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April 2, 2008
Energy Drink "Red Bull" Arrives in France
Photo: Launch of Red Bull in France. Location: Paris, France April 1, 2008. (Photo credit: © Richard Walch/Red Bull Photo Files)
Red Bull made a spectacular entry into France on Tuesday, April 1, 2008. The world's largest energy drink producer celebrated its long-awaited arrival in that country with 150 "Wings Teams" from around Europe forming a magnificent get together as they circled the Arc de Triomphe in their distinctive blue and silver Minis just hours after a BASE jumper got the "Wings for Paris" day off to a flying start by leaping off the Eiffel Tower and a motorcycle rider made a gravity-defying ride over a 50-meter high landmark arch in the La Defense business district.
Photo: Launch of Red Bull in France. Location: Paris, France April 1, 2008. Athlete: Ueli Gegenschatz. BASE Jumping. (Photo credit: © Schaad/Red Bull Photo Files)
Just after daybreak, Swiss BASE jumper Ueli Gegenschatz got the Red Bull "Wings for Paris" day off to a dazzling start with his picture-perfect leap off the top of Eiffel Tower, France's 324-meter great national landmark. "It was an exciting climb up, and the jump went well with a nice opening," said Gegenschatz, who had made his clandestine ascent up the side of the tower in the early morning hours under cover of darkness. "It was pretty cold up there, and there was quite a bit of wind. I was glad when the sun finally came up. It's a great way to introduce Red Bull to France."
Photo: Launch of Red Bull in France. Location: Paris, France April 1, 2008. Motorbike Trial. Athlete: Julien Dupont. (Photo credit: © Richard Walch/Red Bull Photo Files)
Photo: Launch of Red Bull in France. Location: Paris, France April 1, 2008. Motorbike Trial. Athlete: Julien Dupont. (Photo credit: © Dom Daher/Red Bull Photo Files)
About two hours later French trial motorbike specialist Julien Dupont gave countless thousands of rush-hour commuters in Paris's La Defense business district a rush of their own with a gravity-defying motorcycle ride up, over and down the other side the 50-meter-high arched concrete roof of the CNIT center building.
"Everything went according to plan on the way up, and it was my greatest accomplishment on the bike ever," said Dupont, who was helped by two tall women in short skirts who distracted security. "The roof was a bit slippery, so I had to slow down a bit on the way back down the other side. It was tricky getting the (80-kilo) bike over the fence, but that all worked out well."
The Austrian company known for its non-conformist style lived up to its reputation on April Fools' Day, picking April 1, of all days, to end the long dry spell for France. The energy drink is already available in over 140 countries with more than 3.5 billion cans sold in 2007.
Photo: Sampling cars drive in circles around the Arc de Triomphe as Red Bull launches its energy drink in France on April 1, 2008, in Paris. (Photo credit: © Richard Walch/Red Bull Photo Files)
Photo: Launch of Red Bull in France. Location: Paris, France April 1, 2008. (Photo credit: © Schaad/Red Bull Photo Files)
The highlight of the celebrations marking the arrival in Paris was a Red Bull-style car rally around the Arc de Triomphe by the "Wings Teams."
The roundabout around the famous arch at the end of the Champs-Elysees might be one of most challenging for motorists anywhere in Europe -- with swift-moving traffic entering and exiting from 12 different avenues. But the "Wings Teams" from 10 different countries across Europe skillfully navigated their Minis into and around the monument -- and after safely parking their cars they surprised curious Parisians by giving them wings -- free samples of the energy drink.
Source: Red Bull
|GlobalGiants.com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 8:51 AM | Link to this Post
