Tricorp, manufacturer of workwear in Rijen, announced at the beginning of February that it had concluded a multi-year sponsorship deal with Formula 1 team Uralkali Haas. The first race of the new season is next Sunday. The month and a half between those two moments were hectic for the company, as the American team sidelined Russian sponsor Uralkali.
“Yes, very hectic”, say Max van Domburg and Cas Dekkers of Tricorp almost in unison. The Russian company’s logo was on everything from the car to the clothing of the team’s cook.
“For us, taking care of the team clothing meant again. A total rebranding. We made sure that in Bahrain, on the first race weekend, everyone runs in a temporary team kit.”
Temporary, because depending on a possible new sponsor, the final clothing still has to be made. Haas has no complaints about interest, but an agreement with a replacement for Uralkali has not yet been reached. “We want to do that as quickly and well as possible, of course, but we depend on the team. As soon as we get a go, we are ready to act quickly and deliver quickly. But we depend on the potential sponsors who are still there. and whether they get logo positions.”
It was hectic, but at the same time Tricorp and Haas now immediately know what to do with each other. “We had to reinvent ourselves, show how flexible we are. As partners you grow closer to each other. Now you go the extra mile for each other. The response from the team was very positive, we can build on each other.”
The team clothing for the mechanics to the chefs comes from Tricorp. Only the race overalls of the drivers and pit crew are made elsewhere. But all clothing, including that which is for sale to fans, will have to wait a little longer. “We are busy with it. This was an unusual start, but also a nice challenge in the end. That also makes it fun again,” says Bekkers.
On Sunday they sit in front of the TV to watch the first race of the season. The company from Rijen is the main sponsor of Tilburg Trappers and was involved with Willem II for many years. It is affiliated with PSV and was already active in Formula 2 and Formula E. “But this is the next level. We think it’s cool that we will soon see all those people in the team on TV, including the mechanics and other people in the team.” pit lane, wearing our work clothes. We also have a position on the sleeve with our logo. We are definitely in front of the TV to see that.”
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