Friday night, Ben Rhodes’ stunning victory on the speed circuit at the legendary Daytona circuit did not go unnoticed by Quebec motorsport fans.
Also read: Accident and retirement of Alex Lappet
The season-opening race in the NASCAR Pickup Truck Series will be vital from start to finish, as it is often the case here.
This event once again demonstrated the exceptional talent of Rafael Lesard, who, in his first appearance in the colors of his new team, GMS Racing, was a reasonable candidate to show in the winner’s circuit.
But it took a major accident in front of him, which he is not responsible for in any way, to sabotage his efforts. Its 23rd location at the end is definitely not the impressive 19-year-old Beauceron’s path.
Generous patron
Rhodes saw a smile of his fortune as he managed to dodge the obstacles in front of him to slip into the lead on the final lap.
It’s also fortunate to count on the support of a generous patron named … Bombardier.
Yes, Bombardier, this Quebec company that has chosen to support an American driver, while in Quebec there are two talented drivers at NASCAR, in Lesard and Alex Labe, whose future remains in doubt due to the lack of adequate budget. A question a year later.
Bombardier is Rhodes’ new sponsor for the ThorSport race for the 2021 season. The main sponsor, as stated in the organization’s press release.
Two million deal
For such a visual inscription on the car, Bombardier paid the highest dollar, even if the amounts were not disclosed. From reliable sources, great sponsorship like that of Bombardier with a big team like ThorSport requires a spend of around $ 2 million.
It’s also the bill required (with a few variations) by the other leading configurations in the global camping truck series, such as Kyle Busch Motorsports or GMS.
However, how not to be offended by the behavior of Bombardier, who owes his survival to a massive public money injection and who announced on the eve of this race in Daytona a slash of 1,600 new jobs, including 700 in Quebec?
Other examples
No matter how we wish to say that the US market is important to Bombardier, this decision, made in its head office in Montreal, to award two million dollars to the NASCAR team in the United States does not hold up. This company asks for subsidies with all its might and gives alms to the neighbor.
But hey, Bombardier isn’t the only one. Alimentation Couche-Tard has also invested in NASCAR South of the Borders in recent years by sponsoring the Xfinity Series event in Daytona through its Circle K subsidiary.
At least BRP has done its part for a few years by financially supporting Alex Labb. But, oddly enough, on the French-speaking site of this Valcourt-based company, Quebec is not one of the 19 “off-road” ambassadors for BRP Can-Am, which includes the young pilot of the XFinity series, Hailie Dejan.
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