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Rapha is taking title sponsorship of the Lincoln Grand Prix.
A two-year title sponsorship has been agreed, with the event being titled the ‘Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix’, and the men’s race and women’s race have been given equal weighting within it.
In January, it was announced that 2019 had possibly been the last edition of the Lincoln Grand Prix due lack of sponsorship funding to enable the race to run. Following “incredible support” from the cycling community, the race will now go ahead in 2020, and the Lincoln Grand Prix said it is developing a strategy to “ensure the sustainability of the event in future years” with its new title sponsor.
Dan Ellmore, Lincoln Grand Prix race organiser since 2015, said: “The Lincoln Grand Prix team is excited to be working with Rapha for the 2020 and 2021 events and to help develop a more sustainable approach to the race to ensure we can continue adding to the history of the event for many years to come.
“Having a brand such as Rapha recognise the importance of the event and get behind us to keep it running is a fantastic position to be in and we’re really looking forward to working with them.”
“The race has always been close to us at Rapha. Our London headquarters are just two hours down the road from Lincoln and it was here, in 2007, that Dean Downing took the first major win for our original race team, Rapha Condor. We simply couldn’t imagine a British race calendar without the Lincoln,” said a statement from Rapha.
“For the next two years, Rapha will be the title sponsor of the Lincoln Grand Prix, but our sponsorship is just the start. Using this race as a case study, we will investigate, in practical terms, just how you secure a sustainable fnancial future for a bike race. The Lincoln GP is our local race but the lessons we will learn by supporting it are ones we hope will be applicable to any race, anywhere in the world.
“Working closely with the organisers, we will explore new revenue streams including Lincoln Grand Prix merchandise produced by Rapha Custom, with all profits going towards the race in a bid to make the race self-sustaining and ultimately less reliant on sponsors. We’ll make mistakes, we’ll make improvements and we’ll document it all so that fans with an interest not just in the sport but also in the financial model behind it can gain insight.
“Most importantly of all, we’ll invite you all to be a part of it when the race’s 65th edition takes place on Sunday, 12th of May. We’ll be there with the Rapha Mobile Clubhouse to provide the finest coffee for spectators and fans, to showcase our Rapha Custom range and organise rides and events around the race.”
