LKY for “Lucky” in reference to the Asian heritage of the team and “SUNZ” for sun, LKY SUNZ is a project led by Benjamin Durand, executive director, who made his name with the Russian team SMP Racing in the championship of the world of endurance and who has already participated in another attempt to register a team in Formula 1 : Panthera Team Asia in 2019.
The co-founder of the structure is Andrew Pyrah who assumes the role of commercial director while the President is Paul Fleming who brings, according to the press release, his experience in the world of businesses built in motorsport, real estate and financial services.
LKY SUNZ, which is starting from a blank slate, claims to have obtained the support of the American sports fund Legends Advocates Sports Group and other Asian investors. The company plans to submit its application before the FIA deadline for new registrations for entry in 2025/2026.
The future stable intends to build “a state-of-the-art factory powered by zero-emission green energy” in Southeast Asia but will initially operate from a European site where the cars will be built and assembled. With which engine partner? It's obviously way too early to tell.
LKY SUNZ wants “shake up F1”
“We are delighted to see that our investors share our vision of merging youth culture and motor racing to create a team that will shake up F1, declared Benjamin Durand. The popularity of the sport has grown exponentially and every current stakeholder in the sport is responsible for this, but our guiding principle is to bring something different into the sport to attract new audiences. »
“By being the only team to operate outside of traditional F1 corridors and developing bespoke programs to attract talent from underrepresented communities, we can bring a diversity of thought that does not yet exist in F1. »
“Our goal is of course to be competitive on the track, but we are also committed to entertaining fans off the track. To support our plans, we have already recruited an impressive team of motorsport executives, music and entertainment industry experts and creatives who will help us bring this vision to life. » An entire program ! Will he convince the FIA which from June – the deadline for submitting an application file is set for May 31 – will review all the proposals?
There are therefore three at the moment – but others could be revealed at the last moment – aiming for an entry, the other two being “Formula Equal” by Craig Pollock – former director of the British American Racing (BAR) team and Andretti Overall. The project of the man who was also Jacques Villeneuve's manager aims for a total distribution of roles between men and women, from that of mechanic to that of pilot, passing through all stages of engineering and management and has funds from the Middle -Orient, probably from Saudi Arabia. As for Michael Andretti, by far the strongest, he has the advantage of being associated with the General Mortos automobile group via the Cadillac brand, partner of the project.
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YVES HENRI RANDIER
05/05/2023 at 12:43 a.m.
“LKY SUNZ wants to shake up F1” ... a somewhat “bullshit” and very pretentious project, isn’t it!