Würth and APRC ready for season finales

MANILA, Philippines–The Fia Asia-Pacific Rally Championship’s (APRC) partnership with Würth continues to grow where Würth and its products are seen as an integral part of the championship, as the teams and drivers head toward the final phase of the 2014 series in Japan, China and Thailand.

The challenge of racing cars through the toughest rally roads in seven very different countries across the Asia-Pacific region requires the backup of a large team of technicians and expert engineers, who in turn require the best tools and products. For Würth’s distributors in the region, the partnership with the APRC is seen as the ideal marketing and promotions campaign, especially when all countries can share common benefits from the association.

“The APRC shows Würth products being used by highly skilled professionals working on factory-supported rally cars under extreme conditions. It convinces other professionals of Würth’s premium quality across its entire product range,” said Martin Ruetti of Würth International (Shanghai).

Rebecca Liu, marketing director at Würth Line China, said: “Rally sports is held in extreme and rough conditions, so the high-quality products are super important for it. We are very proud to show our customers that Würth products and expertise are used in this campaign.”

The APRC teams benefit from the APRC-Würth partnership, especially with expert technical advice along with the Würth product.

Takuya Sugimura, team manager for the Cusco team, the winner of the APRC Asia Cup for past three seasons, said: “Cusco Racing and our parent company Carrosser are involved in many areas of motorsport, and we have used Würth products previously. However, since Würth’s partnership with the APRC, we have come to understand and learn more about what product is best for a given situation. Of course it helps that, as a team, we are given the Würth product as part of the partnership agreement, but we would be going out and buying that product anyway. It is that good!”

With the next APRC event being held at Rally Hokkaido in Japan later this month, Würth Japan will have a big team of its technical and sales staff in the Obihiro service park. Last year, the Würth exhibition and sales booth was a meeting point for many teams, especially with free barbeque and beer made available.

Würth head of marketing for Japan Yoko Matsuura said: “Rally Hokkaido is a big event for us and a great opportunity for marketing our products to the motoring industry, plus connecting directly with the teams, drivers, media and our local customers. We use the APRC media [photos and video] in many of our in-store and online promotions as it’s a great marketing tool. On-event activities are very important too, and we maximize the opportunities with APRC-Würth branded merchandise like caps, lanyards, pens and service-park signage.”

Rally Hokkaido has always been a pivotal point in the Asia-Pacific championship. Czech driver Jan Kopecký may lead but only by a mere eight points from his MRF Skoda teammate Gaurav Gill. The Indian driver and 2013 APRC champion is hoping his experience of the unique Hokkaido roads will allow him to bridge the points gap.

Behind the leading duo, several other drivers are still in with a chance, especially with 39 points on offer for each of the remaining two driver title events; but they may have to rely on both of the MRF Skoda teams’ not finishing. While that is not impossible, it is unlikely given their reliability.

After Rally Hokkaido, the APRC moves to the China Rally based in the city of Longyou, 400 kilometers southwest of Shanghai. The China Rally is the final event for the APRC drivers’ and manufacturers’ title, while the Thailand Rally is held a month later and acts as the final round of the APRC Asia Cup, a subseries held over the four Asian events.