Amgen Tour of California
Toyota Corp.’s Lexus is bringing its “pursuit of perfection” to light as the exclusive automobile partner of the 2015 Amgen Tour of California.
During the professional cycling race, more than 125 Lexus vehicles will serve as transportation for the event’s personnel, teams and medical staff. To further its presence at the sporting event, Lexus will entitle two stages of the races and will be present at daily podium awards.
Race to the finish
The Amgen Tour of California will run from May 10-17. The Tour de France-style competition covers hundreds of miles of California’s coastline and highways, and is the largest professional cycling race in the United States.
During the race, the Lexus NX compact crossover will be used as the official pace car for the 144 cyclists at each stage.
Lexus NX
Each night, Lexus will present the Amgen Tour of California King of the Mountain jersey to a cyclist. The race winner will receive a two-year NX lease.
This partnership is for multiple years, allowing Lexus to connect its name to the event.
In a brand statement, Brian Smith, Lexus vice president of marketing, said, “The pursuit of perfection is our hallmark at Lexus, and cycling is a sport where fans witness that all-out goal in a profound way. It’s hard to imagine a more epic road trip than traveling alongside the sport’s top talent at the 2015 Amgen Tour of California. We look forward to leading the cyclists through all the turns, elevation changes and excitement of each stage of the race.”
Other automakers have made parallels between driving and cycling performance.
British automaker Jaguar brought in a Team Sky executive to discuss marginal gains – a concept that directed the British cycling team to success – to translate it into automobile design and performance.
Jaguar and Team Sky have previously relied on one another’s expertise to bring insights from automobiles and bikes together. This unique partnership allows Jaguar to create a longstanding relationship with some of Britain’s best athletes, aligning its vehicles with the performance and technique of world renowned cyclists (see story).