Perhaps the largest external sponsorship partner of a British Grand Prix team is Bikeit.co.uk who, with their latest innovative product UTAG, lend their hefty financial and product support to the UTAG Yamaha team. The company's presence is vast and their liaison with the southern-England based crew who run Zach Osborne and Mel Pocock marks the team as one of the more ambitious and forward-thinking in the paddock.
Owner and MD of 'Bike it', Martin Mansbridge, used to race powerboats with former F1 driver Derek Warwick and became involved in motocross when the fledgling firm provided Triple-S chains to the Dixon outfit in 1996 as their rider Paul Malin finished second in the 125cc World Championship. Having grown and expanded their position now with the team is much larger and more powerful.
A products and accessories manufacturer and importer, 'Bike it' have nine trade distributors in the UK with numerous outlets across Europe. They are also involved in sponsorship of the UTAG Yamaha Superbike team and have the official license for MotoGP items.
Q: We keep hearing about the economy being shaky and times being hard. Why decide then to get involved with a Motocross team?
MM: Good question! One of the main principles is to give credibility to the products and motocross is a good test bed for the items that we make and distribute. Credibility is a big thing in the motorcycle industry and we like to work behind-the-scenes with Steve when the team is practising with things like tyres, chains, brake pads and so on. The team also provides exposure to 'Bike It' which builds brand awareness for us, and our support gives something back to the sport. As a company motorcycling is our bread-and-butter so if we do make good profits why not put something back, and let's be honest, watching motocross riders flying through the air at god-knows-what speeds is exciting stuff.
Q: You seem to be travelling to more and more races. Has your enthusiasm for the sport grown to an all-time high thanks to playing a major role as part of the team?
MM: Well, it is totally different seeing it from the inside compared to the outside. Road racing is where we have the majority of our product portfolio and where I put our investment initially but I have had a really good taste of motocross and to see GPs live as part of a team puts goosebumps on your goosebumps! Motocross is a different animal and gives you a different rush compared to something like road racing, which is often better on TV.
Q: With regards to the World Championships are the teams not getting it right with their marketing or is it that big outside sponsors simply aren't interested?
MM: Sponsorship is very hard and it is difficult to attract people to commit their money in any kind of sport. As a company we are inundated with people throughout all levels of motorsport looking for assistance. I think Grand Prix motocross is improving in its professionalism and it is possible to see this over the last couple of years. As it progresses then I believe it will interest companies who want the exposure that the World Championships can offer, television coverage both terrestrial and satellite is important and now that we have this in the UK I think it will bring more sponsors to the fore.
