By Alan Baldwin
(Reuters) – Ferdinand Habsburg, great-grandson of the last Austro-Hungarian emperor and one of the most aristocratic names in motor racing, is seeking ‘rebels’ to help fund drivers without wealthy backers.
The Austrian — full name Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard von Habsburg-Lothringen — is the son of Karl von Habsburg and heiress Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza.
The 26-year-old endurance racer, winner of the second tier LMP2 class at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, says his newly-launched ‘Rebel Team’ can be a “democratising influence” on global motorsport.
“I’m a lucky guy. I’m a professional racing driver who hasn’t had to struggle like crazy to get where I wanted to get to in my career in the way that many drivers do,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
“Young drivers almost always have to pay big money for their race drives, and very few of them are lucky enough to have family or backers with pockets deep enough.
“As a result, many seriously talented young drivers have no option other than to give up.”
Habsburg said Rebel Team, which debuted at this month’s Le Mans 24 Hours, would help fund young drivers by a blockchain-based membership limited to 10,000 and costing $250 for the remainder of this season and 2024.
A fully-funded F3 drive would require around 5,000 memberships while a world endurance car would require some 7,500.
For that fans would get “unparalleled access and real influence”, including competing against pro drivers in virtual races.
Members will also get to vote on what series to race in as well as car liveries and driver signings.
“Within a couple of years we intend to be racing in multiple series, all of them run along the same fan-focused democratic lines,” said Rebel Team managing director Merv Leslie.
“We want to take a young up-and-coming driver all the way through the feeder series to F1 and our Rebel Team members will be fully engaged in that journey.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris)
