Motorcycles and news

British Superbike Sponsor Bennetts Goes Global June 22, 2007

In addition to its successful title sponsorship campaign with the British Superbike Championship, Bennetts, the UK’s number one for bike insurance is going global with an exciting SBK Superbike World Championship programme.

The Peterborough-based motorcycle insurance provider will launch its new partnership with series organisers FGSport at the forthcoming British round of the series at Brands Hatch. It will take the title of Official series sponsor for the remainder of this year’s Championship and the whole of the 2008 Championship.

Bennetts, the UK’s number one for bike insurance* has also announced personal sponsorship of British rider and World Championship leader James Toseland. The Isle of Man resident will be supported by Bennetts for the remainder of 2007 a further demonstration of the company’s passion for motorcycle racing and the industry as a whole.

“We are proud to be strengthening our sponsorship programme in this way,” says Mark Fells, Marketing Director, Bennetts. “We’re really excited to be involved with the World Championship. We already have a relationship with James and with him enjoying such huge success in this year’s series, it seems the perfect time for us to offer our support to him as he looks set to become Superbike World Champion for the second time. This complements our current sponsorship of the domestic championship perfectly.”

“It’s great news to hear that the series is attracting further support from a leading UK brand,” says SBK Superbike World Championship contender James Toseland. “I’m proud to be associated with Bennetts, the UK’s number one for bike insurance* and I believe that their sponsorship can have nothing but a positive effect on the Championship.”

The background to Bennets

- Bennetts was established in Coventry by the Bennetts family in 1930 to provide insurance services to people throughout the West Midlands.
·    In the early 1980’s Bennetts decided to devise a number of specialist insurance schemes that would meet the needs of different types of biker. These schemes are constantly reviewed to give bikers the exact cover they need.
·    In 2000 Bennetts was the first motorcycle insurance specialist to offer the ability to buy insurance over the Net, through its website, www.bennetts.co.uk.
·    In October 2001, the Bennetts brand was acquired by the Budget Group of Companies, through its purchase of the Dial Direct Group, a major UK car insurance intermediary.
·    The Budget Group was established in 1992, and has grown to be the UK’s third largest personal lines insurance intermediary, through a combination of organic growth and a series of major strategic acquisitions.
- The Budget Group of Companies now arranges and administers insurance for around 1,200,000 customers and has contact centre operations in Peterborough, Coventry, Sunderland and Cape Town, South Africa. It currently employs 1500 people and its head office is in Peterborough.
- In May 2003, Bennetts unveiled its new brand identity to the industry.
- Bennetts became personal sponsor of World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson in May 2003.
- In June 2004 and again in June 2006, independent brand tracking research identified Bennetts as the UK’s number one brand for motorcycle insurance.

In January 2005, Bennetts signed the biggest sponsorship deal in the history of the brand by becoming title sponsor of the 2005 Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Bennetts continued its sponsorship of the British Superbike Championship in 2006.