Autonet Mobile Named Title Sponsor For 2009 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship, NOR Now Available

San Francisco, Calif., (April 9, 2009) - The U.S. Melges 24 Class is proud to announce Autonet Mobile as the title sponsor of the 2009 U.S. National Championship being held on June 11-14 in San Francisco, Calif., hosted by the prestigious St. Francis Yacht Club.

Autonet Mobile turns your car into a WiFi hotspot. Any passenger in the vehicle can connect to the internet at broadband speeds using any WiFi-enabled device, including netbooks, laptops, PSPs and iPod Touch devices. Operating from its corporate headquarters in San Francisco, Calif., Autonet Mobile has built the very first high-speed data network for cars.

"The Autonet Mobile Melges 24 Nationals is going to be one of the very best events of the season, " said Neal Ruxton, USMCA West Coast District Governor. "The racing will be second-to-none. The competition stellar. We are looking forward to extending a very warm welcome to a host of local boats, but also some great national and international entries including our very own 2007 Fullpower Melges 24 World Champion, Dave Ullman."

"This regatta is also a North American Ranking event and part of the 2009 SLAM U.S. Championship Series, so there is not only an attraction for world class, high performance competition, but also some great prizes and trophies will be awarded," concluded Ruxton.

The 2009 Autonet Mobile Melges 24 U.S. National Championship is the premier event on the U.S. Melges 24 Class Association racing circuit, where 30-35 teams are expected to compete. The official website of the Autonet Mobile Nationals is http://m24usnationals.com/.

The Notice of Race (NOR) is now available and Online Registration is open.

The entry deadline for the 2009 Autonet Mobile Melges 24 U.S. National Championship is June 10, 2009 with an early submission deadline of June 1.

Corinthian entries close on May 29, 2009. All teams that would like to compete in this amateur division must complete a USMCA Corinthian Declaration form (can be submitted with the owner or team representative signature only) and return to Joy Dunigan, USMCA Executive Secretary via e-mail, or fax to +1 (912) 756-6728. Download A Corinthian Declaration Form.

Preceding the Autonet Mobile Nationals is an extraordinary pre-National Championship regatta — the 2009 Melges 24 Silver Cup, hosted by the Sausalito Yacht Club in Sausalito, Calif. Visit the 2009 Silver Cup Website for the Notice of Race and Online Registration.

SLAM is the official apparel sponsor of the 2009 Autonet Mobile Melges 24 U.S. National Championship. Also the title sponsor of the 2009 U.S. Championship Series, SLAM will be providing trophy gear to the winners of the National Championship.

The official transportation and logistical partner for the 2009 Autonet Mobile Melges 24 U.S. National Championship is Latis Yachting Solutions. Latis is an all-in-one provider of land-based and on-water transportation, mobile marina services, storage, rigging, repair and on-site regatta support. For 2009, they have initiated new pricing for their transportation and onsite logistics program that recognizes the changes in the current racing landscape. Their experience in managing the logistical requirements of top teams like Pegasus Racing, professional companies like Melges Performance Sailboats, and large events like Charleston Race Week has allowed Latis to develop a system to ensure that every boat gets where it needs to, race-ready and on-budget.

Other sponsors supporting the 2009 Autonet Mobile Melges 24 U.S. National Championship are, based in San Francisco, BPM — Burr, Pilger and Mayer — the largest non-national accounting and business-consulting firm in the Bay Area, Velocitek, K&L Gates, KRT Marketing and Hutchinson Sports. Also supporting the event is the U.S. Melges 24 Class Association, San Francisco Melges 24 Fleet and the St. Francis Yacht Club.

Stay tuned as more exciting news and information will be posted on www.usmelges24.com.

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Autonet Mobile is the world’s first in-car internet service provider. Founded by a corporate executive and former race car driver and a leading network architect and designer, the company is dedicated to enhancing the in-car experience by bringing the power of the internet to the 200+ million cars on the road in the U.S. For more information about Autonet Mobile, visit www.autonetmobile.com.

Visit the official 2009 Autonet Mobile Melges 24 U.S. National Championship Website for more information. Also, visit the St. Francis Yacht Club online.

The Melges 24 is designed by Reichel Pugh and considered the most unique one design sportboat in the world as well as one of the fastest-growing classes of high performance yachts. For more information, visit the official class websites of the International Melges 24 Class Association (IMCA) and U.S. Melges 24 Class Association (USMCA). Also bookmark the Official Blog of the Melges 24.

For more information or press photos, please contact:
Joy Dunigan
U.S. Melges 24 Class Association (USMCA)
2009 Autonet Mobile Melges 24 U.S. National Championship Press Officer
Class Communications Director | Executive Secretary
+1 (912) 398-5776
Skype: joysavannah