The Official Blog of the IZOD IndyCar Series

Yang Ou at Infineon Raceway

Yang Ou secured the iRacing.com IZOD IndyCar Series Premier road racing title like a true champion, leading from lights to flag in the top Strength of Field race at Infineon Raceway.  Taking his ninth win of the season, Ou crossed the line 18.7s ahead of Andre Boettcher with Aleksi Elomaa a further 23 seconds back just ahead of PJ Stergios.

Ou’s domination of the online race came as no surprise, given than fact that he claimed his 11th pole position in a dozen outings with a sizzling lap of 1:15.593, more than .3s quicker than Boettcher’s best.   In fact, only Ou and Boettcher broke into the 1:15s as Elomaa gridded third with a best lap of 1:16.715.

“The race went well,” said Ou.  “I was very conservative on the first stint, because I hadn’t done a full fuel run to check the tire wear. Even so, the car started to get sideways quite easily due to the big elevation changes in most of the turns, and when accelerating out of the hairpins as well. I started to pick up the pace a bit in the second stint knowing that it will be shorter so I won’t have to save tires as much as the first run. I crossed the finish line and it feels like one of the shortest road courses this season.  Maybe it was, or maybe it’s just because of the fact that Sonoma is a great track for the IndyCars, it is tons of fun to race here.”

Ou’s championship-winning performance netted him $500 and the first place trophy.  In concert with the fact that he is in the driver’s seat in the iRacing.com IZOD IndyCar Series Premier oval series, Ou also has the inside track on the overall iRacing.com IZOD IndyCar Series Premier championship and the $1000 and airfare, hotel and VIP tickets package for two people to the IZOD INDYCAR World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway the weekend of Oct. 16.

“I’d like to thank my fellow competitors Aleksi, André, PJ, Santiago, Joao Pinho and many other skillful road course drivers for making it a fun and competitive season in the iRacing IndyCar Road Premier Series,” said Ou.  “A nd well done for their great driving!”

The second race saw Raymond Mooney come from seventh on the grid to earn the win in his first appearance in the iRacing.com IZOD IndyCar Series Premier road racing this season.

As I head into the last race of the season at the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix, I reflect back to the start of this season and the whirlwind it’s been.

In addition to the close of the season, I have the opportunity to reflect on the recent end of the Seventeen magazine “Pretty Amazing” contest, which has been one of the coolest experiences of my life. This contest was different than anything I’ve ever done. It is a huge accomplishment to be one of the top-five finalists (out of 35,000 who entered) in the competition where one of us would be on the cover of Seventeen, a magazine that reaches 13 million monthly readers!

At the beginning of the season, everything was extremely hectic and I was fully focused on the start of my first full season since 2006 in a new series, learning a new craft. It was March and we were entering our second race of the season when my management group, BRANDed, came to me with yet another opportunity! Some of you may remember the video contest we did a year ago encouraging YOU to turn OFF your cell phones and “Don’t text and drive”. In all honesty, I wasn’t super enthusiastic about it because I was focused on the start of my season and my performance on the track. However, I went ahead and came up with a short essay and we went ahead and submitted an entry. Here’s what I wrote:

At age five, my family and I entered a world that would later shape my life, character, personality and future forever. The industry was racing and I would start driving racecars the same year I began Kindergarten in Miamisburg, Ohio. I was the kid at the front of the line, the kid who won the fundraising competitions, participated in Student Government, was involved in my school, graduated in the top ¼ of my class, was elected for homecoming court and a two year National Honors Society member. But I was different than everyone – always have been, always will be and that is something that has stuck with me, defined me and given me confidence.  At age five, I won my first race and never looked back. At the age of fourteen, I started realizing I could pursue racing professionally. Between now and then, I’ve been through nonstop ups and downs giving it my all to find sponsorships, connections and the means to be a professional racecar driver. Today, I am a fully funded and paid racecar driver continuing the pursuit of being a professional driver in the Indianapolis 500. My dreams have fueled me and will continue to be the seed beneath my life motto, never ever ever give up.

Soon thereafter, we got a call back from Seventeen asking for a 20-minute video answering questions about myself, my family, my background and what I do. They also wanted to see my bedroom and a little bit more about my personality. The funny thing was, I had just gotten to Indianapolis for the month of May and was living in a short-term lease, white walled, and generally furnished apartment that would show none of my personality! So, I sat on the bed with a comforter that I’d never choose, bare white walls and explained to Seventeen about my crazy life, why I was where I was, and what I was doing. 

After a string of a few more calls and videos, Ann Shoket, the magazine’s editor-in-chief “skyped” me and told me the great news. I was one of the five finalists and would be making the trip to NYC for a week where I’d do a top of the line cover photo-shoot, meet the other finalists and experience all kinds of awesome stuff.

Between the trip to New York City and the time that I found out, I was really too flat out with racing and concentrating on that to really think about what the trip would entail. MTV came to Milwaukee to do some filming prior to the race weekend and I also kept myself busy with other racing related “activities”.

Finally, the time came to go to NY and I finally spent some time “offline” and enjoying being a girl. From the time I arrived at one of the swankiest hotels in SoHo until the time that I departed, cameras followed close behind. The first night, us girls got to meet each other and have a surprise dinner together. The following day was the beginning of nonstop activities that Seventeen and Neutrogena would keep the five of us busy with.

The day started off with a trip to Hearst Corporation where we met Seventeen Editor-in-Chief, Ann Shoket, who told us we were going to be giving a short speech to an auditorium full of girls about our age, in thirty minutes! We all had a bit of time to come up with thoughts and most of the girls wrote their speeches on note cards. I wrote a few bullet points down but chose to speak from my heart and ditch the note cards. It was truly an inspiring moment for me to be able to tell my story to hundreds of girls who I’d never met but would possibly be able to make an impact on. After our speeches, we got to “meet & mingle” with all of the audience and then were told we’d be getting full-on makeovers. Seventeen created individual “looks” for each girl and mine was “Edgy Sweet.”

We went to a top-of-the line salon in the city and each of us got our trial looks in preparation for the following day; the photo-shoot! I got my hair colored a bit darker and trimmed. They also gave me some layers. It wasn’t a whole lot different but I definitely liked it.

The next day was day one of the photo-shoot and most definitely the best part of the trip. I don’t think I realized how big of a deal the whole thing was until I walked into the set and saw the professionalism and amount of people it took to put this thing together: a photographer with two assistants, a celebrity stylist and his two assistants, celebrity hair stylist and Herbal Essences spokesperson and his assistant, make-up artist and his assistant, nail artist, television crew, media, Seventeen executives, MTV executives, Neutrogena executives and tons of other random people which I had know idea who they were.

The process began and I started with make-up, went on to hair, then nails and stylists. They had the music up loud and the fans blowing (haha!). A few of the girls were super nervous but I was seriously excited and felt awesome, or should I say “Pretty Amazing”? The rest is hard to put into words so here are a few “behind the scene” photos.

That evening we met one of the judges, Jared Eng (founder of Just Jared—much like Perez Hilton’s celebrity gossip site) and had a dinner with him. We then had a somewhat early night to get rest for the second day of the shoot. The girls who hadn’t gone the first day went at the beginning of day two and in the afternoon we were surprised with the challenge of coming up with our own photo-shoot for all of the girls together. It was pretty fun and within an hour we had to make a set and come up with outfits. Check it out.

The final day was a red carpet luncheon and we started the day off with hair and make-up again. I got used to not having to do anything to get ready and after I returned from the trip wasn’t sure what to do without the pampering!! Speaking in front of a huge group of Seventeen and Neutrogena Executives about the amazing experiences of the week. We walked the red carpet, posed for the paparazzi individually and with actress and singer Miranda Cosgrove who was one of the contest judges. She was truly a sweetheart and really genuine. My speech went very well and it was a bittersweet ending to a great trip.

Of course all week, everyone was speculating who would win and wondering when they would tell us, but we heard that we wouldn’t find out until the “Pretty Amazing” special on MTV, which aired on August 30^th at 8pm.

We were all asked who we’d want to win if we didn’t and without a blink of an eye I chose Zoe. We really hit it off and connected having similar stories of overcoming adversity. I am extremely happy and proud for Zoe because she is a very inspirational girl who has gone after her dreams and will do great things in her life.

Although I didn’t walk away with the cover, I walked away with a truly amazing experience and am proud to have been one of five out of 35,000 who applied.

I can’t thank all of the IndyCar community enough for all of your votes and encouragement throughout the whole thing. It’s been very humbling and an honor.

See you this weekend at Baltimore!

Shann

Monica Clara Brand’s name may not be quite as familiar to IZOD IndyCar Series fans as those of Ana Beatriz, Simona de Silvestro, Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick, but she has much in common with them.

Like Fisher and Patrick, she has qualified on the pole for a race  . . .  30 by actual count.  And, like Patrick, she has finished in Victory Lane.  Brand has more than 25 wins to her credit from Michigan International to Iowa to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Monica Clara Brand

What distinguishes Brand’s racing career from those others is that all of her success has come in a digitized Dallara on the virtual racetracks of iRacing.com.  In fact, the 34-year-old resident of Bucharest, Romania, has never even attended a IZOD IndyCar Series race, although she would dearly love to.

Check out more about iRacing.com

“Of course, attending the Indy 500 in person is one of my dreams,” says Brand, an administrative specialist. “But, factoring out money and time, I would fly over to attend every race.  Just picking out a few races outside the Indy 500, I think I would very much enjoy Texas, Long Beach and Las Vegas.”

Currently ranked third in the iRacing.com IZOD IndyCar Premier Series (oval) standings behind Yang Ou and PJ Stergios, Brand could fulfill her wish of attending a race were she to capture the overall iRacing.com IZOD IndyCar Premier Series title and the accompanying prize package, which includes a trip to the IZOD IndyCar season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Monica Clara Brand

However, as the statistics show (and Brand readily admits), her forte is the speedways and the bull rings of sim racing rather than the road courses.

“Although being European my background is road racing, I’ve come to love oval racing through iRacing, at first the short ovals with the SK/Tour Modified and Late Model cars, and then through the IndyCar Dallara on the bigger speedways,” she explains.  “What I like more about ovals is that the competition is tighter and the risk and reward feels so much sweeter. On road courses, many times can get pretty lonely and it’s only you versus the track while on ovals, no matter your speed, you always have quite a few cars around you that you can race close with. That’s a bigger thrill, for me at least.”

There’s more to Brand’s success in iRacing than the thrill ride of arcing a virtual Dallara into Turn 1 at Indy at 220-plus mph.  Like all her successful competitors, Brand has become quite atuned to the myriad of chassis, tire and aerodynamic tweaks necessary to get the most from her IndyCar – all readily accomplished with a few clicks of her computer’s mouse, with some help from her friends and teammates at Ludicrous Racing.

“To me, the Dallara is the most complicated car to set up on the entire iRacing service, especially for ovals,” she says. “Normally I take my last season setup for a given track and turn laps until I get comfortable again with the track and setup. I then start to change things to improve it in search of that ultimate speed and lap time. Sometimes it’s that simple and sometimes I rely on my team mate Niles Anders’ setups. It’s not hard for me to admit that he’s got this car figured out a lot better than me. We then start testing together along with my other team mates to see which change is better and what works for who.  All in all, I put at least four to six hours and sometimes even double that amount into testing before I turn a single race lap.”

Personally, one of my favorite duties is sorting through the general email inbox. It’s a wide variety, from requests for drivers’ personal addresses to friendly suggestions on how to make the series better. And something that I hear a lot is that our fan group, INDYCAR Nation, is doing an awesome job at bringing fans closer to the action.

One of the most exciting things about the IZOD IndyCar Series is the up close and personal relationship it has with fans, like the all-driver autograph sessions at each race. You certainly don’t get that in any other professional sports league. INDYCAR Nation is a free source of fan news including weekly e-newsletters and exclusive editorials on the website. Sign up for FREE and you can also access Fantasy Racing and take advantage of coupons and discounts from our sponsors.

But the best value on the planet is the INDYCAR Nation Champion level…a.k.a. the INDYCAR fan club. Joining is like getting courtside seats all the time! Champion members pay a low price of $34.95/year and are exposed to a multitude of amazing experiences—including free credentials, travel packages, two-seater rides and personal meet-n’-greets with drivers.  

This Friday in New Hampshire, for example, INDYCAR Nation Champion members have an opportunity to grab a beverage and hang out with all three Penske drivers—Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe and Will Power—at Draft’s Sports Bar and Grill. You wouldn’t even get that close to Dwight Howard’s sweat band unless you sold all your possessions.  

We’ve heard there is a brand new Champion member who joined this week. Not only has he never been to an INDYCAR race, this will be his first motorsports race EVER. He joined the fan club so he could be eligible for pace car rides and pre-race access, but he ended up winning a free 2-seater ride on Saturday. Talk about the membership paying for itself in one click!

Go to http://indycarnation.indycar.com to check it out. Here’s a little teaser of what you could be doing at IZOD IndyCar races in the next couple of months:

Infineon Raceway: Be on the lookout for details on…

Special offers and an exclusive Champion member event with 2011 Indianapolis 500 runner-up and Rookie of the Year candidate JR Hildebrand!

Baltimore Race Weekend Travel Package

You don’t have to be a Champion member to purchase this special race weekend package for the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix. Complete with hotel, tickets, credentials, pace car rides, a private driver meet-n-greet and more, this package saves your nearly $800!

Kentucky bus trip and half off 2-seater rides

Watch the Member Alerts page for details on the annual bus trip from Indy to Kentucky Speedway. Champion members will get half off their race tickets and access to a special race-day tailgate with the drivers. Plus, Indy Racing Experience is setting aside 2-seater ride times for Champion members on Sept 30 (12-3 p.m.) and offering rides for just $250!

You asked for it! More spots added for the Indy 500 package

Due to popular demand, we’ve once again added sports to the 2012 Indy 500 VIP package for Champion members! Check out this ultimate fan weekend complete with tickets, credentials, pace car rides, hotel room, police-escorted transportation to the race and more.

I am on my flight to San Jose for my first dirt car experience. There are a lot of things going through my mind right now. I am thinking about the experience of 900 horsepower in the dirt with massive wings, sliding sideways on a quarter mile track and in a completely foreign seating position. Overall I am pretty excited. It feels almost like when I got on my flight from Europe to Las Vegas for my first test in an IndyCar in 2001.

Tomas Scheckter

I have spoken to a lot of my friends, some of them drivers, and they all have had the same reaction: you are crazy. My only response for them is: you knew that a long time ago. Some people think I am an adrenaline junky and will do anything that is risky. This is not true. I am definitely aware of the risks I take and make sure I know all the details before moving forward. Sky diving is not for me, jumping out of a plane with a canvas on your back is risky but I also think it’s crazy. Sitting behind the wheel of something that is completely new to me and that I might have control of for at least 50 percent of the lap, or so I hope, is something that I consider exciting and not risky (well, less risky).

Don’t worry I am not making a career move just yet, I love indycars and have a lot of things going on in that aspect, but after I went to Eldora to watch a dirt car race, I could not help myself. Soon after I called around to see how I could get into a car. It amazed me to see these drivers sideways, inches away from from the wall on the high side, and I needed to have a go. I called my good friend, PJ Chesson, about the only driver who is as insane as me, and asked him how I could get in a car. He has numerous wins in the World of Outlaws and thought this would be a good place to start. PJ then put me in touch with Bud Kaeding and we set a date for my first test. The Kaedings have a rich racing heritage and I am very fortunate to have been put in touch with them and have access to first class equipment. I am not going to kid myself and go into this thinking I am going to break track records my first time out. As much as I would love to, it is going to be an entirely different world. One thing I have learned over the years is that the key to success is managing ones expectations. I also realize the danger involved with driving this machine. In unexperienced hands, sprint cars can be deadly.. From what I hear, if a driver hits the “cush” in the wrong way it can send the car over the fence and into the hot dog stands (as my old spotter Pancho Carter used to say). Does it make me me nervous? Of course! But this feeling is what makes me feel alive. I am looking forward to finishing the rest of this blog on Sunday evening on my way back to Indy. If this is as far as it goes then you guys will know I am probably in the hot dog stand.

I am now on my flight back to Indianapolis. I stop in Atlanta and will arrive Monday at 10am. Right now I’m pretty exhausted but I can’t refrain from writing the last part of this blog about my first experience on dirt.

Saturday night I went to watch Brent Kaeding race.  It was incredible.  Brent was able to win his heat and dash but lost to his son Tim in the final. It was an unbelievable racing experience; a group of about 20 cars with around 900 horsepower running sideways. As I watched from the grand stand, the cars roaring off of 2 was an unbelievable experience, and if you have never been to a World of Outlaws event then I highly recommend it. It’s a different crowd (maybe some people I would not socialize with in normal situations) but we all have one thing in common: the love of pure racing. This bond is what tied me to the crowd and people around the track. After the race we had to go to a promotion of the KWS series test track, based off the Antioch track. It was very similar to what I saw the night before but by the time I got to the motel in this tiny town, I had been up for 14 hours. I was pretty beat but still struggled to sleep knowing that I was going to be in one of these beasts the next day. Bud Kaeding, National Sprint Car Champion and the other son of Brent, picked me up from the hotel, we got a quick bite to eat, and were off to the track. We made some modifications to the seat to make sure I fit in properly. Bud was very helpful in making sure I fit comfortably and safely. They watered the track for the last time to pack the dirt.

The first problem for me was getting into the car. I did not know the standard process of legs first, arms first, body first and it was an awkward experience. After getting in everything felt good. There is a fuel line that runs past your legs that you have to turn on as they push you off. I thought to myself- “this is a car that takes me at least 30 seconds to get in and out and I have a fuel line running over my knee… forget about it dirt racing.” This is a pure raving machine made from Molly chrome bars, a 900 hp engine, and a huge wing that weighs about 1400 pounds. You are pretty much strapped to a rocket ship. The first couple of laps were for me to pack the track some more and get the engine temps into the optimal range. As most of you know, I get bored quickly and was so anxious to see what this beast had. I started to get on it in a couple corners and then brought it in. As a result I was told off because the engine temps were not right.

Scheckter getting "dirty" in the World Of Outlaws Sprint Car

I went back to packing the track down. After a few laps I was finally given the go-ahead to mash the throttle. The track was still too wet at the exit of 2 and the back straight was splashing. The car had zero tracking but 3 and 4 were coming in nicely and it blew my mind as to how much speed I could carry into the corners.  I’d run in wide open, crack throttle a bit, swing the rear end out and jump back on the power. I don’t think I’ve ever corrected a car so much in 5-8 laps, except for maybe in video games. I got out of the car sweating as if I had just completed 500 miles. At this stage I was driving on pure instinct, pushing and trying different things to get a feel for the limit. The next run got better. Bud and I took the quad around and he showed me some different lines to try and use. They also changed the spacer on the right rear to give me some more rear end bite (yes you heard that right: rear end bite), as in traction, and it worked. We also then put on a new set of tires. We did two runs following another car.  Bud wanted to give me a chance to get a feel for the car in traffic. Then I got back out on my own. Brent showed me how to use the electronic rear wing and I tried two settings. Once I got it on the forward setting things started to feel really good. I had smooth lines, no sawing on the steering wheel and was using the throttle slightly coming off corners just so the car would set and then I would gradually add more throttle. I felt very smooth and not out of control, more like a consistent slide carrying momentum through the corners. My times, from what Bud told me, were very competitive and I felt comfortable in the car. I still was not completely consistent but was putting some good laps together. I came in and the right rear was a couple laps away from exploding. The tire looked like a slick, it had zero tread remaining.  The track was getting rubbered in and there seemed to be good grip. The combination of pure power, tons of downforce, and earth shaking sound is about as American as racing can get. Not to mention it was on dirt. It was clear the team knew exactly what they were doing. They knew what direction the track goes and what changes to make to make sure the car felt balanced at all times. This gave me a ton of confidence behind the wheel.

Scheckter stepping out the rear

We finished up testing and Bud took the car out. He is an extremely talented driver with a personality to match. We packed the cars away and there was only one thought on my mind- how do I get back into a car. I had a brief conversation with Jimmy Vasser and he was proud I gave it a go but hesitated when I said I wanted to race. I know I still have a ton to learn but having a great team with great equipment and being able to cross over from Indy to dirt would be awesome for both sports. Maybe we would see more Indycar drivers, instead of playing tennis, golf, and sitting at their country clubs, getting out and mixing it up at their local dirt track. Yes it’s risky but so is walking across a busy street. I live for this kind of risk. Racing Sprint Cars is obviously risky. Take two minutes to look on YouTube and you’d see these guys flip right over the fence but it sure beats sitting at home playing with my with my xbox.

Scheckter looks over the car

It was great to attend a race.  The fans and the crowd gave me a lot of respect and it was a pleasure to be there. I doubt many of them understood my accent and they probably needed subtitles when I spoke but it was a friendly pit area. Different teams coming to lend or borrow stuff, Brent stayed till almost 1am signing autographs for kids and families and I stood back and watched. I realized this is an unbelievable sport where they care about one another and really look after their fans. At one point he started to throw out free t-shirts into crowds of kids. I can’t explain how happy some of these kids were. The series needs to get more exposure and Indycar drivers should not be scared to venture out and do new things. It would raise the respect of what we do and cross into new fan bases; a win-win for everyone. Let’s be honest, what driver does not want to be wheel to wheel sideways in the dirt? I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun! Well… other than the other weekend but that probably isn’t appropriate for here.

I can’t say it enough but I am so appreciative of the support from the Indycar fans and the Sprint Car fans for accepting me and allowing me to do this. I truly would love to put a program together to sync with my 2012 Indycar program. I love being in the car and I am now not only a huge fan of dirt sprint cars but also the people I met through this experience. I am looking forward to telling you more about my next couple Indycar races and my plans for 2012. I hope it consists of a lot of races and I don’t mind if I finish those dirty or clean…

While Ryan Hunter-Reay waited to meet the media Aug. 11 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he took a few laps around the track on an iRacing.com version of his Honda-powered Dallara.

“You don’t get that crazy feel of rotation in the corner that you get in the IndyCar, but that’s the only difference,” said Hunter-Reay, who only turned five laps before having to get up for interviews midway through his sixth lap. “It’s amazing how close the track is to what it really is out there. The seams, the lines, the reference points, all that stuff.”

While his lap time wasn’t as fast as the real thing, the Andretti Autosport driver was sold on joining some of the other IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights drivers who use iRacing.com.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff with setup that you can work on,” he said. “ I didn’t have a chance to tweak the car, but it was a lot of fun.”

Take a virtual lap of  New Hampshire Motor Speedway

My Public Relations twintern Emily Lewandowski and I hit the streets of Trois Rivieres Thursday night in an effort to give away 20 free tickets to the Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres. As my only foreign language is Spanish, the experience was a hilarious mess of me running up to random people asking “Parlez voux anglais?” in a Spanish accent. However, I got through to several people who did indeed walk away with a three-day pass to the event. My personal favorite, Rose, was an elderly (yet extremely hip) local woman who actually flagged me down and demanded tickets (a woman who knows what she wants). I also gave one to our very sweet waitress at dinner in a desperate effort for a free drink, which worked like a charm. Look for our video blog coming soon!

As I went through our adventure, the most amazing thing was how alive the city was. When we landed in Trois Rivieres and eventually trekked over to our hotel, the city seemed quiet and fairly unassuming. As evening hit, the city roared to life with a street festival that brought in hundreds of people of all ages. There was a swaying pirate ship ride, men on stilts walking the streets, street musicians and booths along the beautiful Rues de Forges. We learned that the festival runs the Wednesday through Sunday of the Grand Prix week, and is a major attraction of the area.

It’s a totally different experience than racing anywhere else on the schedule. People have no idea what the IZOD IndyCar Series is, so it gives them a bigger appreciation for the Firestone Indy Lights, which can often be overshadowed when scheduled with their big brother. The track is a first for all but five of the Indy Lights drivers, who raced here with Star Mazda. It was with a bit of pride that I observed the fans watching practice today, knowing they were getting their first look at an extremely talented group of drivers who deserve every bit of the attention they get this week.

Spotted around Rues des Forges: Star Mazda drivers Sage Karam, Gustavo Menezes and Patrick McKenna; Indy Lights drivers Anders Krohn, Peter Dempsey, David Ostella and Gustavo Yacaman.

Two weekends ago at the Edmonton Indy marked the first time that Motorsport Artwork company ArtRotondo.com and avid Indycar.com blogger Mauro Rotondo were present at an Indycar event with an official stand at the event. The ArtRotondo.com stand was a great display showcasing all of the world famous Art Rotondo’s works which have took the Motorsport scene by storm and also included an array of his custom painted racing helmets. What made this weekend even more special was the live autograph sessions being held inside the ArtRotondo.com stand by some of the Indycar greats names such as; Scott Dixon, Mike Conway, Sebastien Saavedra just to name a few and even local Indy Lights racer Stefan Rzadzinski all took part o the official ArtRotondo.com autograph session.  This marked not only the first ever time that a Motorsport Artwork company had a live stand at an Indycar event, but as well as the first time a Motorsport artwork company had live autograph sessions by multiple Indycar stars throughout the same weekend in their official stand. A true historical event which prooved to be a true success for all and the especially the fans who got to be part of a great race weekend. Here’s a few pictures of the weekend at the ArtRotondo.com stand.

July turned out to be another busy month for the JLF Designs team. EJ Viso was making a flying visit to the UK so we arranged to have a helmet painted while he was here so he could take it back with him to the US. The design was another variation of the “Orbital” design EJ has been using which has proved very popular. This one had the concentric circles in the Lotus yellow and green to match his race car, with a matt finish.

EJ Viso's new helmet design

July is also the month of the British Formula One Grand Prix so we had special designs for our F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Paul Di Resta (cousin of IZOD IndyCar Series driver Dario Franchitti). Patriotic flags was the theme for these designs, with Lewis’s design featuring 3D Union Jack flags as well as the flag of Grenada where his family originally came from. Metalflake/sparkle paint was used almost everywhere – even on some of the logos, which made this design really stand out under sunlight and the garage lights.

Lewis Hamilton's new helmet design

Pauls’ design was a combination of the Scottish Saltire and the Union Jack with an outline of the Silverstone circuit on the back. Paul wanted a clean, classic design that would be recognisable from the spectator grandstands while still having a bit of airbrush flair.

Paul Di Resta's new helmet design

Also pictured is a helmet that we recently painted for a customer who wanted a design based on the BMW Art Car designed by Jeff Koons. Every stripe and colour was hand-painted on to give a design that is pretty different from most race designs on the track! We love getting unusual designs to paint and will be soon painting a helmet based on a psychedelic Cream album cover.

Helmet designed by JLF Designs team

The paintshop is as full as ever so we’ll hopefully have more photos to show soon. We’ve just received a helmet from the Indycar series organisers for Dan Wheldon to use in the test schedule for the rest of the year so the next blog should have photos of that helmet once it’s finished.

I have to admit, one of the best perks of working for INDYCAR is getting the wardrobe. The day my order came in and I got my shiny variety of IZOD apparel was one of the happiest days of my life (exaggerating, but it was really cool). A few weeks later, I walked into a Macy’s store and saw a large display of the brand in the racks, and didn’t think much of it until I continued to notice IZOD popping up all over the place. Whether it was on TV commercials or around the tracks, IZOD is definitely serious about promoting the IZOD IndyCar Series, and we should send them a little thank you!

The IZOD look

Lucky for you fans, there is a new, interactive way to do that. Fortune Magazine has a new reader poll out that allows people to vote for what they think is the brand getting the most recognition out of their sponsorship dollars. IZOD is running in third-place behind AON, insurance giant on all Manchester United jerseys in the Champions League Finals in May, and NIKE, sponsor of NBA Finals stars Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade. Give them a boost by clicking here and voting today!