Pro Cycling Team Europcar Lands Direct Energie As New Naming-Rights Partner

Professional cycling team Europcar "has found a successor to replace the car rental company when its naming-rights deal expires at the end of the year," according to Nils Lehnebach of SPONSORs. The second-tier Professional Continental Team "will be renamed Equipe Direct Energie starting next year." The new partner "is the third largest energy and gas provider in France." It "also supplies grids in Belgium." No other details of the agreement "have been announced yet." Europcar has been the team's naming-rights partner since '10. The car rental company paid an estimated €5M ($5.7M) annually for the naming rights (SPONSORs, 9/16).