Barracuda becomes Airspeeder Team Australia partner

Barracuda has become an Official Partner of Airspeeder Team Australia for the inaugural Airspeeder International Series, with the deal covering the 2026 season.

The partnership links the cybersecurity company with the Australian team in what Airspeeder describes as the first AI-powered electric flying car racing championship. Barracuda's branding will appear on the team's aircraft and uniforms, and the company plans to host customers and partners at race events and team facilities.

Airspeeder stages races for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, known as speeders. It presents each event as both a sporting contest and a live flight test, generating telemetry used to develop propulsion, control and safety systems.

Team Australia flies the Mk3C, a speeder designed and built in Adelaide. The team debuted at The Bend Motorsport Park earlier this year, staging competitive demonstrations to mark the launch of the international series.

The first race in the Airspeeder International Series is due to take place in Adelaide. The championship features national teams competing in electric flying racecraft, with support from universities, industrial groups and technology partners tied to advanced manufacturing and aerospace.

For Barracuda, the agreement places its name in a project at the intersection of motorsport, aviation and artificial intelligence. It also provides a hospitality platform around a new technology sport seeking to build commercial support alongside engineering credibility.

Dan McLean, Country Manager ANZ at Barracuda, linked the sponsorship to the company's technology focus.

"We are proud to be supporting Airspeeder Team Australia in the very first Airspeeder International Series campaign," said Dan McLean, Country Manager ANZ at Barracuda.

"There is a natural fit with Barracuda. Innovation, frontier engineering and vital telemetry are all areas that matter to cybersecurity as much as to Airspeeder, and we are proud to stand behind it," McLean said.

Engineering link

Airspeeder was founded at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2019 and has positioned itself as a motorsport format built around electric aircraft and autonomous systems. The competition is intended to serve as a testing environment for systems that may later have uses beyond racing.

That helps explain why Airspeeder has sought partners beyond traditional motorsport sponsorship categories. Its emphasis on software, telemetry and control systems gives technology companies a more direct connection to the programme than in many established racing series.

Matt Pearson, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Airspeeder, said Barracuda's involvement would support the team's technical programme.

"Modern air sport is technically advanced and data heavy, and Barracuda's partnership brings enormous value to Airspeeder Team Australia's racing program. We welcome their commitment to Australia and to a team underpinned by the best of Australian industry," said Pearson.

Commercial push

The agreement also highlights the commercial challenge facing emerging motorsport ventures built around new vehicle technologies. Securing partners remains central to funding teams, staging events and persuading industrial backers that a series can attract audiences beyond early adopters.

Airspeeder's model differs from conventional circuit racing because its racecourses are intended to be created in the air through augmented reality rather than fixed physical infrastructure. That approach is meant to let organisers alter course layouts without building permanent tracks, although the commercial test will be whether the format can move from demonstrations to a regular calendar.

Australia has become central to that effort. The local team's aircraft was built in Adelaide, and the city is set to host the first race of the new international series, putting South Australia at the centre of Airspeeder's early rollout.

Barracuda, which sells cybersecurity products through a partner-led model, serves organisations across email, data, applications, networks, and managed detection and response. The Airspeeder agreement includes engagement with customers and partners at race meetings and team sites during the season.

That customer-facing element shows how sponsorship in emerging technology sports is being used not only for branding but also for business development. For Barracuda, the partnership provides access to an engineering-led setting that may appeal to channel partners and enterprise customers interested in digital infrastructure, manufacturing and transport technology.

More broadly, each new sponsor adds weight to a category that still needs to prove it can turn technical ambition into a sustainable sports business. For now, the series has secured a cybersecurity partner for its Australian entrant as it prepares for its first international race in Adelaide.