Santa Pod Raceway and The Kestrel Brewing Company are delighted to announce a new partnership which will establish the premium lager beer brand as an official Lane Sponsor at the north Bedfordshire motorsport venue.
Santa Pod’s Commercial Manager, Caroline Holden, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Kestrel Beer as our new Left Lane Sponsor and to add them to our growing family of partners. Our Lane Sponsorship is one of the highest-profile programmes on offer and we look forward to developing the relationship throughout the remainder of 2021, 2022 and beyond.
“We all know how hard the events and hospitality industry has been affected by the pandemic, but as we slowly emerge from the restrictions, both Santa Pod and Kestrel Beer will enjoy the return of visitors and fans in greater numbers. Plans are well underway to introduce draught Kestrel Beer and cans to our bar operation as soon as possible.”
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Enjoyed since the 1980s, Kestrel was acquired in 2012 by Nigel McNally, founder and CEO of Brookfield Drinks Ltd., who recognised the brand’s potential and relaunched its beers as award-winning, premium crafted Scottish products. Mr. McNally added: “We at Kestrel Beer are extremely excited to be partnering with Santa Pod Raceway as part of our ongoing investment in the Kestrel Beer brand. Santa Pod is an iconic venue which will no doubt fuel our links with the motorsport industry and will further support our position as one of the UK’s leading beers.
“As a bold brand we continue to develop interesting and exciting properties that communicate the originality and personality of a beer that’s been enjoyed since the 1980s.”
The company recently made news with the remarkable story of its new corporate mascot: The Flying Kestrel.
Last year, Mr. McNally and his son, Joel, both committed motoring enthusiasts, found a 1935 Riley Kestrel 9 which had been gently rusting in a barn since 1965 and delivered it to specialist fabricator Jon Webster, at Webster Race Engineering, for a transformation the car’s pre-war manufacturer could never have envisaged. The bold challenge Kestrel Beer set itself was to achieve internationally recognised land speed records while retaining the same look and feel of the original Riley Kestrel 9.
When The Flying Kestrel emerged, a new aluminium body, gilded in gleaming company livery, cloaked a turbocharged, 2.5-litre Audi engine dispensing 900 horsepower, with underpinnings and components to match.
In June, with its restorer Jon Webster, a veteran drag racer, at the wheel, The Flying Kestrel clocked 159.63mph on Elvington Airfield to demolish the existing Class D 2.5-litre record for the standing half-mile. The car has since topped 175mph and now has seven official land-speed class records to its credit.
Away from the track, The Flying Kestrel becomes a roving brand ambassador in Kestrel’s extensive marketing programme. A busy schedule of guest appearances at shows and events across the UK and internationally includes Santa Pod outings throughout the summer to help cement the new partnership.
Nigel McNally said: “Our recent documentary series with Insight TV also features content filmed at Santa Pod, so the sponsorship was a natural progression for us.”
Santa Pod’s Caroline Holden echoes the sentiment: “Today’s announcement and the backing of Kestrel is hugely appreciated and further strengthens our optimism about the future prospects of our sport.”
