The title sponsorship reinforces AirAsia’s continued commitment to the world of international motorsports by partnering with one of the most innovative brands in the industry.
AirAsia Berhad CEO, Aireen Omar said, “We are very proud to be the title sponsor of this exciting new team and look forward to continuing our partnership with Caterham, a team with a great racing pedigree known for innovation. There’s a lot of synergy in our brands and we look forward to being a part of the team, and to a successful season ahead.”
AirAsia-Caterham Moto Racing also unveiled its new 600cc four-stroke Moto2TM racing machine and racing leathers with AirAsia livery, and introduced their two Moto2TM riders, Johann Zarco and Josh Herrin, for the team’s inaugural racing season. Both riders will race under the supervision of Johan Stigefelt as Team Manager.
Team Principal of Caterham Moto Racing, Mia Sharizman commented, “Two-wheeled motorsport is a new venture for Caterham Group and one that we believe will be a long term project. It is an exciting time for us and I would like to thank AirAsia for the opportunity.
It is great to see their development and commitment to the sport from initially supporting an event, to their backing of Malaysian rider Zulfahmi Khairuddin who will compete in Moto3 class this year. I believe our partnership with AirAsia as a Moto2 team is the next progressive step and will provide an excellent opportunity to develop up and coming Asian riders on a worldwide branding platform.
The team is in high spirits and we hope to show our gratitude to AirAsia throughout the year by achieving good results”.
AirAsia’s first foray into the world of MotoGP started with home-grown success Zulfahmi Khairuddin representing the airline’s effort in nurturing local talents to achieve world-class success. Zulfahmi, who raced under the AirAsia-SIC banner as a wildcard entrant at the 2009 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, has bloomed into a world-class racer, with the airline dynamically supporting his development for the past 4 years.
“When AirAsia first started, many people doubted our existence and predicted our fall. But after 12 years, we proved all the skeptics wrong and attained various accomplishments and became the world’s best. We hope that the AirAsia-Caterham Moto Racing Team derives inspiration from our success story and becomes a force to be reckoned with in motor racing,” Aireen Omar added.
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