Fans should call the shots: How Austrian Ferdinand Habsburg plans to build his LMP2 team in WEC and Le Mans in the future
Motorsport fans will be in the thick of things in future instead of just being there, at least in Ferdinand Habsburg’s newly unveiled LMP2 team! The Le Mans winner is planning a WEC team for 2023 that fans can buy into and then have a say in.
For his project, the Austrian is looking for 2,000 fans to help finance his “Rebel Team”, which is supported by the WRT team. A sum in the range of 500 to 1,000 euros is planned as a membership fee. In return, supporters can buy into the team and have a say in important decisions.
These include the choice of vehicle livery, as well as one or both of Habsburg’s teammates. Habsburg’s goal, he said, is to create a “community of team owners” to democratise ownership of a sports car operation.
Ferdinand Habsburg on the motivations
“Instead of one or two people picking the drivers and making the big decisions, it’s going to be a whole community of people who maybe have always dreamed of owning a team and participating in motorsport and can now participate in an affordable way,” the Austrian explained.
The plan of a fan-led team is also important to Habsburg because he has “always felt more connected” to the fans “than to the sponsors, the people who got me where I am.” And the more fans involved, the better.
If even 10,000 interested motorsport fans could be found, further important decisions could be made. Then, for example, more races would be possible, as Habsburg suggests. In this case, the members could “vote to race the 24 Hours of Daytona and perhaps other races in the IMSA series in America. “
Fans to vote on second professional driver on team
The final price should be decided by the upcoming WEC race in Fuji (11 September). From November or December, fans should then be able to have their say. With 2,000 members, it would be possible for the community to determine the second professional racing driver in the team alongside Habsburg.
According to Habsburg, a list with a maximum of six candidates would be available for the members to vote on. The instant messaging platform Discord is to serve as a communication and voting channel in the Austrian’s fan team.
