Acura did some brand enhancement with its corporate sponsorship of the prestigious 59th annual Southern Ocean Racing Conference (Acura/SORC) competition, which took place off the coast of Miami's South Beach and Biscayne Bay this past weekend, March 4 and 5. This is the second year for Acura as the title sponsor.

The Acura/SORC Race is considered to be one of the elite sailing regattas in the world. The race annually attracts close to the 200 national and international boats with more than 2,500 sailors, many of which have America's Cup and Whitbread Race experience.

"Acura's sponsorship of yacht racing event is a natural," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of sales, American Honda. "Because it has traditionally attracted people similar to the Acura buyer profile, very upscale, competitive and technically oriented. The Acura/SORC Regatta is a great opportunity for us to interact with potential customers and reinforce the Acura name as the leading marque in the luxury performance category."

In its 59-year history, the regatta has evolved from a series of distance races and local racing spread over a six-week period to the present format of five days of intense round-the-buoy racing in Miami.

The Acura/SORC race kicks off a month-long series of Acura-Honda events taking place in South Florida, including the Honda Golf Classic on March 9-12, and the CART Grand Prix of Miami, March 26.