A phenomenal year for Team FPB

In early 2009, we took our first steps into sport sponsorship in South Africa, supporting the fledgling Fairbairn Private Bank Multisport Team. Team FPB, as it became known in sporting circles, consisted of some of the brightest young talent in the local multisport scene. The concept around the team was to promote and nurture young talent in the disciplines of road cycling, mountain biking and triathlon - sports which have enjoyed immense growth both in South Africa and globally over the past few years.

By the end of 2010, the five-person Team FPB (plus occasional guest athletes) was ranked as one of the best amateur multisport teams in the country, enjoying exposure in all forms of media as they repeatedly took to the podium. Team highlights of 2010 included wins at South African Xterra Championships, 100-miler Mountain Bike Challenge, and Provincial Triathlon Championships. After earning himself the title of the best amateur Ironman athlete in South Africa early last year, Team FPB Captain Raoul de Jongh topped off a phenomenal 2010 for Team FPB by becoming the first South African to complete, and place second, in the famed double - Ironman World Championships and Xterra World Championships, both in Hawaii two weeks apart.

Following the outstanding success achieved by Team FPB to date, we are proud to announce our continued support of this initiative in 2011 and to present the Pure Planet Racing Team. Pure Planet Racing aim to become the first sporting team to race all over the world with a carbon neutral footprint. The team will compete in a range of multisport events from cycling, trail running, and Ironman through to the famed Ö till Ö adventure race in Sweden.

We are very excited about this initiative, as well as the calibre of athlete joining the team, who together demonstrate our commitment to community involvement and social initiatives. You can read all about the Pure Planet Racing and its quest to race the planet in 2011 at http://www.pureplanetracing.com/.