For the second year running, Fiat will be participating in the MotoGP Word Championship once again as the Title Sponsor of the Yamaha team, which was renamed the Fiat Yamaha team last year.

Fiat Automobiles SpA continues its strategy of targeting the young with innovative, accessible products, but also with initiatives of great appeal and high emotional impact. As part of this strategy, for the second year running, the brand is participating in the MotoGP 2008 championship as Title Sponsor of the Yamaha team, renamed the Fiat Yamaha team last year.

This world sponsorship deal will allow Fiat Automobiles SpA to create communications campaigns using the image of the riders and technicians of the Fiat Yamaha Team. The two official Yamahas ridden by Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo will sport the Fiat logo and the Italian flag on the side fairing, shield and fuel tank.

The Fiat logo will also feature on the centre, front and rear of the riders’ race suits, and on the legs, as well as on the clothing of staff and mechanics. The Fiat logo will also be found on all the team’s official communications, in full view inside the hospitality area, and on the containers and trucks used to transport motorcycles and materials.

It should be pointed out that although the 2007 racing results were not up to expectations, the sponsorship proved successful in terms of the worldwide visibility of the Fiat Yamaha Team. The MotoGP championship was watched by 2.3 million spectators at the race tracks, and followed by 2 billion television viewers and 300 million newspaper readers.

Every year about one million MotoGP electronic games are sold worldwide, and in 2007 alone, 600,000 of them had Valentino Rossi and the bikes of the Fiat Yamaha Team on the cover. The two liveries developed specifically for the two bikes competing in the MotoGP 2007 were also a great success: one showed the Fiat 500 and the other the Abarth Scorpion. Finally, in just a few months, the original Fiat Yamaha Team website welcomed over 250,000 unique users, and more than 350 graphics proposals for the two motorcycles were received from young fans. Not to mention the 10,000 Fiat Yamaha Team merchandising items that were sold through the Fiat network.

In this context, Fiat Automobiles SpA continues its sponsorship for the upcoming MotoGP season, a sporting event that appeals more than any other to young racing enthusiasts. Manufacturers of great cars and great motorcycles, with a strong personality and lasting appeal, the two brands have launched an innovative collaboration that goes beyond mere sponsorship and enters the much broader arena of communication and advertising.