Ram clinches Thrill Sports partnership across global action sports portfolio

James Okafor | GlobalBeat

Ram becomes the official truck and automotive partner of Thrill Sports’ global events starting Jan. 1, Stellantis announced on Wednesday.

The agreement covers seven Thrill Sports properties spanning motocross, freestyle BMX and skate contests, putting Ram trucks on livestreams reaching 45 million viewers yearly.

The deal plugs Ram deeper into millennial and Gen-Z audiences amid falling U.S. pickup sales and rising sport-utility inventory. Ram U.S. deliveries dropped 14% in the first quarter while Ford and GM gained share.

“We’re putting the trucks where the action and the eyeballs are,” Marissa Wimmer, Ram’s global marketing director, told reporters on a call. “These sports align with our ‘Built to Serve’ promise.”

The partnership unifies Ram branding that had been scattered across individual teams and regional events. Ram already backed freestyle motocross rider Cody Matechuk and skate bronze-medalist Annie Guglia, but only on one-off contracts.

Aaron Drapiza, Thrill Sports president, said the multi-year contract places Ram models in athlete tow-in vehicles, broadcast bumpers and on-stage award presentations. Ram receives exclusive naming rights to the season-ending “Ram Truck Showdown” finals in Oklahoma City, he added.

Financial terms were not disclosed. Wimmer declined to provide a contract value or length, saying only it was “the largest single spend” in Ram’s experiential portfolio.

Stellantis shares closed up 0.3% at $16.64 in New York trading.

Havas Media handled the contract for Stellantis; Thrill Sports represented itself.

Background

Thrill Sports runs the Nitro World Games, X Games qualifiers, and the Red Bull-sponsored BMX Triple Hit series. The company says its events generate 8 million onsite impressions and 160 million social views annually in North America, Europe and Australia.

Automotive manufacturers have moved aggressively into action sports since ESPN cut X Games programming in 2021. Ford signed a five-year deal with Formula Drift in 2022 and Toyota sponsors freestyle skier Eileen Gu. Ram’s agreement is its first umbrella property tie-up across multiple disciplines.

What’s Next

Ram will field a branded driver in the upcoming Motocross of Nations in France and debut a limited-edition Thrill Sports appearance package on 2025 1500 Rebel models arriving in showrooms next spring, according to Wimmer.