Cantillon is not the biggest motor racing fan in the world, but like many people, it can appreciate the biggest events in most sports.
That meant on Sunday, when many would have been watching the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix, this column was stuck into the Indianapolis 500 – the biggest race in the US IndyCar series and one of the oldest races still in existence.
While the race itself was thrilling – Felix Rosenqvist won by the narrowest margin in its history – we were most taken by Conor Daly’s number 23 car, decked out as it was in Kingspan branding.
Daly is a son of Derek Daly, the Dubliner who competed in F1 and Indy races before a successful career in broadcasting.
Kingspan is heavily involved in sports sponsorship in general, not least Cavan GAA and, until last year, Ulster Rugby. But perhaps its highest profile foray into sponsorship was with the Mercedes F1 team in 2021, which ended barely a week after it was announced.
That deal, which involved Kingspan’s branding appearing in relatively small print on the cars driven by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, fell apart quickly amid uproar from survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire and British politicians, while Hamilton publicly distanced himself from the deal.
Kingspan’s insulation was used on the Grenfell Tower in London, where 72 people died in a fire in 2017. The company’s Kooltherm K15 insulation board was used for 5 per cent of the insulation layer inserted behind the new cladding, unknown to it, after there were supply issues with the main provider, UK-based Celotex.
However, inquiry chairman Martin Moore-Bick said Kingspan “knowingly created a false market” for the insulation used on the facade by falsely claiming it successfully passed tests to allow it to be used on high-rise buildings more than 18 metres in height.
Kingspan previously said it had addressed issues that arose during the inquiry into the fire, including the implementation of extensive and externally verified measures to ensure its conduct and compliance standards are “world-leading”.
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Time and geography meant there were few issues, if any, for the company and its Indy car deal. It announced the Daly deal in March with little reaction on this side of the Atlantic.
“Collaborating with Conor Daly and the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team on the Indy 500 race provides us with a unique platform to reach our primary customer base while promoting our North American growth ambition,” said Alswinn Kieboom, president of Kingspan Insulated Panels North America at the time.
After Daly’s performance on Sunday – at one stage leading before ultimately finishing 12th – it looks like money well spent.
