A HealthyCo boost for KL Minardi!

KL Minardi Asiatech today announces that the innovative, Australian-headquartered health food manufacturer, HealthyCo, is to become a commercial partner of the Formula One team in 2002.

HealthyCo was founded in 1989, by Melbourne businessman, Ashley Perry, and has expanded rapidly in the intervening 13 years, now enjoying great success with its own imaginative ranges of healthy snacks based on natural products sourced in Australia.

Demand for HealthyCo products soon spread beyond the Australian and New Zealand markets and, in response, Perry joined forces with Walrus Investments and Consulting LLC in 2000.

This collaboration resulted in the setting up of global sales offices in New York, London, The Hague and Singapore, with a new central warehouse facility located in Rotterdam to cater for the European market. It is the desire to move onto the international stage that attracted HealthyCo management to Formula One and to the KL Minardi Asiatech team.

"Our market research quite clearly demonstrates that Grand Prix motor racing is the foremost promotional medium for any company wishing to put its message across to a world audience," says Ashley Perry. "No other sport or activity can match the consistent global viewing figures and crowd-pulling magnetism of the Formula One World Championship."

"As for our decision to become a commercial partner of KL Minardi Asiatech, there were several factors that made this a natural 'fit' from our standpoint. The team is one of the sport's smaller players at the moment, but it has big ambitions and is Australian-owned, just like HealthyCo. Add in the fact that we also feel we're doing our bit to support up-and-coming Australian driver, Mark Webber, and it becomes clear why the decision to get involved was an easy one for us. We're really looking forward to our first experience of Formula One. I'm sure it's going to be a winner, from both a personal and a commercial standpoint."

KL Minardi Asiatech chief, Paul Stoddart, was also clearly pleased at the news that HealthyCo is to become a commercial partner of his squad.

"It's gratifying to see corporate Australia starting to get behind the team," he says. "I'm sure Mark's presence this season is a contributing factor, but I'd also like to think we're starting to see a recognition of the huge collective effort and battling spirit that is powering this team in its quest to become a serious Formula One contender in the years ahead. Full marks to Ashley for taking the decision to involve the company in the sport. We'll now be doing our best to ensure that HealthyCo benefits to the full from its partnership with the team."

HealthyCo's logo will be displayed on the mirrors of this year's KL Minardi Asiatech PS02 as well as on the race suits of drivers Alex Yoong and Mark Webber.