In an interesting sponsorship twist, fans who enter the promotional code “ALMS” while registering or transferring domains to NameSilo this season will have the option to have their names or domain appear on the Autocon Motorsports Lola that will return to the American Le Mans Series at the Mosport round in July.
During the pre-race grid walk that occurs just prior to the start of each race and beginning July 24, fans whose names appear on the orange prototype will have the opportunity to stand next to the car, point to their name and snap pictures using their own smart phones or cameras.
“We're anxious to get back in the thick of it,” said team owner and manager Michael Lewis. “We took stock of where we have been and where we are trying to go, made some changes in the off-season and will be ready to come back for the final six races of the season in a competitive and fun way.”
The Autocon Lola B06/10-AER spent the better part of the last few months at Lola's UK factory being freshened and returned to a just-as-new state, under the guidance of Lewis and Tony Burgess, an aeronautical engineer himself. “We ran the car hard for a number of years and it showed signs of wear last season. In order to be competitive, we all felt it was important for Lola to evaluate everything,” said Burgess.
In early July, the team will hold a multi-day test at Miller Motorsports Park. The Canadian Burgess will join American Chris McMurry in the cockpit for all six races, and the duo will be joined by another American – Bryan Willman – for the ALMS rounds at Laguna Seca and Road Atlanta's Petit Le Mans.
"We realized that Sebring was out of the question and the next couple of races were ones that we didn't want to rush to get to, as we hadn't done all the work we wanted to do on the car to make it more reliable,” Burgess explained. “That formulated our plan that the very first ‘must-do' race is Mosport.”
Whether located in the U.S. or anywhere around the globe, anyone who visits NameSilo at www.namesilo.com/alms or who enters the promotional code ALMS upon check out will be prompted to indicate if they'd like their personal name or any of their domains to appear on the Autocon Lola. Names will be added two weeks prior to each race beginning with the Grand Prix of Mosport.
“This might be the most inexpensive way ever to get your business name on racecar,” joked Lewis about registering domains that cost around $6 to $8. “Seriously, this is more about delivering great value to consumers and having a good time with those who enjoy racing and want a special, personal reason to root for a team.”