Garrett McNamara will host the Mercedes-AMG Red Chargers, an event that will take place for the first time in Portugal, in the village of Nazaré, starting in November.
Following the investment that the German brand has made in Portugal, Mercedes will debut another new event, this time linked to surfing. The Mercedes-AMG Red Chargers will be presented by Garret McNamara at a Press Conference on November 3rd, at 11:00 am, at the Hotel Altis Belém, in Lisbon, Portugal, together with several internationally recognized athletes such as Hugo Vau (Portugal), Andrew Cotton ( United Kingdom), Rafael Tapia (Chile), Alessandro Marciano (Italy), Alex Botelho (Portugal), Maya Gabeira (Brazil), Carlos Burle (Brazil), João de Macedo (Portugal), David Langer (United States of America) and Sérgio Cosme (Portugal), who will be available to grant interviews and answer questions raised by the media.The Mercedes-AMG Red Chargers event will give the public the opportunity, in all regions of the globe, to see live the biggest waves to be surfed in Nazaré. All over the world, anyone will have the opportunity to view the event, as well as the spectators present at the venue. McNamara will be the main host of the event, allowing us to join him and his team in the underwater rescue operations of the expected Red Chargers in Nazaré.
The waiting period for this event, broadcast live from Portugal to the world, will start on November 3rd and end on February 29th. As we wait for Mother Nature to produce the biggest waves on the planet, the Mercedes-AMG Red Chargers will feature personal information from the men and women who risk everything to follow their dreams. During this period, fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite Red Charger in each of the categories and the top five athletes in each category will choose the winner:
Mercedes-Benz Portuguese Performance Award
Thule Atmos X5 Resilience Award – Most Intense Wipeout
Buondi Brotherhood Award – Best Team
Delloite Perseverance Award- Best Paddle Performance
Stop Smoking Start Living Courage Award- Best Rescue
Excellence Award - Best Ride
The athlete chosen for each category will receive a TAG Heuer watch and a cash prize of US$5,000. The athlete chosen for the Mercedes-Benz Portuguese Performance Award will receive a TAG Heuer watch and the use of a Mercedes-Benz GLA for a period of one year.
Garrett McNamara has been dreaming of an event like this for many years: “It's amazing to see this event come true. The purpose of creating Red Chargers is not only to show the world, live, the biggest waves to be surfed in Nazaré, but also to make known the men and women who risk their lives and sacrifice themselves to follow their dreams. His stories are truly inspiring and deserve to be shared as an incentive so that other people can also follow their dreams, whether surfing big waves or creating their own businesses. It is an honor to work with incredible companies that also aim to inspire and change the world for the better, such as Nazaré Qualifica and Turismo de Portugal, organizations that make this event possible in a mythical place like Nazaré.”
In the words of Joerg Heinermann, CEO and President of Mercedes-Benz Portugal: “A few years ago, Mercedes-Benz decided to partner with Garrett to jointly develop the best surfboards in the world for the practice of tow-in in waves giants. Thus, the MBoard project was created with the aim of designing the perfect board to surf the big waves of Nazaré. For Mercedes-Benz, the association with the Red Chargers, as official sponsor, was a natural process, as Portugal and Nazaré will once again be the world reference in the surf chapter. We are delighted to further promote and make known, on an international scale, the most beautiful and breathtaking landscapes in Portugal.”
The Mercedes-AMG Red Chargers also has the support of Boundi, Delloite, Thule, Auto-Estradas do Atlântico, Via Verde, GOMA, Digital Azul and The Go Big Project. Mercedes-AMG Red Chargers recently partnered with Surfrider Foundation Portugal to carry out a cleanup of Praia do Norte on 22 November.
For more information, consult the official Mercedes-AMG Red Chargers website.