Volkswagen joins Sea Otter Classic as Title Sponsor

Feb 22, 2012 at 17:47

North America's largest cycling festival has a new partner for 2012, as automaker Volkswagen of America, Inc. joins the Sea Otter Classic as the title sponsor. The event, which takes place April 19-22 at Laguna Seca Recreation Area near Monterey, Calif., is now the Volkswagen Sea Otter Classic Powered by SRAM.

"It's an incredible opportunity for Sea Otter to welcome one of the most recognizable brands in the world to the event," said Frank Yohannan, president and CEO, Sea Otter Classic. "This partnership speaks volumes about Volkswagen's commitment to our sport and the culture of cycling. And as a corporate leader in promoting safe cycling, Volkswagen is the perfect partner for Sea Otter racers, riders, and fans."

A new title sponsor is the latest in a series of updates for the iconic festival. These include the introduction of cyclocross racing, an expanded kids riding area, an invitational downhill skateboarding exhibition, and enhanced outreach for female cyclists.

"Sea Otter provides us with the perfect partnership to expand on our commitment to environmental sustainability that goes beyond fuel-efficient vehicles," said Jonathan Browning, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. "We're proud to support this world-class event that spreads the passion for cycling from children to adults."

Volkswagen has also recently partnered with the national cycling advocacy group Bikes Belong to support development of bike-friendly communities and create a cleaner environment. Volkswagen's support of cycling is part of the Think Blue.® initiative, which encompasses all of the company's efforts to promote eco-friendly mobility and encourage environmentally conscious behavior.

For more information regarding the Volkswagen Sea Otter Classic Powered by SRAM, visit www.seaotterclassic.com.

About Sea Otter Classic
A four-day "Celebration of Cycling," Sea Otter Classic is regarded as the world's largest cycling festival, hosting nearly 10,000 professional and amateur athletes and 50,000 fans. The 22nd Annual Volkswagen Sea Otter Classic Powered by SRAM will be held April 19-22, 2012 at Laguna Seca Recreation Area, Monterey, California. For more information, visit www.seaotterclassic.com or call (800) 218-8411.

About Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen's operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Beetle, Eos, Golf, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, CC, Tiguan, Touareg and Routan vehicles through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers.

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48 Comments

Score Time

+ 14

iamamodel (Feb 22, 2012 at 18:21)

Event winners get to do a lap of Laguna Seca in an R32!

Seriously, it is good to see a big company back in the sport like the hey-day of NORBA. The more the merrier.

Does anyone remember a VW that came with a roof mounted bike rack and a free bike? The bike looked like a Trek.

dinosaurinachinastore (Feb 22, 2012 at 19:36)

Yeah it was a special edition of the MKIII Jetta ('93-'99 in North America) simply called the Trek edition, pretty sure the bike rack and bike were the only special features.

RideItAll (Feb 22, 2012 at 22:36)

2012 Golf R would be more like it Wink

sachamtbdhrida (Feb 22, 2012 at 23:10)

Das Auto.

iamamodel (Feb 23, 2012 at 1:46)

Sirocco R!

RaleighVoid (Feb 23, 2012 at 6:17)

caddy

RideItAll (Feb 23, 2012 at 8:58)

No Scirocco R for us over here Frown

dualsuspensiondave (Feb 23, 2012 at 10:26) (Below Threshold) show comment

I wonder if there is a mechanic that rides shotgun for when the r32 breaks down mid lap... I've owned sooo many VW's and they keep getting worse.

c25porter (Feb 23, 2012 at 14:39)

It would be cool if you competed in Sea Otter and had a VW, then you could take that VW around Laguna Seca, as long as it passes tech inspect of course.

dualsuspensiondave (Feb 24, 2012 at 10:02)

c25porter, your S4 is sick! I have spent a lot of time under the hood of S4's too... I'm sure that I'll own one even though I don't trust my VAG cars now. Haha.

c25porter (Feb 24, 2012 at 10:41)

There are better and faster cars out there, but with very few mods (chip and exhaust) my S4 is very fun to drive, they are getting pretty cheap too, but damn maintenance is expensive, I can't imagine what it would cost someone who doesn't do their own work. For the money though the S4 is the best car I could get especially in the North West. Comfortable, fast, reliable (mostly) and sexy!

JohnDeceln (Feb 24, 2012 at 19:14)

Just tell me how I can win a R32!

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+ 11

finnrambo (Feb 22, 2012 at 18:38)

ZE GERMANS ARE COMING!

kYing (Feb 22, 2012 at 19:16)

Since you're from Van, you should already know they came a long time ago, all over the roads.

finnrambo (Feb 23, 2012 at 15:28)

that was a joke but ok buddy

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westcostdownhiller (Feb 22, 2012 at 19:05)

"an invitational downhill skateboarding exhibition"....wait what?

wendtland (Feb 23, 2012 at 16:05)

epic

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smoggytom (Feb 23, 2012 at 2:12)

while this is good for the sport, I can't help thinking what efforts have VW made to promote eco-friendly mobility? um none! Its like Atos sponsoring the Para-Olympics. Oh thats happening too!

Piks-Liks (Feb 23, 2012 at 4:32)

You could argue development of diesel engines (and hybrid electric-diesel) for one. TDIs are pretty competitive for fuel efficiency

RaleighVoid (Feb 23, 2012 at 6:19)

the blue motion VWs get co2 emissions bellow 100g

deathchr (Feb 23, 2012 at 13:55)

But its gutless( BlueMotion), they`ve sacrificed Horsepower for economy. They are a waste of time if you want to get anywhere in a hurry, fine if you have all the time in the world

Piks-Liks (Feb 23, 2012 at 14:26)

isn't that typically the case though? it's not like you're going to race em on your way to work anyways

deathchr (Feb 28, 2012 at 11:27)

Not necessarily. In UK blue motion comes with cheap road tax. You can buy the same car with a different "tune" but pay more road tax....

[Reply]

smoggytom (Feb 23, 2012 at 7:26)

Volkswagen is campaigning against a new European target to reduce emissions by 30 per cent by 2020. Over 100 leading businesses including Google and Unilever support this target - but not VW!

As the biggest car company in Europe, VW has the biggest climate change footprint of any car manufacturer in Europe.

Volkswagen penalises (and profits from) consumers wanting smarter, cleaner vehicles by artificially inflating their price for the fitting of their Blue Motion technology. It comes as an added extra at a price of up to £1,000 but coould be fitted for a mere £250

iamamodel (Feb 23, 2012 at 12:38)

Perhaps it is like a government initiative that wants everyone to reduce their fat percentage by 10%. Mountain bikers would oppose it because it would kill some of us, but Unilever and Google can afford to lose 10% fat.

VW have the most fuel efficient cars on the planet and they generally have a very good build quality and run for decades. They have a a smaller NET environmental footprint then some knee-jerk reaction environmental disaster like a Toyota Prius. VW should be exempt from the 30% reduction because they achieved it long ago.

dualsuspensiondave (Feb 23, 2012 at 13:31)

Good build quality? They actually have some of the worst built cars on the market and have since around 1995. I've been working on them since 1999, and have owned every body style since 1981 until the most recent body styles. They are throw away cars, and any good mechanic will tell you the same. Drive them for 100,000 miles, then recycle it.

iamamodel (Feb 23, 2012 at 23:56)

^^ Okay, I'll take your word on that. I'm going by how many old ones I see out on the roads. To me they look like they go forever. I'm not going to argue with a VW mechanic.

[Reply]

RideItAll (Feb 22, 2012 at 21:42)

I have a GTI... so VW is going to let me take a hot lap through until I've got the corkscrew down, right?

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KAHL1 (Feb 23, 2012 at 20:03)

I wish I could afford to go. We need something like Sea Otter on the east coast.

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LkWebz (Feb 22, 2012 at 20:47)

As a motive for the road race guys, the new bug is going to be racing behind them

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BMORAIN (Feb 22, 2012 at 18:16)

cant wait to race dh in it this year

Karpiel073 (Feb 22, 2012 at 19:17)

Wish I could race in Sea Otter. But I just have to wait for the awesome coverage on Pinkbike. South Carolina why you suck so much?! Hey good luck too man!

[Reply]

LTmtb (Feb 22, 2012 at 22:23)

Volkswagen Sea Otter Classic Powered by SRAM . . . everyone's still just going to call it Sea Otter, but it's great that more companies are putting money into the sport.

[Reply]

rfitzroy (Feb 22, 2012 at 19:35)

Neat-o. Doesn't get around the fact that just about any other DH or XC race in Cali will offer better tracks/courses than Sea Otter. Its over priced and a zoo, too. It is fun if you wanna go and get a bunch of schwag at the booths.

rfitzroy (Feb 22, 2012 at 19:43)

Maybe VW will bring some good German track builders.

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immacaroni (Feb 23, 2012 at 1:15)

maybe vw can help sea otter design a new dh course this year instead of a course that you can race a 4-6 inch bike on.

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MTBdisciple15 (Feb 22, 2012 at 18:14)

I want super d

Tader16 (Feb 22, 2012 at 18:16)

I just wanna go to the Sea Otter Classic. If it has Super D or not....

+ 18

USA123 (Feb 22, 2012 at 18:30)

Their dh track might as well be super D...

[Reply]

descent345 (Feb 23, 2012 at 0:16)

registered and hotel booked cant wait!!!!

[Reply]

airsoftesneeto (Feb 22, 2012 at 23:15)

dude i am stoked for sea otter classic!!!!

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DIRTESANCHEZ433 (Feb 22, 2012 at 19:31)

cant wait for sea otter

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skinna (Feb 22, 2012 at 21:05)

hopefully will be going for the first time

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scrub (Feb 23, 2012 at 10:46)

FARFROMPUKIN!

[Reply]

bullerspike (Feb 23, 2012 at 3:42)

das lieben auto

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WestCoastRider7 (Feb 22, 2012 at 18:53)

I can't wait!

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