Organisers of Ireland’s largest outdoor sporting event warmly welcomed a three year sponsorship deal with contract hire and leasing company, Fleet Financial.

As part of the deal with the International North West 200, Fleet Financial will provide all corner direction boards around the famous 9-mile circuit, a fleet of vans for course event preparations and cars for use throughout Race Week by race officials as well as a significant funding package.  

Fleet Financial – which was recently named as a Top 50 UK Company by Fleet News – has been involved in the International North West 200 for four years and is delighted to provide the International North West 200 with a further three-year sponsorship package.

Fleet Financial’s Jim Humphreys said, “Fleet Financial is Northern Ireland’s number one contract hire and leasing company and we are delighted to be associated with Northern Ireland’s number one sporting event.

“We will be providing funding and the vehicles for course preparation and race officials and hope that our involvement will be of great benefit to the International North West 200. It is a fitting sponsorship for us and we are pleased to be able to support an important event which brings so much to Northern Ireland”, said Mr Humphreys.

Clerk of Course of the International North West 200, Mervyn Whyte MBE, said, “The North West 200 is organised by volunteers and we rely on support and financial backing from local companies and government to make the event happen each year. I warmly welcome Fleet Financial’s financial and in-kind support of the International North West 200.”

Fleet Financial was established 12 years ago and is today Northern Ireland’s number one contract hire and leasing company. The Mallusk-based company has over 700 corporate clients including National Windscreens, Gilbert Ash and Dale Farm Group.

The 2008 Kennedy Group International North West 200 Race Day will take place on Saturday 17th May this year. The event is regarded as Ireland’s largest outdoor sporting event, attracting in excess of 150,000 spectators. The North West 200 website has received over 4million hits since March of last year.

Philip Miley, Sales and Marketing Director of the Mallusk-based company, said: “Being the first Northern Ireland company to achieve this milestone puts us among the UK leaders in our field and reflects the growth of a business which is based on offering a value-for-money service to companies of all sizes from the smallest sole trader to major corporations.

“Fleet Financial is only 11 years old, so being placedin the UK’s FN50 is a great tribute to the work of everyone on the Fleet Financial team and could only have come about withthe support and loyalty of our valued customers and suppliers.”

Managing Director of Fleet Financial Damian Hughes added: “Fleet News is the industry bible of the UK contract hire and leasing industry so this is a real validation of our products and services on a national level. The achievement is all the more remarkable because of the 50 companies earning recognition in the annual FN 50 listing only a mere handful are management owned enterprises! It is our aim to increase our lead as Northern Ireland's Number One contract hire and business vehicle supplierand to move further up the FN50 ranking in 2008!”

Among Fleet Financial’s 700 plus corporate clients are companies such as National Windscreens, Gilbert Ash, Dale Farm and even the business-savvy publishing team who bring you 'Business Eye' each month!

Fleet Financial attributes it's success to it's precise assessment of individual customer requirements. This premier service is one that remains constant whethera customer requires just one or one hundred vehicles. Fleet Financial provides vehicle contract hire and management which can include maintenance for vehicles being driven anywhere in the UK and Ireland. Fleet Financial also makes provision for the resale of cars and light commercial vehicles in the business sector therefore providing a one-stop shop for all fleet vehicle requirements.

2007 has been a challenging and rewarding year for the contract hire and leasing industry. Demand for contract hire is growing rapidly as more companies recognise the benefits of outsourcing their business vehicle requirements and reducing business capital tied up in the depreciating costs of vehicle ownership. Fleet Financial have stayed ahead in this competitive market with a constancy of quality in vehicle provision options and a heavy investment in customer support resulting in building a strong customer loyalty.

A wealth of research is compared and considered in the compilation of the FN 50 listing. This includes analysis according to fleet sizes (including non-funded vehicles); car and van reliability surveys; residual value report; damage recharge analysis; fines report; fuel use survey; excess mileage survey.

Fleet Financial (NI) Ltd is Northern Ireland’s number one privately owned contract hire and vehicle management company and currently employees 28 people with a rapidly growing list of over 700 private, corporate and public sector clients.