Infiniti Announces Sebastian Vettel as Global Brand Ambassador

Infiniti, the luxury car manufacturer from Japan, today announces it has signed Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel as its first ever Global Brand Ambassador.

The collaboration with Sebastian Vettel comes two months after Infiniti announced a major partnership with the Red Bull Racing team. The 23 year-old F1 star will be taking an active role in raising the profile of the Infiniti brand and its products during race weekends and at selected events linked to Infiniti’s business and product programs.

From the start of the 2011 Formula One season, Infiniti has joined as a major partner of the Red Bull Racing team and features prominently on the race-winning RB7 driven by Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Like many in the Red Bull Racing team, Sebastian has been driving products from the Infiniti range, both as his personal car but also at the different races around the world.

Commenting on his new global role, Sebastian Vettel said: “Since our first contact with Infiniti I liked their cars. A car can impress you in two ways: its looks and its handling. After I had the chance to test some cars in the range I became a big fan. They are comfortable as well as sporty when you ask for it. I am sure we as a team and myself can benefit a lot from the experience of Infiniti and I am very much looking forward to our partnership in the future.”

Simon Sproule, CVP Global Marketing Communications, Nissan Motor Company added: “Red Bull Racing have demonstrated over the course of their short history in F1 that they are a great challenger brand, unafraid of taking their own approach to creating a winning team. 

At the core of this emergence has been the inspired performance of Sebastian Vettel. As we developed the partnership with the team, so it was a natural progression to also work more closely with Sebastian and today we formally welcome him to the Infiniti team”

The Stuff of Legends: Jason's Driftmaster S13

If you hang out in the automotive world, you'll mostly find two types of cars. The first types are show queens, perfect looking cars, not a scratch on their thousand-dollar paint job, with nice and shiny parts under the hood and perfect upholstery inside. These cars are the stuff dreams are made of, but to me, they lack something. That something is what the second type of cars have: a history. Scratched paint, cracked bodykits, used up leather on the steering wheel, the side of the seat peeling off due to too many in and outs, dirty engine bays, and, very often, half of the driver's life thrown in the raw, gutted rear are part of the things that give such cars a Soul. 

This is what makes a car priceless, especially to the owner who, when looking at a taped up part of a bumper, can remember how and when it happened.

Cars like these are not to be featured in an empty place or closed road; they belong on the open road, mixed in the crowd. That's where they "grew up" and this is also where they will die.

This S13 is such a car. Her story begins three years ago, when Jason bought this second hand 200SX after his desire to learn drifting won him over. Choosing the S13 for its low price, abundant aftermarket support and overall affinity with drifting, Jason asked Perfect Power Performance at Autobay Kaki Bukit to help him with the build, and about half a year later, this drift car was born. 

With the support of GT Radial for the tyres, Jason then started learning how to drift and ever since that time, has been spotted training and competing at many events in Malaysia and Singapore, racing under the colors of his very own Team Driftmasters.

His first donuts in January 2008 in Kulai Malaysia have seen him improve his control on his trustworthy S13 and this Nissan has seen, over the last two years, the asphalt of over 15 events, ranging from drift demos such as the Asia Auto Salon 2009, to major drifting events like Formula Drift Singapore 2010 and the Mettle Games 2010. 

Over the months and events, Jason has managed to get a good series of sponsors for his 200SX too, continuing his partnership with GT Radial, but also getting endorsed by LiquiMoly Singapore, DOTZ Wheels Asia Pacific, GEN Concepts, Oakley, Asia Apparels and Red Bull Singapore, with the Wings Team. 

Sadly, after all this fame and events, pride and hardships, this S13 is nearing the end of her life, and is due to be scrapped soon, due to Singapore laws. Her chassis is tired and softened due to the strain of this very demanding motorsport, her body is cracked and scratched, riveted and taped up, holes are appearing all over the undercarriage, preyed on by rust, but when you sit in the passenger seat, with Jason at the wheel, none of these matter, this car gives it all, and will continue to do so until the day she has to be taken off the road. And when that day will come, just by looking at this car and all her imperfections, you'll know that she took her owner for one hell of a ride. That, to me, is the Stuff of Legends.

Now, to all the show queens (and their owners) out there, stop boasting, and give this S13 the respect she deserves.

Red Bull Female Driver Search Round 1

Since 2007, Red Bull introduced the Female Driver Search in Malaysia, a program consisting in scouting for ladies with the passion and desire to be part of the motorsports World and offering them the opportunity to train with professionals and giving them a wheel in international motorsports events.

Two years ago, Red Bull joined the renowned Sepang 1000KM Race in Malaysia with their all female team competing for this event, composed of four Malaysian ladies who were selected after Red Bull's Female Driver Search 2009 Campaign.

Last year Red Bull did it again, this time including Brunei in the search and offering a team made out of two Malaysian and two Brunei lady racers who made the men teams shake in fear from the starting grid to the checkered flag.

This year, Red Bull made it to Singapore in search of one special lady who will compete alongside two Malaysian and one Brunei counterpart.

The Search is sponsored by the new "Red Bull Singapore's Choice" a variant of the famous energy drink that has been customized to suit Singaporean's desire for a low sugar content energy drink. The result is a Red Bull with 20% less sugar that fits the local need for an instant energy drink with fewer calories.

This year's Search was conducted between the 14th and 19th February (you may have seen the campaign on Gordini's Pit Stop - here -, on Facebook or at the selected universities - NUS, SIM, SMU -, Parco Bugis Junction and on the radio station Power 98 FM), resulted in a whopping 528 petrol head ladies signing up.

Out of this amazingly big crowd, only 24 were selected to compete in the first elimination round that took place on Tuesday 22nd February at Singapore's Kartright Speedway.

 

Under the watchful eyes of professional race car driver and Chief Instructor at the Asia Advanced Driving Academy, Kenvin Low, professional race car driver and F1 sponsorship and F1 driver talent scout Kevin Kwee, and Carmen Lim, Red Bull Rookie who posted the fastest female timings at the Sepang 1000KM Race last year, the 24 ladies lapped the go-kart racetrack to be one of the ten selected for round two. The remaining 14 candidates will be up for Singapore's Choice Wild Card on Red Bull Singapore's fan page where fans will have the power to choose two of them to proceed to the second round.

The second round will take place at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, where only six ladies will be handpicked to go for a team building camp and fight for the opportunity to be the one to represent Singapore in the Red Bull Rookies Team in Sepang 1000KM Race.

The first round at Kartright Speedway saw ten ladies being selected for the second round, based, of course, on their driving skills, but also on other skills such as their personality, media and presentation skills and more. 

These ladies are:

Tan Su-Anne, a 30 years old home maker

Emmiline Ang Xiao Wei, a 23 years old research officer

Amanda Chan, a 30 years old banker

Felicia Ong, a 20 years old model

Suzanne Chu Siu Yen, a 21 years old student

Cheryl Desiree Chan, a 21 years old student

Melissa Huang, a 26 year old nurse

Koh Yu Han, a 23 years old student

Ziyi Kuek, a 21 years old inline skating instructor

Amirah Mokhtar, a 19 years old student

Congratulations to all the ladies who signed up, and to the ones selected for round two!

Remember, two of the 14 ladies who weren't selected on Tuesday 22nd February still have a chance to make it to Sepang, and that decision is in your hands! To vote, head down to Red Bull Singapore's Facebook fan page (here) and follow the instructions. Hurry, the contest ends on Sunday 27th February at 11:30pm Singapore Time!

Special thanks to Clementine from the Atelier, Aziz from Reputation Mercatus, Law from Flipchart and Christabel from Red Bull.

Red Bull Female Driver Search comes to Singapore!

Great news everybody (Especially for you, ladies)!

Red Bull is in town, looking for some motorhead ladies to represent them during the Sepang 1,000km race!

Check this out:

Singapore, 11 February 2011 – Red Bull is on a search for the next bunch of spunky female with passion for speed and motorsports to join the “Red Bull Rookies” racing team. The team has now  expanded to Singapore with inaugural search for its first Singapore female driver to be part of its team for the upcoming Sepang  1000KM Race, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Red Bull will scour island wide to find the female driver who will be able to withstand this challenge. This search will be conducted through auditions held at various local universities and via online.

The auditions will be held on 14 February 2011 at National  University Singapore, followed by 15 February 2011 at Singapore Institute of Management, 17 February 2011 at Singapore Management University and a final search at Parco Bugis Junction on 19 February 2011. 

At the end of the final audition session at Parco Bugis, 24 candidates will be shortlisted for the next qualifying round where they will have to race against each other at Kartwright Speedway.

The number will then be narrowed down to 12 candidates for another round of test at Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia. Subsequently, only 6 candidates will be handpicked to train and fight for the prestigious spot to represent Singapore as part of Red Bull Rookies Team to compete in Sepang 1000 in December 2011.

Ladies with a strong passion for speed and motor sports are strongly encouraged to participate. Applicants will undergo a driving test and interviews to see how well they are able to handle a manual car. Interested applicants must be females with a valid driving license, aged 18 to 30 and able to handle a manual car.

For more information, please visit http://www.redbullsg.com/rbfds/

If you have any questions or thoughts, don't hesitate to comment here, I'll make sure to relay any relevant comments to the Red Bull team, thanks!