While it may seem quite similar to previous designs from Panther Racing, the team’s fresh National Guard livery is inspired by one of the most beloved liveries used by Dan Wheldon during his two-year tenure with the team.
Developed in collaboration with Peters Motorsports Designs, the team elaborated on the origins of the livery that JR Hildebrand will sport in races this season.
“Our primary objective at the beginning was to preserve the essence of the National Guard livery we used last season with JR Hildebrand, which initially debuted in a one-off appearance with Dan Wheldon at Indianapolis back in 2010,” stated Mike Kitchel, head of PR at Panther.
“Over the years, we’ve been fortunate that the Guard has permitted us a lot of creative freedom regarding our car designs, but because of the popularity of the ACU camo-black-red design, our aim has been to enhance the value of that livery as we move to the Dallara DW12 chassis.”
Instead of directly replicating Wheldon’s Indy 2010 livery, Kitchel mentioned that team owner John Barnes requested a few subtle modifications to accommodate the new-look Indy car.
“A key change that John Barnes proposed was to incorporate more black into the car, particularly in the engine cover area, as this will improve brand visibility for some new associate partners we plan to add. Moreover, all the black sections of the car will feature a carbon fiber pattern to introduce texture,” he explained.
Kitchel also acknowledged the contributions of those who played a role in finalizing the design for 2012.
“I was lucky to collaborate with two exceptionally talented graphic designers, Maryalice Williams (Panther) and Mike Peters (Peters Motorsports Designs), on this project. We went through numerous revisions of our templates, but once the chassis arrived in December and we got to observe the car’s curves, contours, and details closely, the final design came together relatively quickly.
“It’s typical with car designs – everyone has their opinions – so we endeavored to incorporate elements from each person’s suggestions to create something that both the National Guard and IZOD IndyCar Series fans would appreciate. The response we’ve received so far has been outstanding.”
by Buford Balony