Ford to become main sponsor and mobility partner of STIHL TIMBERSPORTS®.

Ford has joined STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® as mobility partner and main sponsor of the international competition series in elite logger sports as well as the German, Austrian and Swiss national series. As the market leader for light commercial vehicles in Europe, Ford will support the competitions with the Ford Ranger and Ford Transit. The Ford Ranger Raptor and Ford Transit Trail are the ideal support for the athletes and their equipment at the competitions due to their robustness and performance.

Ford is providing a total of six Ford Ranger Raptors and one Ford Transit Trail for the national series in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as for the international series, which will mainly be used as transport vehicles at the competitions.

"We are very much looking forward to using the Ranger and the Transit Trail as production and exhibition vehicles at our events," says Raimondo Napoleone, Manager of STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® international. "The Ranger Raptor in particular will not only help us transport our equipment, but will also be an absolute eye-catcher for our fans at our events."

International season highlights to culminate in Individual World Championship

"We are delighted to support STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® as a mobility partner and to be the presenting sponsor of the European Trophy and the World Trophy European Qualifier, as well as naming sponsor of two qualifying competitions for the German Championship," says Hans Jörg Klein, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board Ford-Werke GmbH and Managing Director Marketing and Sales.

The 2021 European Trophy will be held in Munich, Bavaria, on 31 July. The European qualification for the World Trophy 2022 is expected to follow in September. The big international season finale will then take place in Munich again on 2 October. At the World Championship, the best logger sports athletes in the world will compete for the 2021 TIMBERSPORTS® Individual crown. Only the national champions from the four overseas nations Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, as well as the eight best national champions from Europe, qualify for this.

German Championship for logger sports athletes.

The inaugural Ford Transit Cup on 12 and 13 June will mark the start of the season in Germany, followed by the Ford Ranger Cup on 17 and 18 July 2021 in Mellrichstadt (Bavaria), as the second qualifying event for the German Championship. The final will be held in Gelsenkirchen (North Rhine-Westphalia) on 21 August 2021.

Ford Ranger is Europe's most popular pick-up

Last year, the Ranger achieved a record market share of 34.9 percent in its segment, further strengthening its position as Europe's best-selling pick-up. In Germany, it led its segment with a market share of 33.7 percent.

The Ford Ranger Raptors used by STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® are painted in Royal Grey, the Ford Transit panel van in Chroma Blue; both are branded accordingly.