HVM Racing invites fans to 'join the ride'

 In partnership with Soho – Social Media Consultancy and Zideo Media of the Netherlands, HVM Racing today launched the pilot episode of “Join the Ride,” which was recorded at the Miami 2009 season finale and introduces the series for 2010.

The program is a series of user-generated content shot by a video crew that will follow the team during the coming Indy Racing League season. Each episode will feature HVM and its drivers in action from the point of view of a fan given inside access to the team, drivers and garages.  All episodes will be globally available for viewing on the Web sites of both HVM (www.hvmracing.com) and the Zideo Media platform (www.zideo.nl and www.zideo.co.uk), while short teasers of the content will be distributed to generate awareness via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other relevant sites and blogs on the subject of open-wheel racing, the Indy Racing League and HVM Racing in particular.
 
“Having explored opportunities with Soho for the past two or three years, we are delighted with this concept, which launches HVM into social media marketing in a very strong way,” said HVM team principal and owner Keith Wiggins.  “Soho is an impressive leader in this most important field, and our partnership with them moves HVM further ahead in providing substantial networking and community media, which will be a real benefit for our sponsor partners as well as all our team connections and fans. The pilot, which is up on the Web sites now, is fast-moving and exciting and we are really looking forward to seeing the follow-up episodes from the 2010 races.”
 
Leon Wittenberg, principal of Soho Consultancy, is equally enthusiastic.
 
“Having worked with HVM in the past, we are aware that they are an ideal execution partner and are delighted about the partnership we have formed,” Wittenberg said. “Racing is hugely popular across a broad social spectrum and provides a dramatic setting with lots of fascinating insight possibilities. HVM opened up every possible door for us at Miami to the point where editing the pilot was difficult with so much content available!  The interest already generated is huge and we are all looking forward to what can be achieved in 2010.”

Watch the pilot episode on www.hvmracing.com, www.zideo.nl or www.zideo.co.uk.
 
HVM is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. In its nine years of competition, the team has earned six wins, two pole positions, and an additional 16 podiums. The team finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car championship standings in 2006 and 2007, and earned drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively.  Since joining the IRL Championship in 2008, the team has earned nine top-10 finishes with drivers E.J. Viso and Robert Doornbos.
 
Soho - Social Media Consultancy is an international agency of social media “street-wise” online brand specialists combining marketing, communications and sales skills in order to let brands be successful in a Web 2.0 & Web 3.0 marketing technology strategy. Founding partners of the consultancy firm are Frank Hulshoff and Leon Wittenberg from the Netherlands.
 
Soho SMC also participates in the management of the originally Dutch (2006) and now European (2009) video-sharing platform Zideo (http://Zideo.co.uk), as online video communications and technology are a crucial part of social media marketing. Zideo Media, the company behind the Zideo platform, is a specialist firm in the area of online video, concepts, strategies, multi-media distributions, video productions and online video technology.