Pata extends World Superbike partnership with Honda
Italian snack manufacturer Pata has renewed its agreement to partner Honda’s World Superbike team for two further years beginning in 2015.
Pata became title partner to Honda’s SBK effort at the start of the 2013 season with riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam. The same line-up remained for the 2014 season, alongside the World Supersport pairing of Michael van der Mark and Lorenzo Zanetti.
To date, the Pata Honda partnership has yielded 11 World Superbike podium finishes, including five victories with Jonathan Rea, who currently sits in third place in the 2014 championship standings with two rounds remaining.
In World Supersport, Michael van der Mark has taken five wins this season on his way to the 2014 championship title. He has taken a further six podium finishes under Pata colours, while his team-mate Lorenzo Zanetti took a third place last season and an emotional victory at Pata’s home round at Imola in Italy in May of this year.
Pata employs more than 250 people, was founded in 1981 by president Remo Gobbi and is based in Castiglione delle Stiviere in northern Italy. It is one of Italy’s most successful snack manufacturers and is famous for the popular Artigianale brand of potato chips.
Since the start of its World Superbike partnership with Honda, Pata has seen its share of the Italian snack market rise to approximately 30%, an increase of around 4%.
Remo Gobbi – president, Pata
We are very happy to renew our partnership with Honda and the team for 2015 and 2016. While this is a commercial relationship with very clear benefits to our organisation, the team has a fantastic family atmosphere. We are a family-run business and this creates an ideal environment within the World Superbike paddock for us to entertain our customers and guests. We have enjoyed some very special moments with this team, including an unforgettable weekend in Imola this year when Jonathan Rea scored a double SBK win and Lorenzo Zanetti took a memorable Supersport victory. And Michael van der Mark’s World Championship victory in Jerez two weeks ago was a fantastic achievement for everyone involved. We look forward to further success with Honda and the team in the future.
Robert Watherston – head of motorsports, Honda Motor Europe
At a time when very few consumer brands are linking themselves to motorcycle sport, it’s fantastic news that a commercial partner with such a high profile as Pata has chosen to renew its association with Honda’s World Superbike team for a further two years. We are delighted that everyone’s efforts, especially at the team’s workshops last winter, have led to further success on-track this season. That is mirrored by the commercial achievements that Pata has enjoyed as a result of its association with a global brand like Honda, for whom racing is such a vital activity. We’re very happy to be able to push forward towards a new era of Superbike racing with such a supportive and valuable partner.