Case Studies

Northlands welcomes Honda Canada on board as title sponsor of the 2010 Honda Indy Edmonton

MEDIA RELEASE
March 25, 2010

EDMONTON, AB – Northlands is pleased to welcome Honda Canada on board as the title sponsor for the 2010 Honda Indy Edmonton, July 23-25. The announcement was made earlier today at a media conference attended by Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel, Northlands President Ken Knowles, and Honda Canada Inc. Executive Vice-President Jerry Chenkin.

“Northlands is very pleased to welcome a national sponsorship partner like Honda Canada as the title sponsor for the 2010 Honda Indy Edmonton,” said Ken Knowles, Northlands President. “Honda Canada is a national leader in supporting innovation and community involvement in motor sports across Canada. As one of Edmonton’s leading international sporting events and tourism destinations, the 2010 Honda Indy Edmonton will provide an incredible international platform to showcase this new sponsor partnership.”

“We will be working closely with Northlands and the event sponsors to ensure the Honda Indy Edmonton remains as the largest motorsports event in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest for this year and beyond,” said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president of Honda Canada Inc.

Soichiro Honda’s love of victory helped launch a small company into a racing giant. He possessed an uncanny ability to develop technology for racing and adapt it to the consumer market. At age 22, and drawing upon his skills as a mechanic, Mr. Honda developed a V-8 Curtis Wright aircraft engine to race. He took the wheel himself that year and set a Japanese speed record hitting 75 mph. Honda Racing was born. Soichiro Honda began to tackle racing from the development standpoint, producing some of the finest engines ever to race.

Honda Canada’s commitment to racing extended well beyond international borders, and could be found in communities across Canada. The company made a visible commitment to ‘grassroots racing initiatives’ for years as evidenced through the popular Honda Michelin Challenge that ran for 17 straight years in the 1980s and ’90s.

Auto racing fans across North America get to see the best in open-wheel racing right here in Edmonton as the Honda Indy Edmonton takes to the track from July 23-25. Three-day ticket packages for the Honda Indy Edmonton are on sale now and are available online at www.edmontonindy.com or at www.ticketmaster.ca.

Northlands rocks Edmonton with 2,500 events each year that attract over 4 million visitors to Alberta’s Capital City. Think, Canadian Finals Rodeo, Farmfair International, Capital EX, Honda Indy Edmonton, the best of horse racing, headliner concerts, international events and all the trade shows you can handle. Visit northlands.com to find out more.

Media Contacts:
Brian Leadbetter
Director, Government & Community Relations
Northlands
Ph: (780) 471-7295
Cell: (780) 902-3723
E-mail: bleadbetter@northlands.com

Sid Priddle
Media Relations Manager
Honda Indy Edmonton
Cell: (780) 886-4929
E-mail: spriddle@northlands.com

Richard Jacobs
Honda Canada Inc.
(416) 287-4708