The V-Class as a Strong Partner: Mercedes-Benz Supports the Triathletes of TEAM SPORT FOR GOOD

Stuttgart – The TEAM SPORT FOR GOOD triathlon team comprised of top German athletes will compete in the new season with Mercedes-Benz as its automotive partner. The five athletes will receive new V-Class vehicles for the 2015 season to be able to prepare optimally for their competitions. As a supporter of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, the TEAM SPORT FOR GOOD intends to not only collect victories, but also attract attention for the children's aid projects. This is the first time that a professional triathlon team will be active as a supporter for the foundation. The team is planning a number of promotions during the season's competitions to boost fund-raising for the aid projects among competitors and spectators.

The members of the triathlon team are Timo Bracht, Jan Raphael, Horst Reichel, Georg Potrebitsch and Julian Beuchert. The athletes were delighted about the valuable support at the presentation of the partnership during the pre-season preparations on Majorca: "The V-Class is indispensable as a support vehicle during the training units and for transporting equipment and bicycles. It also gives us the opportunity to take along our physios and team-mates. That is ideal", says Timo Bracht, who as a father of a family is also enthusiastic about the V-Class in his private life. Mercedes-Benz also sees great added value in the partnership: "Triathletes are at home all over the world due to the training sessions and competitions and have to deliver top performances everywhere. We know from the athletes how important good ride quality and safety are on the long trips to the training and competition sites. A dynamic vehicle such as the V-Class is therefore a good fit for the requirements of triathlon and for people who are active in sports and depend on a high degree of mobility with lots of space for equipment", explains Nicolai Berger, Head of Marketing Communications and Product Information Mercedes-Benz Vans.

Five top athletes make up the TEAM SPORT FOR GOOD. In 39-year-old Timo Bracht, the team includes an eight-time IRONMAN winner and three-time European long-distance champion. Jan Raphael (35) wants to follow up on 2013, his most successful season when he finished as the runner-up in the European triathlon championship. Horst Reichel's (33) wins in 2014 included the IRONMAN Sweden, while 31-year-old Georg Potrebitsch won the title of German long-distance triathlon champion in 2011. A new member of the team is 22-year-old Julian Beuchert, who in 2014 succeeded in winning the European championship in the U25 age group at the IRONMAN 70.3 in Wiesbaden. The team's home is in Eberbach in the German State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. On 25 April, the TEAM SPORT FOR GOOD will start the new season on the island of Fuerteventura. The team will also compete in the high points of the season, the IRONMAN world championships in Hawaii, the European championships in Frankfurt and the Challenge Roth. The athletes will wear the Mercedes star on helmets and uniforms as well as "V-Class" branding on their race suits.

The composition of the athletic team has been virtually the same for about four years and the team already received support from Mercedes-Benz as an automotive partner in the last season when it was still known as Power Horse. This year, the five athletes are going by the team name TEAM SPORT FOR GOOD to promote the social commitment of the Laureus Sport for Good foundation and collect donations for the aid projects. A number of promotions are planned during the season with which the TEAM SPORT FOR GOOD intends to support the foundation. The athletes also hope to win over other triathletes and fans for the global movement.

Ever since the establishment of the Laureus Foundation in the year 2000, Mercedes-Benz supports the targets and values of this worldwide charitable program: to use sports as a vehicle for social change for underpriviledged or diseased children. Laureus became an integral part in the social responsibility of Mercedes-Benz. Every new Mercedes car is an ambassador of these values.

Mercedes-Benz is a committed partner of the sport of triathlon and beyond supporting the TEAM SPORT FOR GOOD will this year again be the official automotive partner of the IRONMAN European Tour. Along with more general support, the arrangement includes the provision of V-Class vehicles to the national organisers for support and shuttle services all year round and for all competitions. Furthermore, the brand bearing the three-pointed star is the 2015 official automotive partner of reigning IRONMAN world and European long-distance triathlon champion Sebastian Kienle.

The new V-Class is the ideal partner for triathletes and for all people who enjoy sports and recreational activities: it boasts maximum flexibility and performance combined with maximum safety and efficient energy consumption. In addition, it blends the generous amount of space and the functionality of a van with the hallmark strengths of a Mercedes-Benz passenger car.

The seating in the rear allows numerous configurations to meet any requirements. In just a few simple steps, the interior of the V-Class can be transformed from a loading space for several bicycles into the seating area of a comfortable people carrier for the entire family, for business partners or for team-mates. Top performance is ensured by a state-of-the-art 2.1-litre four-cylinder diesel engine with two-stage turbocharging. The top-of-the-range engine in the V 250 BlueTEC is rated at 140 kW (190 hp) and boasts a mighty peak torque of 440 Nm while still only consuming 6.0 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres.