Leyland's charity drive in pole position

Leading trade paint brand Leyland has once again shown its support to Help for Heroes as it joined forces with professional drivers and celebrities to add a splash of colour to the first ever Race for Heroes endurance karting event.

Taking place in a blaze of adrenaline and grease at the Daytona track in Milton Keynes, the event helped to raise over £15,000 for the charity, which aims to provide help for Armed Forces personnel who have been wounded in Britain’s current conflict.

Never ones to shy away from making a colourful impact on the track following its eye-catching sponsorship of British Touring Car Championship team Airwaves BMW, Leyland donated £500 to the final coffers as well as providing sixteen Leyland Lovelies outfits for the grid girls to wear on the day.

The outfits, which included Going Bananas and Pure Passion, are based on colours from Leyland’s colour card and attracted more than their fair share of admiring glances from racers and spectators alike.

Seventeen teams, which included members of TV pranksters Dirty Sanchez and Tom Clarke from rock band The Enemy, took part in the event, which was played out over a gruelling six hours and tested the driving skills and endurance of each racer.

The event was organised by Carolyn Mooney and she declared the support from Leyland helped add a vibrant touch of colour to an already carnival atmosphere. She said: “The day was a great success! Everyone in attendance, from the audience to the drivers, had a fantastic day and we are already revving up for next year’s event. The support from Leyland was incredible and the outfits certainly helped to get plenty of the male drivers into gear. The outfits were so impressive that I even donned the Signal Red one myself to lead the grid girls from the front – thanks Leyland!”

Leyland brand manager Nicki Hickman said: “This event was one of many in a long line of fundraising initiatives undertaken by Leyland in support of Help for Heroes and we aren’t going to be stopping anytime soon! After recently renewing our sponsorship with Airwaves BMW fans should expect plenty more eye-catching events involving Leyland and our colourful Lovelies!”

For more information on Leyland’s complete product and colour range please visit www.leyandtrade.com or call 0800 591717