24h Le Mans
Some cars disappear into the darkness when night falls. Not the #3 DKR Engineering Oreca 07-Gibson. On the contrary, it promises to emerge from the depths of the forest like a nocturnal beast. Designer Victor Vullo is behind the Luxembourgeois team’s spectacular 24 Hours of Le Mans livery.
For its fifth 24 Hours of Le Mans on 10-14 June, LMP2 Pro/Am entrant DKR Engineering has chosen a visual identity for onlookers to interact with rather than to contemplate. Designer Victor Vullo isn’t out to make a political statement. He seeks to portray the emotion sparked by a race car: an image that kindles the imagination and keeps the flame aglow for decades.
By day, the #3 Oreca 07-Gibson sports the traditional DKR Engineering colours: pitch black and glowing orange. But when the sun sets on Le Mans, the livery will come alive. The designer sought to take the graphics produced for the European Le Mans Series a step further, like a deep-sea diver exploring the bed of the ocean.
“I wanted to rework the legacy of the famous 2022 Nemo livery. The Le Mans design is an extension of the ELMS one, but it goes further into the depths. I drew on bioluminescence to create a neon effect that will come into its own at night,” he explains.
The concept is inspired by marine organisms that produce their own light in the absolute darkness of the sea bed. An apt idea for Le Mans, the race where everything changes when midnight strikes. When the circuit is cloaked in black, the headlamps trace its outlines. Some cars stand out. Others disappear.
Victor Vullo evokes his design with the enthusiasm of a child. This was no exercise in aesthetics; the creation stems from vivid memories of the Porsche 962 and Jaguar XJR-9.
“As a child I was fascinated by the Group C liveries. I quite simply set out to please the 24 Hours of Le Mans crowd with a completely different design and I hope children will be as captivated as I used to be."
Everyone remembers a car, an image, a feeling of being trackside at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This Oreca 07-Gibson sets out to be that memory. To establish that connection. Not a staid painting. No, a car that people can relate to, the one they’ll want to photograph, the one they’ll look out for on the Pit Straight.
Asked whether he considers his creation to be an Art Car, Victor Vullo is humble. “I don't consider myself an artist. More an industrial designer. To me, this is design work. What really counts is that fans enjoy looking at the car.”
That said, DKR Engineering is not coming to Le Mans just for appearances. Last time, in 2024, the team finished in 21st place overall and seventh in LMP2. The 2026 European Le Mans Series has been frustrating so far: 17th at the 4 Hours of Barcelona and 18th at Le Castellet – results that do not reflect the team’s potential.
Team manager Kendy Janclaes is counting on a well-balanced crew: Canadian John Farano, Mexican Sebastián Álvarez, who took part with IDEC Sport last year, and Dutchman Renger Van der Zande, for whom this will be the ninth Le Mans start.
To Victor Vullo, the collective effort is beautiful to see. “Now I’ve experienced the race from the inside with DKR Engineering, I know that everyone is out to do their best to achieve a good result. Team spirit still exists and that restores my faith in humanity.”
At Le Mans, cars always have more to say for themselves than a ranking or a lap time. Some seek to dazzle, while others look to make a lasting impression. The #3 Oreca 07-Gibson would no doubt like to do both.
