Red Bull faces the fans

30,000 FACES IN THE FAST LANE
Red Bull Racing cars raise a million dollars for charity

F1's newest innovation - the fan car with a difference - will be rolling out of the Red Bull Racing garage at Silverstone this week adorned with the faces of thousands of race fans. Over 30,000 pictures have been uploaded onto the livery of David Coulthard and Mark Webber's cars, raising over a million dollars for the charity, Wings for Life.

Since the Red Bull Faces for Charity project launched at the Monaco Grand Prix in May, fans from across the globe have been visiting the Red Bull F1 website to upload their pictures onto the cars and donate to Wings for Life, a charity which aims to find a cure for spinal injuries. The million dollars raised will have a significant impact on the work of the charity.

Among the faces gracing the one-off bodywork are England cricketer Freddie Flintoff, footballer Nigel Reo-Coker and Virgin radio DJ Christian O'Connell. Their portraits sit alongside Mark Webber's donkeys, David Coulthard's parents and even a few ultrasound images of as yet unborn F1 fans!

Richard Dashper, who was himself affected by spinal injury, was excited to have his face on David's car. "I had a motorbike accident four years ago which partially severed my spinal cord. At the time I didn't think I would walk again but after 5 months at Stoke Mandeville National Spinal Injury Unit, I'm pleased to say that I am on my feet again. I understand the importance of spinal injury research so I'm really happy to be supporting Wings for Life and getting my face on David's car is an added bonus. I'll be watching out for my picture on TV!"

Karen Jones donated her spot to her Dad: "He's a huge motorsport fan so I surprised my Dad on Father's Day by showing him where his face would be on Mark Webber's car. He was thrilled!"

Driver David Coulthard said: "I always look forward to Silverstone because the circuit has played such an important part in my career. My two British Grand Prix wins are the outstanding moments here. I am always surprised and encouraged by the support I get from the fans, but this year, even before we get to Silverstone, I have to say a very big thank you to so many of them who have pledged money to be on the car with me for this weekend. It's great that, together, we can do something for such a worthwhile cause as the Wings for Life charity.""

Driver Mark Webber said: "I know that most of the support from the fans will be for the Brit drivers this weekend at Silverstone, but this year I've got thousands of my own fans travelling with me every inch of the way. This "Faces for Charity" initiative is a really good idea and apart from the fact it has raised a lot of money for a worthwhile cause, I also think mine and David's cars look really great in their special livery."

-credit: red bull