One of the UK’s fastest growing tyres brands is looking to raise its profile even further after agreeing a partnership with darting mechanic James Wade.
Wade, a current world top five player and one of the most highly decorated stars ever to have played the game, will join forces with Falken Tyres to promote the brand and engage with dealers and consumers across the country.
Although Wade, nicknamed ‘The Machine’ for his obsession with all things mechanical, is one of the most successful players in the sport, he still finds time to operate as a working mechanic and is currently looking to open a new garage.
The sponsorship agreement will see the Falken brand visible on ‘The Machine’s’ shirt in PDC events (across channels including Sky Sport, ITV and BBC), as well as utilising James high profile social media channels and providing tickets and merchandise for Falken dealers.
James Wade, said: “Ever since I was young my dad has taught me about cars and we always worked in the garage together. Even when I climbed up the world rankings and was battling Phil Taylor and winning top titles, I relaxed by working on cars at the garage.
“I consider darts my job and working on cars my passion, so it has been great to go to Micheldever and meet the Falken team and chat about cars.
“It is going to be fantastic to work with Falken dealers and technicians around the country and chat to them about their work. I am sure I will be fitting quite a few tyres with them along the way, as well as playing some darts!”
Graham Mitchell, MTS Wholesale Director, said: “Falken Tyre is a frontrunner in high performance and has successfully built a reputation for consistently delivering quality – much the same as James Wade.
“As soon as we spoke to James it was obvious how passionate and knowledgeable he was about the automotive industry and how much he knew about tyres and tyre fitting.
“There are lots of exciting ideas in the pipeline to bring the partnership to life for our Falken dealers and their consumers and we can’t wait to see our logo loud and proud on James’ shirt and help combine his two great loves!”
“James even has a registration plate on the back of his shirt in honour of his garage background and I am sure replica shirts with our logo on them will be a popular item.”
The move continues Falken’s links with some of sports top performers including the brand’s involvement in competitive motorsports, which will again this year see Falken run two Porsche 911 GT3 R cars and eight drivers in the Nurburgring Endurance Series and the famous Nordschleife annual 24-hour race.
Photo by Steven Paston