Cigarette Racing Team Signs On As Presenting Sponsor For Race World Offshore Key West Worlds

Set for November 7-14 in Key West, Fla., the Race World Offshore World Championships will have Cigarette Racing Team—the high-performance powerboat world’s most iconic brand—as its presenting sponsor. What’s more, this year’s sponsorship agreement begins a five-year deal between Key West-based Race World Offshore and Cigarette, which is headquartered in Opa-locka, Fla.

Thanks to its new presenting sponsorship deal with Race World Offshore, Cigarette Racing Team will have a significantly expanded presence at the upcoming Key West Offshore World Championships. Photo from the 2016 Key West Worlds by Pete Boden/copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

The news was announced in a Race World Offshore press release this morning.

“For Cigarette Racing and our entire team, we are looking forward to the world championships in Key West—and more importantly the new events and opportunities in the coming years,” said John Ruiz, a wealthy entrepreneur who purchased Cigarette Racing Team with Ophir Sternberg, the chief executive officer of Miami-based Lionheart Capital, in May. “Offshore powerboat racing brings excitement from around the world and as a global brand we look forward to expanding those relationships and cultivating new ones.

“The history of Cigarette and offshore racing goes back so many decades and to now have the opportunity to be a part of the nostalgia, and at the same time amplify our goals for Cigarette is very exciting,” he added.

Race World Offshore president Larry Bleil met with Ruiz recently to finalize the sponsorship deal.

“There is no question that when you say ‘powerboat racing’ it is historically synonymous with the famed brand ‘Cigarette,’ ” he said. “When John and I met, we both seemed equally excited about the fast-approaching world championships and how we could work together in coming years. It’s very exciting to see where this sport can go in the future and how this vast community of performance boating and offshore racing will be influenced by the great people at Cigarette Racing Team.”

Additional details on the sponsorship deal have not been released.

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