30.05.12 - RACING AT AINTREE

The Jockey Club charges ahead

The Jockey Club, the largest commercial group in British horseracing, and Chargemaster Plc, Europe’s leading provider of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, today unveiled a world-first for the horseracing industry by confirming electric vehicle charge points will be installed at all of its 14 racecourses and the historic Jockey Club Rooms by the end of 2012.

The first electric vehicle charge point goes operational at Kempton Park Racecourse today, with subsequent installations at Sandown Park and Epsom Downs to complete The Jockey Club’s three London racecourses. This will be closely followed by Newmarket, Exeter and Wincanton.

The innovative move is part of The Jockey Club’s sustainability strategy which highlights initiatives to make it easier for racing fans, conference and events clients, suppliers and staff to reduce their carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency. The points will allow users to fully charge an electric vehicle for just 95p, allowing travel of up to 115 miles dependant on the vehicle.

The Jockey Club’s Sustainability Executive, responsible for the company’s short and long term sustainability objectives, identified Chargemaster Plc to partner in the project as part of the POLAR scheme. The scheme, endorsed by Transport Minister Norman Baker, is committed to build a network of 4,000 charge points across Britain by the end of 2012 to sustain the expected growth in electric vehicles. The news of the first racecourse electric vehicle charge point comes after a significant commitment from Waitrose to install electric vehicle charge points in many of their car parks.

In the next 18 months, it is predicted that 29 new models of plug-in cars and light vans will be launched in the UK market by manufacturers including BMW, Volvo, Nissan, Renault, Ford and Vauxhall.

Paul Fisher, Group Managing Director, Jockey Club Racecourses, said:

“This is a world-first for horseracing and I’m delighted that The Jockey Club’s racecourses are leading the way. The installations not only demonstrate our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint, but also provide our customers with a service that is only going to be more valuable in the future. We hope this innovation is another example of British racing doing everything possible to enhance our customers’ experience.”

David Martell, Chief Executive of Chargemaster Plc, said:

"We are delighted to form this partnership with The Jockey Club.  As part of the national POLAR network, Chargemaster is installing charging points across the country, but we are pleased that The Jockey Club will be the first network of sporting venues to provide this service to their customers.  We hope many racing fans, conference and events customers and staff, will find this service useful in the years ahead when more and more consumers will be using plug in cars."

Norman Baker MP, Transport Minister, said:

“Drivers are more likely to switch to electric vehicles if they know they can access a reliable network of charging points and so it's great to see The Jockey Club is leading the field and teaming up with Chargemaster.

"We now have more than 6,000 charging point across the country thanks to government investment and forward looking partnerships like this.  I hope that today’s announcement will inspire more companies to drive their sites into the future by installing charging points, benefiting staff and customers as well as the environment.”

 Notes to Editors

About The Jockey Club

The Jockey Club is at the heart of racing in Great Britain as the largest commercial group in the sport. Its interests include:

Jockey Club Racecourses: Runs a diversified portfolio of 14 racecourses in Great Britain: Aintree, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs, Exeter, Haydock Park, Huntingdon, Kempton Park, Market Rasen, Newmarket, Nottingham, Sandown Park, Warwick and Wincanton.

 The group stages four of the five 'Classics' of Flat racing (the Derby and the Oaks at Epsom Downs and the 1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas at Newmarket), as well as the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National at Aintree.

Jockey Club Estates: The property and land management company responsible for the management and administration of more than 5,000 acres of land in and around the racing training centres of Newmarket and Lambourn, as well as an extensive property portfolio, including the Jockey Club Rooms.

The National Stud: Transferred from Government to The Jockey Club in 2008, The National Stud is a commercial thoroughbred breeding enterprise with a commitment to provide training and educational programmes.

 Racing Welfare: A racing charity and company limited by guarantee with The Jockey Club being the sole member. The principal objective of Racing Welfare is to provide help to those in need who work or have worked in the thoroughbred industry, and their dependants.

In accordance with its objectives in the Royal Charter, The Jockey Club reinvests its profits in British racing and promotes measures to sustain and enhance the long-term success of the sport. For more information, please visit www.thejockeyclub.co.uk.

About POLAR and Chargemaster Plc

POLAR is a division of Chargemaster Plc, Europe’s leading provider of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Chargemaster Plc is the premier supplier of electric vehicle charging solutions in the UK and Europe. It develops and manufactures an advanced range of over 20 different types of electric vehicle charging points from its base in Bedfordshire.

Its partners and customers include: Transport for London (TfL), Hertz, Enterprise Rentacar, Europcar, Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury, SSE, British Gas, EDF, Vinci Energies, East of England PiP (Plugged in Places) and over 15 local authorities across the UK. Chargemaster Plc is a major supplier to cities of Amsterdam and London and manufacturers such as Nissan and Renault.