In 2013 It’s 95 Spirit of Qatar
Kip Brown in the 95 Spirit of Qatar on Doha Bay in February - Photo by Chris Denslow H1
Tiffany Troxell Brown thought her husband Kip looked good in maroon and white at the 2013 Oryx Cup UIM World Championship in Doha, Qatar in February.
Kip Brown, driver of the 17 Miss Red Dot on the 2012 H1 Unlimited Hydroplane circuit, found himself wearing the colors of the host country of Qatar in the 2013 season opener on Doha Bay.
Brown drove the 95 Spirit of Qatar at the February event in a replacement boat for the 96 Spirit of Qatar which was badly damaged in a crash and fire during the running of the 2012 Oryx Cup in Doha in January.
Spirit of Qatar owner Erick Ellstrom and His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, president of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation, have announced that Brown will continue to wear maroon and white and drive the 95 Spirit of Qatar in 2013.
Kip Brown at the February Oryx Cup.
Photo by Chris Denslow H1
“It’s going to take some time to get the 96 repaired and back on the water,” explained Ellstrom. “In the mean-time, we feel it’s important that our sponsor be represented by a quality driver in the H1 series. Our experience with Kip Brown in Doha in February was very positive and we feel very good about working with him for the 2013 season.”
Ellstrom also indicated that his team’s damaged boat may appear at selected races in 2013 once repairs are completed and the hull is considered safe and competitive. This opens the way for the possibility of seeing the Spirit of Qatar 96 alongside the 95 in the pit area and both boats competing before the end of the season.
Looking forward to the season, Brown said, “I am very honored and happy to be asked to continue to represent Qatar for the rest of the season. The excitement we felt from the fans in Doha mirrored my excitement about the sport and made for a very special experience.”
Brown added, “Representing a company is a big responsibility and I always take that very seriously, but representing an entire country takes that to another level. I look forward to representing Ellstrom Racing, Sheikh Hassan and the people of Qatar to the best of my ability.”
From Our Gang Racing & Red Dot Corporation –
17 Miss Red Dot will be 95 Spirit of Qatar for the 2013 Season
Our Gang Racing and Ellstrom Racing have announced that Our Gang’s 17 Miss Red Dot Unlimited Hydroplane will be renamed “95 The Spirit of Qatar” for the 2013 H1 Unlimited racing season.
Ellstrom’s 96 Spirit of Qatar sustained major damage from a fire on board the boat during the Oryx Cup in Doha, Qatar in January. With the boat unable to compete in the 2013 Oryx Cup in February, Ellstrom approached Nate Brown, managing member of Our Gang Racing, asking to re-brand the 17 Miss Red Dot as the Spirit of Qatar for that event.
Within 5 days of the temporary agreement, the traditional red, white, blue and yellow color scheme of the Miss Red Dot was transformed with a vinyl overlay depicting the maroon and white colors of the 96 Spirit of Qatar. The boat, with Kip Brown at the helm, won two preliminary heats during the February competition but was unable to compete in the final due to salt-water ingested into the turbine engine.
With the hydroplanes not due to arrive from Qatar until mid-April, it became apparent to the Elstrom team that they would be unable to repair the damaged 96 before the commencement of the domestic portion of the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane season. At Ellstrom’s request, The Red Dot Corporation has agreed to suspend its sponsorship of the 17 to allow the Spirit of Qatar sponsorship to continue for the duration of the 2013 season.
Gary Hansen, vice president of Red Dot Corporation, said, “We appreciate the contribution Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani and the Qatar Marine Sports Federation have made to the expansion of the international presence of Unlimited Hydroplane Racing and agree that they deserve to be represented by a quality race team on the H1 circuit in 2013.”
“With that in mind, we are pleased to release our title sponsorship of the 17 to Qatar for the 2013 season,” concluded Hansen. “We know that Kip Brown and the team will represent Qatar very well, as they have the Red Dot Corporation, and we wish them all the best for a great season.”
Red Dot is a 100% employee owned business which designs and builds premium climate control components, integrated systems, replacement parts, and aftermarket units for vehicles in demanding work environments all over the world. Based in Seattle, Red Dot has approximately 500 employees in the United States, Europe, Mexico, and China, and more than 175 aftermarket distributor locations in North America.
In 2013 It’s 95 Spirit of Qatar
Kip Brown in the 95 Spirit of Qatar on Doha Bay in February - Photo by Chris Denslow H1
Tiffany Troxell Brown thought her husband Kip looked good in maroon and white at the 2013 Oryx Cup UIM World Championship in Doha, Qatar in February.
Kip Brown, driver of the 17 Miss Red Dot on the 2012 H1 Unlimited Hydroplane circuit, found himself wearing the colors of the host country of Qatar in the 2013 season opener on Doha Bay.
Brown drove the 95 Spirit of Qatar at the February event in a replacement boat for the 96 Spirit of Qatar which was badly damaged in a crash and fire during the running of the 2012 Oryx Cup in Doha in January.
Spirit of Qatar owner Erick Ellstrom and His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, president of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation, have announced that Brown will continue to wear maroon and white and drive the 95 Spirit of Qatar in 2013.
Kip Brown at the February Oryx Cup.
Photo by Chris Denslow H1
“It’s going to take some time to get the 96 repaired and back on the water,” explained Ellstrom. “In the mean-time, we feel it’s important that our sponsor be represented by a quality driver in the H1 series. Our experience with Kip Brown in Doha in February was very positive and we feel very good about working with him for the 2013 season.”
Ellstrom also indicated that his team’s damaged boat may appear at selected races in 2013 once repairs are completed and the hull is considered safe and competitive. This opens the way for the possibility of seeing the Spirit of Qatar 96 alongside the 95 in the pit area and both boats competing before the end of the season.
Looking forward to the season, Brown said, “I am very honored and happy to be asked to continue to represent Qatar for the rest of the season. The excitement we felt from the fans in Doha mirrored my excitement about the sport and made for a very special experience.”
Brown added, “Representing a company is a big responsibility and I always take that very seriously, but representing an entire country takes that to another level. I look forward to representing Ellstrom Racing, Sheikh Hassan and the people of Qatar to the best of my ability.”
From Our Gang Racing & Red Dot Corporation –
17 Miss Red Dot will be 95 Spirit of Qatar for the 2013 Season
Our Gang Racing and Ellstrom Racing have announced that Our Gang’s 17 Miss Red Dot Unlimited Hydroplane will be renamed “95 The Spirit of Qatar” for the 2013 H1 Unlimited racing season.
Ellstrom’s 96 Spirit of Qatar sustained major damage from a fire on board the boat during the Oryx Cup in Doha, Qatar in January. With the boat unable to compete in the 2013 Oryx Cup in February, Ellstrom approached Nate Brown, managing member of Our Gang Racing, asking to re-brand the 17 Miss Red Dot as the Spirit of Qatar for that event.
Within 5 days of the temporary agreement, the traditional red, white, blue and yellow color scheme of the Miss Red Dot was transformed with a vinyl overlay depicting the maroon and white colors of the 96 Spirit of Qatar. The boat, with Kip Brown at the helm, won two preliminary heats during the February competition but was unable to compete in the final due to salt-water ingested into the turbine engine.
With the hydroplanes not due to arrive from Qatar until mid-April, it became apparent to the Elstrom team that they would be unable to repair the damaged 96 before the commencement of the domestic portion of the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane season. At Ellstrom’s request, The Red Dot Corporation has agreed to suspend its sponsorship of the 17 to allow the Spirit of Qatar sponsorship to continue for the duration of the 2013 season.
Gary Hansen, vice president of Red Dot Corporation, said, “We appreciate the contribution Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani and the Qatar Marine Sports Federation have made to the expansion of the international presence of Unlimited Hydroplane Racing and agree that they deserve to be represented by a quality race team on the H1 circuit in 2013.”
“With that in mind, we are pleased to release our title sponsorship of the 17 to Qatar for the 2013 season,” concluded Hansen. “We know that Kip Brown and the team will represent Qatar very well, as they have the Red Dot Corporation, and we wish them all the best for a great season.”
Red Dot is a 100% employee owned business which designs and builds premium climate control components, integrated systems, replacement parts, and aftermarket units for vehicles in demanding work environments all over the world. Based in Seattle, Red Dot has approximately 500 employees in the United States, Europe, Mexico, and China, and more than 175 aftermarket distributor locations in North America.