Three Tiers of Ladder System to Support Lupus Foundation of America

PALMETTO, Fla. and INDIANAPOLIS – Royal Purple Synthetic Oil – the Official Oil of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires – will take its partnership with the driver development ladder system one step further. The world’s leading lubricant company will title all six rounds of competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 12 and 13. All races will be in support of the Lupus Foundation of America.

Royal Purple Synthetic Oil continues to expand its role within the Mazda Road to Indy. Last year the company debuted the Royal Purple Synthetic Oil “Slickest Pass” Award where a season-ending honor and $5,000 cash prize is given to competitors in each of the following series:

• Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda
• Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires
• Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires

“We are extremely proud of our partnership with the Mazda Road to Indy and look forward to helping young talent outperform the competition as they journey through major milestones in their careers, while also being able to help raise funds in the fight against lupus,” said Davey Hamilton, Director of Sponsorships at Royal Purple Synthetic Oil. “The color purple represents lupus awareness and this is a perfect partnership for the Royal Purple brand.”

May is Lupus Awareness Month, and Royal Purple Synthetic Oil and the Mazda Road to Indy have joined forces to help bring attention to this mysterious chronic autoimmune disease which sees 16,000 new cases reported each year. All 50-plus cars across the three series will carry a decal in support of the Lupus Foundation of America, and a special hashtag – #RaceToEndLupus – will be utilized throughout the event. Fans can show their support by donating on behalf of their favorite drivers via a special page on the national Lupus Foundation website.

Belardi Auto Racing, spearheaded by team owner Brian Belardi and team manager John Brunner, has been a staunch supporter of the Lupus Foundation of America.

“When close friends of our team, Emilee Hunt and Addie, were diagnosed with Lupus, we decided to put the Lupus Foundation of America decals on our Indy Lights cars to help raise awareness each May,” said Brunner. “That was 2014, and when we heard many other competitors commenting about how lupus affected someone in their lives as well, we at Belardi Racing contacted our partners at the Mazda Road to Indy to propose a much bigger campaign that highlights this disease during the Indy Grand Prix weekend. Since the official color of Lupus Awareness is purple, the folks at Royal Purple Synthetic Oil saw an opportunity and stepped up to share their sponsorship of the [MRTI Indy GP] with the Lupus Foundation of America.”

The Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Royal Purple Synthetic Oil Supporting the Lupus Foundation of America will open with a test day for all three series on Thursday, May 11, followed by a pair of races for each level on May 12 and 13. In addition to enjoying a trackside suite, guests from Royal Purple and the Lupus Foundation of America will participate in an array of activities including waving the green and checkered flags, trophy presentations and pace car rides.

“We are delighted to see our partnership with Royal Purple Synthetic Oil continue to grow,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “Royal Purple is an enthusiastic partner in addition to providing our three series with high-quality products. We are proud to support their efforts to bring awareness to the Lupus Foundation, and we hope that drivers, teams and fans will donate to help eradicate this disease.”

As a preamble to the event, highlights from the Royal Purple Synthetic Oil  “Slickest Pour Race” held at Barber Motorsports Park with a handful of drivers in the Mazda Road to Indy will be distributed on social media as a teaser for the weekend. 

Live streaming of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Royal Purple Synthetic Oil Supporting the Lupus Foundation of America will be available on the series’ respective websites, at indycar.com, on the Road to Indy TV App and Xbox One. Saturday’s Indy Lights race will air on NBCSN on May 21 at 2:00 am EDT.