Written by Owen Bradley, Edited by Ishani Aziz
Rich Energy have found themselves in somewhat hot water once again, this time with British Superbike Team OMG Racing. Rich Energy have been involved in a business saga, and had made some questionable decisions in the past. The latest: a partnership with OMG Racing, launched on the 20th of July, which is not quite as simple as it seems.
The statement, made by Rich Energy OMG Racing, said this:
“Following certain social media posts, press interviews, and publications over the last few days, the Rich Energy OMG Racing team would like to make a statement of facts regarding the sponsorship of the team in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB).
“Rich Energy OMG Racing is not, and has never been, sponsored by William Storey.
“Rich Energy OMG Racing is not, and has never been, sponsored by the Rich Energy brand owners.
“Rich Energy OMG Racing is sponsored by RichOMG Limited, the global sales and distribution rights holder for the drinks, Rich Energy (classic) and Rich Energy Sugar-Free.
“This sponsorship agreement was established in March 2020 ahead of the 2020 BSB season and remains firmly in place at this time.”
Now, this was simply not actually a sponsorship by William Storey, and in fact it appears that without Storey’s involvement, Rich Energy can be a trustworthy company. The company’s record is rather troublesome when it comes to motorsport sponsorships. There was of course the previous relationship between Rich Energy and Haas F1 where Rich Energy openly criticised Haas F1 on their public Social Media accounts. This quickly led to a termination of the deal between Haas F1 and Rich Energy.
Rich Energy now cannot seem to escape the orchestrator of the Haas-Rich Energy ordeal: William Storey. The damage has clearly been done to the company’s reputation, despite Storey no longer being the CEO.
Rich Energy now most famously sponsors British Touring Car Championship Team (BTC Racing), who currently sit three points down on the leader, with Josh Cook having his strongest campaign in his career, sitting P2 in the standings. This could be a new chapter in the saga of Rich Energy and the quest to restore their credibility.
There could be hope on the horizon for Rich Energy, and it is no question that team sponsorships constantly raise eyebrows in Formula 1, notably Aston Martin’s Aramco.
But what do you think? Should Rich Energy be given a second chance in Motorsport? It appears as if they might well be here to stick around long term.
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