Led by racing legend Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport boasts three IZOD IndyCar Series championships (2004, 2005 and 2007), two Firestone Indy Lights titles (2008 and 2009) and has won the Indianapolis 500 twice (2005 and 2007).
As a brand, Andretti Autosport was born in November 2009 following the completion of a transaction between the former shareholders of Andretti Green Racing. Andretti and his former business partners announced in August 2009 their decision to split off their racing and promotions businesses into two separate companies.
One of Andretti’s first moves as chairman, president and chief executive officer was to define the company’s operational structure and assemble a senior management team to lead it. That team consists of J-F Thormann (executive vice president and chief operating officer), John Lopes (senior vice president and chief marketing officer) and Tom Anderson (senior vice president of racing operations).
Thormann has worked alongside Andretti in various capacities since 1990 and with the team since 2006. His responsibilities include leading the team’s business administration as well as Firestone Indy Lights program.
Lopes directs Andretti Autosport’s commercial operations including client services, corporate communications, business development and marketing. Lopes has been with the team since 2005.
Anderson came to the team with 40 years of experience in the industry, most recently as the co-owner and managing director of Fernandez Racing from 2001 to 2009. Anderson was also the managing director of Chip Ganassi Racing from 1990 to 2000 and helped lead the team to four-consecutive CART championships between 1996 and 1999. The team also claimed a win in the 2000 Indianapolis 500.
With well over 100 career race wins to its credit, the Andretti name has grown to transcend the sport in which it has been a fixture for the past 50 years. Michael’s contribution to that success – 42 race wins as a driver and another 34 as an IZOD IndyCar Series owner – has been significant. Capturing the magnitude and longevity of those accomplishments was the key to the brand development process, which was carried out by an in-house team from within the commercial services group at Andretti Autosport.
A number of brand characteristics were identified as part of the process, including tradition, history, success and family. The brand team believed the company identity should be unique, but also general enough to allow Andretti Autosport to grow in response to changing business conditions and opportunities.
The new company logo, which is representative of a shield or emblem, is a melding of the iconic Andretti helmet stripe and the Andretti Autosport name. The logo also carries a militaristic quality, which is an illustration of the discipline, organization and leadership required to operate a winning motorsports team
