One small step, one special salute

Magnus Racing will have the first moon landing in mind when it goes racing this Saturday at Lime Rock. The 2h40m Northeast Grand Prix for IMSA’s GT Le Mans and GT Daytona classes falls on the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s voyage from earth to the moon, and in honor of the achievement, driver/owner John Potter and Andy Lally will use a custom livery and the one-time use of the No. 11 -- a change from its traditional No. 44 -- to salute the landing.

“We wanted to do something special to mark the occasion, and we felt this was the best way we could honor the event,” Potter said of the Saturn V livery. “Space exploration and the historical significance behind [the moon landing] has always been something I’ve held in admiration, so this is a very personal project to me.

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"Obviously, the Apollo 11 mission is an amazing tribute to human ingenuity and creativity, and that’s something that translates extremely well to our sport," Potter continued. "I’m glad we could pay tribute, and of course I appreciate everyone on the team -- as well as IMSA for some of the accommodations they’ve made to change our number and color panel -- for making this a reality. Hopefully we can pay the ultimate honor by bringing home a win.”

Lally will draw inspiration from the NASA members who made history with the mission.

“We’re excited to pay tribute in our own way,” he said. “The camaraderie and team mentality required through the entirety of the Gemini and Apollo programs was unlike any in history, and that’s an ethos that any successful race team has to embrace. The heroism of the astronauts themselves is incredible, but at the same time the effort and attitude from everyone on the project deserves incredible praise. We hope to represent well at Lime Rock.”