The Armory Acquires Off-Road Racing Series TORC: The Off-Road Championship; USAC Remains Sanctioning Body
CRANDON, Wisc. (PRWEB) August 29, 2013 -- The Armory, a leading Southern California-based advertising agency and production company, announced today it is acquiring the popular motorsports racing series, TORC: The Off-Road Championship, from the United States Automobile Club (USAC). The Armory has been working with the series since 2010 primarily in the form of television production for the Discovery Networks, SPEED, FUEL & NBC Sports. The change in series management will be effective prior to the beginning of the 2014 racing season.
BJ Birtwell, owner of The Armory, said he wanted to make it clear USAC would remain onboard as the sanctioning body, while The Armory would handle all other aspects including strategy, marketing, promotion, media, on-site production, television production, and athlete/sponsor relations. “After several months of meetings with TORC, and after doing our own due diligence, we saw a long-term strategic opportunity to take on the TORC Series and begin building it into the brand we believe it can become," Birtwell said.
“Our team at The Armory has crafted a five-year strategic road map to set the series on a path that will help achieve the goals we have put in place. As for changes, some will happen immediately, and others are a mid and long-term play.”
Birtwell was quick to discuss TORC's increased year-over-year event attendance and the rising popularity of its brand. “Over the past few years, TORC has silently been building a stronger series. Equity in the brand has been steadily growing and new markets are showing promise.”
Kevin Miller, president and CEO of USAC, is excited about what this means for the future of TORC.
“USAC’s role with TORC has expanded significantly in recent years after the series was initially founded by Ricky Johnson," Miller said. "We have been seeking a strong marketing and operations partner and found the perfect complement with The Armory. Early discussions with BJ and his team have left me thrilled we are handing the keys of the series to people with vision and the capabilities to execute successfully. In fact, changes are already happening.”
One of those changes includes a strategic alliance between TORC and the FIA. Birtwell added, “The FIA alliance will become increasingly important in our five-year strategic plan, and we are proud to be a partner with the United States Auto Club, member of ACCUS-FIA, one of six leading sanctioning organizations in the U.S.”
Birtwell announced the planned markets for 2014 which was a result of both strategic plans and sponsor requests. He added that future schedules may take on a different look as the series begins to realize the benefits of the hard work put in by everyone involved.
"I can tell you that 2015 and beyond will look different as we build out the brand and go into markets that are not only beneficial to our marketing partners, but will grow our national audience as well.”
Additional insights regarding TORC's 5 year strategic roadmap will be presented firsthand by Birtwell and The Armory team to current and potential sponsors at the upcoming sponsor summit at Oakley HQ. For more info, please contact [email protected]
About The Armory
The Armory is a new brand of advertising agency with in-house production capabilities, specializing in the execution of digital, social, experiential and production initiatives. For more information or business inquiries, please email info(at)armorymarketing(dot)com or visit http://www.armorymarketing.com
About USAC
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500. Today, USAC serves as the sanctioning body for a number of racing series, including the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Car Series, National Midget Series, Ignite Midget Series, .25 Midget Series, and Traxxas TORC Series.
Brandon Mudd, The Armory, http://www.armorymarketing.com, 636.219.9676, [email protected]
Share this article