Gulf Oil are partnering with LMP1 privateers DragonSpeed Gulf for the 2019 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of their "Gulf Goes for Glory" initiative.
The initiative focuses on the 50th anniversary of Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver’s win with the Gulf-liveried Ford GT40. The win, Gulf’s second at Le Mans, remains one of the closest finishes in the race’s history.
As part of the partnership. the #10 BR Engineering BR1-Gibson of Henrik Hedman, Renger van der Zande and Ben Hanley will be liveried up in the iconic blue and orange Gulf colours. The one-off colour scheme is a part of the Gulf Goes For Glory initiative, which is focused on commemorating the iconic 1969 victory.
"If any brand embodies the excitement, passion, and spirit of Le Mans, it has to be Gulf," said Elton Julian, DragonSpeed's Team Principal. "We are delighted to race in these famous colors and join Gulf's amazing Le Mans and endurance racing history. We couldn't be prouder to represent Gulf as we seek to build on our recent performance gains and take the fight to our LMP1 rivals."
Gulf has a long and illustrious history in sportscar racing, dating back to the 1960s. Gulf achieved great success together with John Wyer Automotive, including to Le Mans wins in 1968 and 1969 with Ford.
The two later partnered up with Porsche, which resulted in the iconic Gulf-Porsche 917s that starred in Steve McQueen’s 1971 film ‘Le Mans’. A third overall victory was added in 1975, when Jackie Ickx and Derek Bell took top honours in the Ford-powered Mirage GR8. Later, Gulf achieved class wins at Le Mans with McLaren and Aston Martin.
This classic era is reflected in DragonSpeed's iteration of the familiar Gulf livery for this year's race. "We're students of the sport's history as well," said Julian, "so the years of Gulf's three Le Mans victories are featured on the tailfin while the legendary circuits where Gulf claimed world championship race wins with the Ford GT40, Porsche 917, and Mirage are on the rear wing."
