...as Jaguar lands extra backing

AS we suggested as long ago as September the German beer company Brauerie Beck & Co. is entering Formula 1 this year with Jaguar Racing. The Bremen-based company was previously involved with the successful BMW Le Mans 24 Hours program and the switch to Jaguar suggests that the firm has strong links with Jaguar chairman Wolfgang Reitzle, who was previously in charge of motorsport activities at BMW.

Beck's has concentrated on global expansion in recent years because of the highly-competitive nature of the German beer market. It is currently Germany's biggest beer exporter and sells its products in 120 different countries, notably in the UnitedÊStates.

In recent years Formula 1 has become a hotbed of competition for German beers - there are 1,300 breweries producing 5,000 different brands but the German domestic market is shrinking and many firms are looking abroad. At the moment Warsteiner is involved with McLaren, Veltins with Williams and now Beck's with Jaguar.

The team has also landed a deal with the San Francisco-based courier service DHL which is in competition with Ferrari sponsor Federal Express and Jordan's new sponsor Deutsche Post. We understand that the Deutsche Post sponsorship will be seen on the cockpit surround, the engine cover and the front-wing endplates of the Jordan. The team has retained all its other major backers but has added Brother computers, which had to leave Williams when the Compaq deal was agreed. Jordan retains major backing from Benson & Hedges and Mastercard.