Steinlager Back Onboard with Emirates Team New Zealand
It’s black to the future as Steinlager return as a sponsor to Emirates Team New Zealand for the 35th America’s Cup
challenge in Bermuda in 2017.
For the first time since 2003, the famous Steinlager brand will be back on the kiwi boat as Emirates Team New Zealand
race, to once again win the oldest trophy in international sport.
New Zealand’s involvement in the America’s Cup began with Steinlager proudly as a sponsor for the 1986 Fremantle
America’s Cup with KZ-7, The ‘Big Boat’ challenge with KZ-1 in 1988, the New Zealand Challenge in 1992 and continued all
the way through to the ultimately successful campaigns 1995 and 2000.
“Steinlager is one of those legacy brands that is synonymous with not only sailing, but successful sailing in New
Zealand, so to have them back onboard as a sponsor is really special,” explained Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant
Dalton.
“It has always been a huge part of the team, so to have the famous red Steinlager badge back on the boat just feels
right.”
Steinlager and Lion have had a long and proud association with New Zealand yachting that goes back over 30 years to the
1985/86 Whitbread Round the World Race. Sponsor of ‘Lion New Zealand’ the boat skippered by Sir Peter Blake and crewed
by Grant Dalton and Kevin Shoebridge. Steinlager was then naming sponsor of two of Sir Peter Blake’s offshore sailing
campaigns, ‘Big Red’ the high tech trimaran and most famously the all conquering Steinlager 2 Whitbread boat, with
Shoebridge as Watch Leader that won every single leg of the race in the 1989/90 edition of the race.
“We’ve never stopped backing Emirates Team New Zealand over the years, but our team is really excited about being back
on the boat,” said Ben Wheeler, Marketing Director at Lion.
“Steinlager was a beer born from a challenge and so was Emirates Team New Zealand. We are backing the team 100% in their
quest to win back the America’s Cup.”
In reflecting on the history of the relationship Grant Dalton says, “It was the beer sipped out of the America’s Cup
with the New Zealand victories in 1995 and 2000, it is our intention to again savour the taste of success with
Steinlager and the America’s Cup in 2017.”
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