“Support Ukraine” livery for DragonSpeed at Sebring
DragonSpeed Racing's No. 81 ORECA-Gibson will carry a special livery at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring next weekend in support of the Ukrainian people. Primary sponsor Flex-Box will replace its logo on the tailfin with "Support Ukraine" to express its solidarity with the valiant efforts of the eastern European country to defeat the ongoing invasion of its territory by Russia.
The graphic on the car that won the Rolex 24 At Daytona displays the Ukrainian national colors over the car's regular stars and stripes livery. The initiative has the full backing of team principal Elton Julian and Bronze driver Henrik Hedman, whose 10Star company also backs DragonSpeed.
Flex-Box’s Henrik Nielsen is challenging other sponsors and teams to include similar messages on their entries at Sebring and beyond, helping the racing world to play its part in condemning the war and encouraging contributions to Ukrainian relief efforts.
“As race fans, we all respect the bravery, determination, resourcefulness, and teamwork racers bring to the track,” said Nielsen. “Today we see these values being demonstrated to their highest degree by the Ukrainian people in their life-and-death fight to defend their independence against Putin's unprovoked aggression. Ukrainians have the right to pursue the same freedoms and prosperity that allow us to enjoy activities such as motorsport and great events like Sebring. I encourage all our fellow sponsors and teams at Sebring to join us in delivering a message of support for Ukraine and our desire for a rapid end to the horrors of war. This is a stand everyone can take."
Added Julian: ”When Henrik [Nielsen] came to me with this idea earlier in the week, I was on board immediately, as was Henrik Hedman. We're proud to have a sponsor who is willing to make a gesture like this in response to the terrible events of the last couple of weeks and ask the racing community to add its voice to the worldwide concern for the people of Ukraine.”
The 70th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring begins at 10:10 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 19. Flag-to-flag coverage will be carried on the Peacock streaming service, and TV coverage on USA network begins at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Richard S. James
Richard James is motorsports journalist living in Orange County, Calif, who has been involved in the sport to some degree for three decades. He covers primarily sports car racing as a writer and photographer, with occasional forays into off-road and other forms of racing. A former editor of the SCCA’s publication, SportsCar, he has a special love for the grass-roots side of the sport and participates as a driver in amateur road racing.
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