Quote:
Originally Posted by Sami Aaltonen
Can Doc or anyone tell me, why David Price's #03R had that Davidoff livery in 1995 and why the #06R weared San Miguel livery?
Some evening my friend asked me that, do I know the reason why they had these liveries?
I think it must be some "usual" sponsorship-thing, nothing else I think?
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03R was sponsored by REEMTSMA, the parent company behind the West and Davidoff brands. West is their "regular" brand and wasn't available during those days in many of the countries/markets it's now available. Davidoff has been their premium brand that also includes other than tobacco products. Those were better available on the other markets than their West brand cigarettes and also then it was easier to advertise such products in even those countries that prohibited the direct tobacco advertising (similarities to Marlboro and Camel branded clothing!).
Also in the far east races like Suzuka and Zhuhai (or the Brazilian races in 1996) it was financially better to use other more local sponsors on the cars than in the European races and so 06R had the San Miguel livery in the 1995 Zhuhai race as Harrods didn't have their shop there in China yet and gave the "local" brewery (don't mix it with the Spanish San Miguel beer!) the opportunity to "build their brand image". Similarly in the 1996 Zhuhai race for 12R and 15R "Gulf oil had no interests in China, so the GTC McLarens appeared instead in Marlboro livery" (DA, p239).
I guess also the rules played a part as in the BPR series they were moore loose about the sponsoring/adveritising/livery changes than in the FIA regulated series. I'm not sure would it been even possible to have the cars of one team to have different liveries (such as DPR had the West/Harrods liveries 1995-96) in the FIA GT series. At least we saw quite a many livery changes during the BPR series, and sadly not so many during the FIA GT series.