MIAMI BEACH, FL — For its second edition of the new millennium, the venerable Acura Southern Ocean Racing Conference has placed its race management in the hands of professionals—Connecticut-based sportsmarketing company called Octagon Marketing. After almost six decades as a club-run event, the Acura SORC Board of Governors announced yesterday that Octagon would be organizing the 2001 regatta as well as future events. The terms of the contract, nor any pertinent details, were not announced.
According to the announcement, Octagon will manage the planning and marketing of the event, along with developing and executing the event promotions and advertising, while race management for 200-entry series will remain a volunteer function of the five host yacht clubs. Scott MacLeod, Octagon's Event Director said: "Top-level sailing competition demands the support and the commitment that can only come from a dedicated event-management team. We know that racers and sponsors alike will benefit from Octagon's involvement, and we look forward to working closely with the SORC organization.