HONDA RACING F1 TEAM CHARITY OPEN DAY RAISES £75,000
The Honda Racing F1 Team has declared its first Charity Open
Day a major success after 5,000 Formula One fans flocked to
the team's operational base in Northamptonshire earlier this
month, helping to raise a fantastic £75,000 for charity.
Honda's Open Day, held on 15 July in aid of its two nominated
charities - Helen & Douglas House Hospice in Oxford and
Stepping Stones Pre-School in Brackley, afforded unprecedented
access to a Formula One team. Visitors had the chance to see
and meet star guests Jenson Button, Christian Klien, Mike
Conway and Honda Racing F1 Team ambassador Murray Walker,
as well as Super Aguri F1 Team drivers Anthony Davidson and
James Rossiter. Supporting the team's motorsport stars of
today was 1979 Formula One World Champion Jody Schekter, now
a partner of the team, along with David Brabham who competes
for the Honda premium brand Acura's new racing venture in
the American Le Mans series.
The team offered a variety of memorable experiences for its
army of loyal fans, including stage appearances, the opportunity
to take part in a real-life pit stop challenge with the team's
regular pit crew, as well as the chance to compete against
the drivers in the giant Scalextric and F1 Simulator challenges.
The team also opened its doors to the factory so that visitors
could see the high-tech engineering environment where Honda's
RA107 race cars are designed and manufactured.
Over the past week, a number of extremely happy competition
winners have visited the factory to collect their prizes,
which ranged from electric cars to driver suits and the lucky
winner of a brand new Honda Jazz road car will have the keys
presented to him personally by Honda Racing F1 Team Chief
Executive Officer Nick Fry at the team's Brackley base today.
Nick commented: "We are delighted with
the success of our very first Charity Open Day. To raise £75,000
at our first event of this kind is a fantastic achievement.
Our primary objective was to raise money for our two team
charities Helen & Douglas House and Stepping Stones Nursery
and I am delighted that they will each receive a very considerable
boost to their fundraising efforts this year. There was however
a secondary objective and that was to bring our fans closer
to the team and the sport than is ever possible during a race
weekend. The fans were thrilled to see our drivers, Murray
and all our other guests at close quarters, shaking hands,
signing autographs and hearing about the racing season. None
of this would have been possible without the tremendous support
of our partners, who very generously donated their time and
services. We would like to extend our thanks to everyone who
played their part in making the day such a success."
|
