Longtime Mercedes-Benz DTM team sponsor STIHL, a global manufacturer of chainsaws and other types of handheld power equipment, is shifting its involvement with the team. It’s now sponsoring its own car, the Mercedes AMG C-Coupe of Robert Wickens, which will be co-sponsored by GRIP – The Motor Magazine, a print publication that also has a TV show.

Wickens was ecstatic about this development, saying that his car now becomes “one of the coolest designs” on any DTM car for this season. “In my whole racing career, I’ve certainly never seen a paint job that I liked better,” he said, citing the orange-and-white color scheme. “Our goal now is to make sure that we don’t just look cool but are also fast.”

Since 2009, STIHL had been the official co-sponsor of the Mercedes AMG DTM team. Apart from its sponsorship, the cars also field STIHL blowers to cool off DTM cars’ engines before races and during qualifying runs. Since the blowers are battery-operated, they allow the team to cut back on costs that it would have incurred if it used electric fans and generators instead.

STIHL Marketing Communication chief Jurgen Fitting says that the pairing could not have been better. “Both car and driver are perfect brand ambassadors for STIHL,” said Fitting, saying that Wickens “personifies the Canadian outdoorsman.”