News Release

Potain’s constant presence across the South African skyline has reached a whole new level thanks to Johannesburg-based Potain crane dealer, Torre Lifting Solutions, which has signed an exclusive contract to sponsor the Pitt Special aerobatics team.

The award-winning team is well-loved and recognized in South Africa with its best-in-class Pitt Special aircraft. Aviators Scully Levin, Arnie Meneghelli, Ellis Levin and Sean Thackwray have an immense passion for aerobatics, pushing boundaries with spectacular maneuvers as they ‘wow’ captive audiences from 5,000 to 70,000 spectators.

Team leader Scully Levin said: “As a legendary, high-performance aerobatic aircraft, the faithful and trusty Pitts Special is always a crowd favorite. These are the planes fans look for.”

The team has been sponsored by parent company Torre Automotive for 16 years, and Pitt Special is one of four planes in Team Torre. In conjunction with Manitowoc, Torre Lifting Solutions has sponsored the branding, including the rebranding of the Pitt Special airplane, flight suits and any promotional material at events for the Pitt Special team.

“We’re excited to sponsor this daring team of aviators, and enjoy watching in awe as the Potain brand is spread across the skies,” said Quentin Van Breda, managing director at Torre Lifting Solutions. “Torre Lifting Solution’s ability to assess the individual requirements of construction projects, supply and erect the most appropriate tower crane solution, has resulted in a large African footprint for the company. We look forward to offering our clients a unique experience with our customer flip days in the aerobatic aircraft.” 

Part of the Torre Industries group, Torre Lifting Solutions offers total lifting solutions to customers in South Africa and across the continent. Torre Lifting Solutions is an umbrella brand of combined companies Elephant Lifting and SA French, which was acquired by Torre Industries in January this year. 

About The Manitowoc Company, Inc.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. (“Manitowoc”) was founded in 1902 and has over a 117-year tradition of providing high-quality products and support services that are tailored to customers’ needs. Its 2019 net sales were approximately $1.83 billion. Manitowoc is one of the world's leading providers of engineered lifting solutions. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Manitowoc designs, manufactures, markets and supports comprehensive product lines of mobile telescopic cranes, tower cranes, lattice-boom crawler cranes, boom trucks and industrial cranes under the Grove, Potain, Manitowoc, National Crane, Shuttlelift and Manitowoc Crane Care brand names.