PUMA Rallies With Gumball 3000

Sportlifestyle Brand Joins Superstars and Supercars as Official Sponsor of the 10th Anniversary Gumball 3000 Rally Spectacular, August 9 - 16, 2008

WESTFORD, Mass., July 31 -- PUMA(R) fuses the influences of sport, fashion and lifestyle, on and off the race track, and this August is no different, as PUMA steps up to the starting line as official sponsor of the Gumball 3000 Rally. A leader in motorsport, PUMA will partner with the Gumball 3000 Rally -- the around-the-world, 3,000 mile, eight-day lifestyle event, featuring the most amazing cars driven by film stars, musicians, athletes, billionaires and motorsport enthusiasts. PUMA will join Gumball 3000 on the starting grid in San Francisco on August 9th, stopping off for exclusive parties in Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas. From Las Vegas the Gumball Rally continues to Pyongyang, North Korea and crosses the finish line 8 days later in Beijing, China on August 16th.

PUMA entered the Motorsport category 10 years ago and today is a leader in the sport as the official supplier to top motorsport racing teams and drivers in Formula 1, NASACR and MotoGP. The brand's credibility in the sport and ability mix lifestyle and fashion into the event made Gumball 3000 a natural fit, especially given the global event's appeal for adventure, fast cars, style and most importantly, fun. In addition to event sponsorship, PUMA teamed up with bespoke car manufacturer LSE Design Ltd who have entered their new LSE Sport Coupe into the rally. Driving the new LSE Sport Coupe will be different celebrity drivers, managed by celebrity motorsport club Trackstar-Racing. The PUMA/LSE Design/Trackstar-Racing team will be outfitted in exclusive PUMA Pit Crew team jerseys.

Adding to the excitement of Gumball 3000's activities, each of the 120 cars will feature prominent PUMA branding, including the iconic PUMA Cat logo and signature formstripe, as part of the Official Gumball 3000 Sticker Kit. Each driver will receive a custom PUMA + Gumball Special Edition Speed Cat sneaker, inspired by PUMA's original motorsport performance shoes, featuring a Gumball branded footbed and gold-tipped laces. PUMA also designed the Limited Edition PUMA Gumball T-shirt, featuring a racing seatbelt harness design in gold foil for the drivers and crew.

As the official sponsor, PUMA will sell PUMA and Gumball merchandise at The PUMA Mobile Unit at the event's launch city, San Francisco. The PUMA Mobile Unit is a stand-alone PUMA module retail store designed by PUMA and is a converted 20-foot shipping container. The PUMA Concept Stores in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas will activate in-store promotions during the event's visit in each city.