A set of limited-edition commemorative TT SIM
packs produced by Sure Mobile are on sale, featuring TT heroes
John McGuinness, Nick Crowe and the late Joey Dunlop OBE. They’re
the first limited-edition products launched by Sure Mobile, and
have been created to give fans the ultimate TT online
experience.
The limited-edition SIM packs were launched at
a party at the Sure store on Strand Street in Douglas, Isle of Man,
attended by triple World Sidecar Champion, Tim Reeves, and TT
heroes Chris Palmer, Conor Cummins, Nick Crowe, Mark Cox and John
McGuinness.
The SIM packs cost just £20, which includes £20
of credit and 100MB of free data usage on Sure’s high speed mobile
internet portal, Sure Live!
Sure Live! is being updated for the TT to make
race information available on mobile phones for the first time.
Sure’s ‘TT mobile experience’ will include the very latest race
news and results, a race calendar and timetable, rider race numbers
and average speeds. TT-themed ringtones and wallpapers will be
available to download. Practical information will also be available
on Sure Live!, including ferry and flight times, traffic flow and
weather. Existing Sure customers on the Isle of Man will
automatically get access to that information so that they can keep
up to date with the island’s most popular event 24-hours a day,
wherever they are.
Each SIM pack also comes with a pocket-sized
mobile guide in English, French and German which has been designed
to cater for European visitors to the Isle of Man. There will also
be a commemorative post card of the SIM card image. Sure has only
produced 7 000 SIM packs, and hopes they will increase in value as
a collector’s item.
Simon Last-Sutton, Sure’s Commercial Director,
says he’s delighted about his company’s involvement in
TT2008:
“We are grateful to Duke Marketing and the Isle
of Man Government for their help in supplying content for Sure
Live!. Sure’s TT experience will allow race fans using our network
to experience the TT as it happens, and enhance their experience of
the greatest road race on earth.
“We’re also delighted to be presenting our
limited-edition commemorative SIM packs through the faces of some
of the most iconic riders ever associated with the TT. Telecom
phone cards used to be highly collectible, and I wonder whether or
not these SIM packs will have the same status in years to
come.
“The TT is the biggest event in the Isle of
Man, and to be sponsoring the Sidecar races shows our commitment to
actively invest in the island.”
The riders featured on the SIM packs are all
record-holders in the Isle of Man TT. Thirteen-time champion, John
McGuinness, is the fastest man ever to lap the Mountain Course,
having broken the 130 mile per hour barrier during Centenary Senior
Race Day last year.
Joey Dunlop OBE is arguably the greatest racer
in the history of the TT, having won an unprecedented 26 races
before his death in Estonia back in 2000. As a mark of respect for
the Northern Irishman’s achievements, the 26th Milestone of the
Mountain Course has been renamed ‘Joey’s’, and a statue of him
riding a Honda bike sits at the Bungalow Bend up on Snaefell.
Local hero Nick Crowe remains the fastest
Sidecar newcomer in the history of the TT, and is one of only four
drivers to lap the Mountain Course in excess of 110mph. Last year’s
TT Centenary was the first year the 37 year old, who is from Jurby
in the Isle of Man, failed to make the podium since his race debut
back in 2002, after breaking down in both Sidecar Race A and B. In
the last four TTs, Nick has won three times, and finished in second
place five times.
Nick is teaming up with a new Sidecar passenger
for 2008 – Kent-based Mark Cox. The 38 year old is an experienced
TT regular, and already the pair have been making waves on this
season’s race circuit.
Nick says he’s delighted to be the face of one
of Sure Mobile’s limited-edition commemorative SIM packs: “It’s
nice to get some recognition of the achievements of both myself and
my team, and to be associated with Sure Mobile and the 2008 TT
races,” he said.
“It’s nice to see such a high profile company
not only willing to get involved in the TT, but also to help teams
and riders out financially.
“TT2007 was a bit of a disaster for us not
finishing in either race, but the only consolation was walking away
with the outright Sidecar lap record. I think this year we will be
pushing for TT success once again. Let’s hope we will have a little
luck on our side as well!”
The limited-edition commemorative TT SIM
packs are on sale at the Sure store on Strand Street in
Douglas. Fans will also be able to purchase them from
www.iomtt.com,
www.surecw.com, and from Sure’s retail
unit at the Grandstand during TT fortnight.