The charitable operation being conducted in the United States by Pratt & Miller, the team that runs the factory Corvettes in competition, echoes the charitable activities have a recent history at 24 Hours of Le Mans. The best recent example is the first participation of Patrick Dempsey in La Sarthe in 2009. His Ferrari F430 GTC carried the names of two charities: Racing For Children to help Children’s Hospitals in Seattle (Washington) and Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque (cardiac surgery charity) in France who operate on children from disadvantaged countries suffering from heart defects. The mission to reach the chequered flag on Sunday 14th June was more than fulfilled by Patrick Dempsey and his team mates Don Kitch Jr. and Joe Foster. In finishing the 24 hours they earned 253,890 dollars and 70,000 euros pledged respectively for Racing For Children and Cardiac Surgery.
That same year, the American team Highcroft Racing (who went on to run the Nissan DeltaWing in La Sarthe in 2012) joined with Malaria No More, which aims to combat malaria transmitted by mosquitoes, a sickness that kills one child every thirty seconds in Africa. The Highcroft Racing HPD Honda prototype won the ALMS title with Simon Pagenaud and David Brabham, and harvested 63,000 dollars over the 2009 season. This operation was extended during the team’s participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2010.
Currently, Pratt & Miller conducts an operation of the American charity called “Forgotten Harvest Food Drive” (official video on www.lemans on-tv.com), and up to the 22nd February are accepting food donations in their showroom. Another example demonstrating that the motor sport in general and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in particular know also generate momentum and publicity for charities.
Jean-Philippe Doret