SD Eibar launch latest edition bus with the help of their fans
Autocares Olabarria, a company that enjoys a close working relationship with the club, acquire the latest edition Irizar i8
Thursday morning saw SD Eibar and Autocares Olabarria (Olabarria Buses) - one of the businesses who have been with the club right from the start - come together to celebrate a landmark event, as the company's owner and one of the club's trusted drivers, Joxean, picked up the latest addition to his fleet, an Irizar i8.
In the wake of a social-media led campaign aimed at all supporters, a large number of the club's fans expressed a strong interest in exploring and having a ride on SD Eibar's new official first-team coach. Following a ceremony held on Thursday morning against a backdrop of nerves and excitement, a number of lucky fans got the chance to take their places in the very seats in which their idols will travel lengthy distances to away grounds.
SD Eibar's Head of Marketing, Gema Baqué, gave her thanks to both of the companies who played a part in the successful launch of the new coach. "For the upgraded team coach, we decided to link up with Irizar, a market leader with over a hundred years' experience, with whom the club has travelled practically since the very start. We mustn't forget that the grandfather of our driver, Joxean Olabarria, drove the team in a Irizar bus back in 1953, as seen on the photos celebrating the campeonato de aficionados title in that year".
The coach will represent Eibar wherever it goes, whilst keeping the values of a club which refuses to forget its past firmly intact, a sentiment expressed by Baqué in her address to the press: "For us, the team coach upgrade is an important landmark in this season. Eibar are now into their third season in the top flight and things have changed massively over the last few years. We're now in a position to be able to do things which allow us to improve the club's image and build a permanent legacy, whilst always keeping our feet on the ground, which is part of our make-up".
The new vehicle boasts an exterior design adapted to SD Eibar's new corporative image, whilst its interior offers maximum comfort and is equipped with the latest technology, as Miguel Ángel Pérez, Irizar's commercial director for Spain and Portugal, explains: "A top-flight club like S.D. Eibar deserve a top-notch coach like the i8, which comes with a Scania E6 410 hp chassis. The i8 is Irizar's flagship coach and is the brand's top-range vehicle, it's one that stands out on account of its innovate design. The vehicle's structure was designed and calculated with the assistance of one of the most prestigious engineering firms in Europe. All of the interior and exterior lighting is LED, with the Bi-LED front lights, which are exclusive to Irizar, being particularly worthy of note. In terms of driving comfort, there is a spacious driver station and an ergonomically friendly dashboard which enables easy access to all of the controls. As for passenger comfort, the bus boasts a higher vantage point and a brighter interior, a flat floor and maximum comfort seats and ergonomics designed exclusively for Irizar. In short, this is a top bus for a top team".