Dell Computers SA has become the IT partner for the newly constituted South African Motorsport Industry Association (SAMIA), which aims to make this country a major player within the global motor sport industry.
Worldwide, Dell Computers has a history of being involved in motorsport sponsorships. These include its sponsorship of the BMW motorsport team overseas.
SAMIA is modelled on its British equivalent, the Motorsport Industries Association, and Brian Simms, a former racing driver and Formula 1 marketing exponent, founded both.
The second major sponsor is petroleum and chemical company Petro SA. The formation of the body has received the backing of the Department of Trade and Industry. However, the size of the sponsorships was not revealed, although Simms said they were not "huge".
Rob Nunn, Dell SA's marketing manager, says: "Dell considers technology and education to be two of the most powerful tools at its disposal to make a sustainable difference in the lives of millions of people throughout SA - not only to provide an opportunity to connect communities, but also to enable individuals to achieve their dreams."
Simms says SA is ideally positioned to grow its involvement in the global motorsport industry and that he finds it unacceptable the country is not a major player.
He says that, while SA has a global motorsport heritage, it does not have a structured or recognised motorsport industry. There are no statistics to show how large it is, no official qualifications and no industry standards, he notes.
Simms points out that a survey of the British motor sport industry shows it is worth more than $75 billion and employs almost 40 000 people on a permanent basis.
Shares of Dell Computers, which made its name by supplying customised computers to clients, rose by 2% last week, to $19.09. This followed the release of a Gartner report showing Dell had grabbed nearly a third of the US PC market share during the first quarter. Dell boosted shipments 15.7% year-on-year to take 31.4% of the US market.
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