24h Le Mans
On August 24th, IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson passed away after succumbing to the debris injuries he incurred at the Pocono circuit in Pennsylvania. Since then, the motorsports community has rallied by donating objects to be sold at auction to benefit the daughters and wife of the fallen British driver.
As an organ donor, Justin Wilson saved six lives. His legendary humility and accessibility undoubtedly contributed to the influx of donations for the auction organized on ebay until October 26th to collect funds for his family. To fans of NASCAR, IndyCar Series, F1 and World Endurance Championship (WEC): there is something for everyone.
In addition to helmets, the bids for which have soared, there are signed fireproof driver suits including the one in which Mark Webber clinched second place overall at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Porsche 919 Hybrid, and the one Oliver Gavin wore during his victory at Le Mans in the LM GTE Pro class.
Whether in GT, with driver suits from Frédéric Makowiecki, Jörg Bergmeister, both official Porsche drivers, and Tommy Milner, official Corvette driver, or in LM P2, with Gustavo Yacaman, driver of one of G-Drive Racing's Ligier JS P2s, they have all contribuited.
Of course, the driver suits in the LM P1 class like that of Allan McNish, Filipe Albuquerque and André Lotterer for Audi are quite coveted, but the one that for now has the most bids - with one offer of $1,200 - is the one worn by Nick Tandy at his win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this June. The numbers could still reach new levels when Patrick Dempsey's driver suit from the 24 Hours of Le Mans, worn as he claimed a podium finish in the LM GTE Am class, comes up at auction next week...
Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt /ACO
PHOTO: Nick Tandy, official Porsche driver, poses with the driver suit he wore while winning at 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015.
