The Caterham F1 Team has turned to its fans in the hope of raising £2.35 million to get the team back on the grid for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later this month.
The outfit recently entered administration and with no sign of a potential buyer yet, the administrators are hoping a crowdfunding platform can help to raise the necessary funds.
Fans can donate as little as £10, whilst those donating more will receive special gifts ranging from caps to front-wings. If you’ve got a little extra cash to hand, you could even have your logo on the side of the car in Abu Dhabi.
Interim team principal, Finbarr O’Connell said of the plan: “We are working non-stop to get the Caterham F1 Team back racing, initially in Abu Dhabi, but hopefully that will be just a stepping stone to get it back racing on a permanent basis, under new ownership.
“In order to achieve that one of our most useful, innovative and effective options right now is crowdfunding. We want to get as many sponsors and fans as possible involved this week and make our comeback something we can all be part of. This team deserves a future and I’m sure that there are plenty of fans and companies out there that agree with us, so I can’t think of a better way to get us all together and show our support to the team than this one, the Caterham F1 Team #RefuelCaterhamF1 project.
“In order to make this happen, we’ve teamed-up with Crowdcube, the world’s leading crowdfunding platform, which has raised £45m for more than 150 organisations since 2011. If we don’t hit the target by next Friday, obviously the pledged funds will be returned, but right now we are hopeful for the future of the team and we are confident that the team showing the world that it can race again will lead to a bright future under a new owner on a proper financial footing.”
Darren Westlake, CEO of Crowdcube added: “It’s fantastic for Crowdcube to be able to support an iconic team in this way; helping Caterham F1 to continue doing what it does best. This is a unique opportunity for motorsport fans to be directly involved in the sport they love, getting behind the team and playing a part in powering them onto the grid – even putting their name on the car.”
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