Dahon and Fiat to sponsor Smithfield Nocturne

The Nocturne Series has gained two sponsors – folding bike brand Dahon and car giant Fiat. Both will be present at the HTC Smithfield Nocturne this Saturday (June 19th).

Dahon’s sponsorship continues the brand’s association with the Nocturne Series, which includes events in Edinburgh on July 3rd and Blackpool on August 7th.

Folding bikes are set to play an integral part in the series. Keith Henderson will support Dahon and will face Rapha designer Graeme Raeburn, who will be riding his Brompton, signed by Bradley Wiggins, who won the Edinburgh and Blackpool folding bike race in ’09.

Ian Phillips, Dahon brand manager said: “Dahon are excited to be involved and it was only logical for us to partner the premium folding bike brand on the market with the premium bike race here in the UK.

“The great thing is that it brings together the great and the good on folding bikes and we hope this race again grows in size to capture the imagination of even more people at Smithfield this year.”

James Pope, from organiser Face, added: “It is fantastic to have Dahon’s support for the Series again this year. Dahon bikes are the best on the market so we are delighted to be able to offer these superb bikes to our winners across the three event series.”

British Cycling supporter Fiat has also signed up to the series, with the Fiat 500 range being on show in the main spectator area. The firm will also supply the official event vehicle for victory laps of the course.

Brane Bosancic, corporate marketing manager of Fiat, said: “The Nocturne provides an excellent opportunity for us to complement our partnership with British Cycling in the UK and engage with the diverse Nocturne audience in the capital and other iconic cities across the UK.

“We are very pleased to have agreed to become an official partner of what is growing into a really high-class event with one of the most engaged and knowledgeable audiences in the sport.”

James Pope said: “We are delighted to be working with Fiat on the Nocturne Series and the partnership adds another premium brand to join our partners Highland Spring, Red Bull, Dahon and Malmaison.

“We are always keen to grow our portfolio of official partners and Fiat has a track record of involvement in cycling. We hope the brand will bring additional exposure for the Nocturne Series this year.”

There’s more on the Nocturne here and also on the official site.