greatest endurance race –something we are proud to be able to do. Gulf Racing showed that they were capable of being winners last year in ELMS and we are looking for them to make the step up to the world stage, to give both Gulf and the Porsche team continued success in the cut and thrust of the GT arena.’
The WEC season will get underway with the Silverstone 6 hrs in April, the venue of Gulf Racing’s victory in the European Le Mans Series in 2015, where the team are planning to start another chapter in the history of the blue and orange with Gulf and Porsche…
(l-r) #41 Aleix Espargaró, Anuradha Bose of Gulf, Romano Albesiano – Aprilia Racing Technical Director, Mr. Massimo Rivola – CEO of Aprilia Racing, Shiva Mehra of Gulf and #29 Andrea Iannone
Aprilia Racing and Gulf aim for the top in MotoGP
Piaggio Group’s technical flagship, Aprilia Racing, joins forces with global lubricant icon Gulf, in a multi-year partnership deal for the world’s top motorbike racing championship.
After two years working together in global motorcycle racing’s upper echelons – in the World Superbike Championship arena – the iconic Gulf brand and Aprilia Racing marque continue to make concerted progress together, making the step up into the pinnacle of motorbike racing, MotoGP, thanks to a new multi-year partnership.
Gulf is one of the world’s great brands, with a strong offer in both fuel retail and in lubricants, boasting a wide product portfolio in all sectors from automotive to industrial.
“The opportunity to move up into MotoGP, as a major partner of Aprilia Racing was a logical next step forward after World Superbikes,” explains Gulf Vice President International, Frank Rutten. “Aprilia is one of the most successful racing marques of all time while Gulf, of course, has a long history of success in motorsport. Making the move up to Grand Prix racing with a manufacturer that we know matches our ethos of quality, endurance and passion and our desire for progress.”
The entry of Gulf into this challenge is seen as an extremely positive move.
“We are delighted to be forging this new partnership with Gulf,” enthused Aprilia Racing CEO, Massimo Rivola. “It is an iconic brand with an impressive range of products and a great racing history. We look forward to writing the next chapter in this history over the coming years. I am very pleased to have Gulf working with Aprilia Racing in our upcoming MotoGP campaigns and it will be exciting to see these two great brands moving forward together.”
The Piaggio Group – for which Aprilia Racing is the technical flagship – is one of the world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturers, with more than 550,000 motorbikes per year sold across its brands, which also include Vespa, Gilera and Moto Guzzi, as well as Piaggio itself.
Gulf Motorcycle lubricants cover everything from scooters and small capacity motorcycles, to its dedicated range of Superbike oils. Gulf has long used motorsport as a means to help develop and test new product. This step into MotoGP with Aprilia Racing heralds a further drive towards superior-technology motorcycle product from Gulf, as it seeks to conquer new, emerging markets as well as to strengthen its position in existing markets.
Aprilia is concentrating hard on MotoGP development for 2019, looking to be regularly in the mix at the sharp end of the MotoGP field. To this end, in January, Piaggio brought in former Ferrari Sporting Director, Massimo Rivola to head up Aprilia Racing. With two new crew chiefs and a talented rider line up of Italian, Andrea Iannone, Spaniard Aleix Espargaro and Briton, Bradley Smith, Aprilia is putting more resource than ever before into making strides forward in this intensely competitive series.
The 19 race MotoGP calendar features races across five continents and the 2019 season starts on March 10th in Qatar.
About the Piaggio Group
Established in 1884, the Piaggio Group is Europe’s largest scooter and motorcycle manufacturer and one of the world leaders in its sector. The Piaggio Group product range comprises scooters, motorcycles and mopeds with displacements from 50 to 1,400cc. The Piaggio Group brand portfolio includes some of the most prestigious and historic names in motorcycling: from Gilera (established in 1909), to Moto Guzzi (1921), Derbi (1922) and Aprilia, which in little more than twenty years has established itself as one of the most successful manufacturer brands in the Grand Prix and Superbike championships. In scooters, the extraordinary Vespa brand has been a byword for individual mobility on two wheels since 1946 and – with more than 18 million scooters sold to date – an incredibly long-lived commercial success and one of the world’s most famous icons of Italian style and technology.
About Gulf Oil International
Gulf Oil International is part of the Hinduja Group whose core business is manufacturing and marketing an extensive range of performance lubricants and associated products for all market segments from Automotive, through Agriculture and Construction to General Industry. Gulf Oil International also licenses national fuel retail networks around the globe. The Gulf fuel brand is currently present at retail in 28 countries with more than 1500 outlets.
Gulf Oil International Group businesses include Gulf Oil Marine, which supplies lubricants to the world’s shipping industry and which is present in more than 1000 ports worldwide. Other Gulf businesses include Gulf Aviation’s specialist fuel supply, Gulf Express quick-lube franchises, Gulf Gas + Power and the non-toxic, biodegradable Argenfrut crop protection range.
Gulf has a number of key sporting partnerships. Since 2016 it has been Manchester United Football Club’s global lubricant and fuel partner. In top-level Sportscar racing, Gulf supports Gulf Racing in the World Endurance Championship. Gulf is also partner to New Zealand’s Highlanders Rugby team in the Investec Super League and to current champions, Chennai Super Kings, in Indian Premier League Cricket.
Gulf also has a commercial partnership with leading watch brand, TAG Heuer, as well as a recent ground-breaking tie-up with the Ford Motor Company on the production of the Gulf Heritage Edition Ford GT road car.
Gulf entered the ultra-competitive Superbike World Championship for the first time in 2016; Our presence within the sport has increased exponentially for 2018 with increased sponsorship of The Gulf Althea BMW team and The Milwaukee Aprilia team.
The partnership has successfully increased the Gulf customer base within new and emerging markets as the Gulf Orange Disc is proudly carried by both teams on and off the track from world renown Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola to the exclusive Phillip Island, Australia.
An exciting new partnership for Gulf begins in the summer of 2018 as the Gulf BMW Road Racing team take on the challenge of the world’s most famous motorcycle race. Speed, performance, skill and a little danger as the fastest riders take on the twists and turns of the legendary Isle of Man circuit.
Gulf entered into partnership with Europe’s foremost Motorcycle Drag Racing team, King Racing at the beginning of the 2011 season.
Ian King was already a multiple European champion in the sport’s top category, Top Fuel and, by the end of 2016 Ian King had clinched a record tenth European Top Fuel Championship, sealing victory in the final run of the final meeting of the season.
Rider and team principal, Ian King, is also the man behind Puma engines, which power most of the world’s leading Top Fuel Drag Racing Motorcycles –the most powerful motorbike motors in the world. The engines in these incredible machines produce almost 1600BHP, making them almost twice as powerful as a Formula One race car. Ian King’s Gulf Drag Racing Top Fuel Bike will accelerate to 100 Miles Per Hour (160KPH) in under a second and will be reach almost 250MPH by the time it crosses the finish line.
The blue and orange rocket covers its race distance –a quarter of a mile –in less than 6 seconds, from a standing start. Incredibly, the flame breathing monster runs on absolutely Standard Gulf Road Lubricants, as used by millions of motorists around the world –surely the ultimate testimony of the quality of Gulf products.
In 2016 Ian King smashed or established numerous European Records for both elapsed time and finishing speed and, in one meeting, he set no fewer than five of the twenty fastest runs of all time –his fastest being 5.83 seconds. At the end of 2016 the Gulf Drag Racing Bike was to go one better, establishing a new Motorcycle World Land Speed for a quarter mile from standing start, making Gulf the oil of choice, not only for the world’s most powerful motorbike, but also officially, the world’s fastest.
