In Kitzbuehel, Rahlves and Miller do business with Red Bull and Lamborghini

In Kitzbuehel, Rahlves and Miller do business with Red Bull and Lamborghini{mosimage}With a foot of snow and hordes of fans descending on the small town of Kitzbuehel, driving is a laborious affair. Nevertheless, Bode Miller may spend some of the week behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. The car manufacturer is in the same corporate family as Audi, a primary sponsor of the World Cup and a company that is known for supplying handsome lease deals to World Cup winners. Miller was still working out the details of the arrangement last week in Wengen.

Rahlves, meanwhile, will have his hands full with Red Bull. The Austria-based energy drink company is a title sponsor for the Kitzbuehel downhill this year. They are also the headgear sponsor for Rahvles, so he has numerous promotional commitments through the week, in addition to the pressure of being the reigning champion. Red Bull is planning ‘to take it to the next level with their on-hill presence’ says Rahlves.

That presence includes the hospitality tent that Red Bull has installed adjacent to the downhill’s start house. Constructed of clear plastic, the tent contains flat-screen televisions and couches. One corner hangs out over the course’s steep first pitch, offering a commanding view of the first few gates, where athletes will reach 70 miles an hour in seconds.

‘They’re doing a lot of cool stuff’ said Rahlves. ‘It’s cool to see a company like that take it to the next level…Kitzbuehel doesn’t need anymore promotion, but Red Bull’s doing a huge deal to bring it up even more.’