Fellows pink helmet to be auctioned off
October is "Breast Cancer Awareness Month" and no one is more aware of the travails of breast cancer than Ron and Lynda Fellows who recently lost a close friend to the dreaded disease. As a result, Fellows who will race October 6 at Petit Le Mans with Corvette teammates Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnusson and attempt to win his second Petit Le Mans, is making a special contribution.
"It's something Lynda and I have talked about. It hits close to home with some close friends of ours," said Fellows. "When I saw what Nancy and Don were doing, I talked to my helmet painter and the people at Bell and we got it done in a hurry. This is simply a small contribution that Lynda and I are making, hopefully to help raise awareness."
On Thursday evening October 4 from 5:00-9:00 pm EDT, the American Le Mans Series and the Panoz Motor Sports Group in conjunction with the Emory University School of Medicine's Department of Surgery will hold a benefit auction in one of Road Atlanta's hilltop chalets to raise funds for Emory's program for breast cancer research. More than 70 unique items have been donated, highlighted by a special one-time only pink racing helmet that Fellows will wear in the race. After that, Fellows will autograph the helmet and award it to the highest bidder. A reserve price will be set for this extraordinary item. If it is not met, the pink helmet will be made available via a special online auction the week after the race. Bids for Fellows' helmets typically approach $7,000.
Anyone wishing to place a pre-event bid on Fellows' helmet can do so by clicking on www.americanlemans.com/fellows/lepetitelagance. Pre-bids for the helmet will cease at 12:00 noon EDT, October 4. The top five bidders will be contacted to allow them to participate via phone in the live auction that evening.
Registration to attend the inaugural "Le Petit Elegance" remains open and can be made by clicking on the "Le Petit Elegance" tab on the home page of the American Le Mans Series website – http://www.americanlemans.com/
Other items to be auctioned include:
• A painting by famed motorsports artist Bill Patterson
• A weekend package to the Spa at Chateau Elan
• Tickets (2), parking and hospitality for the next 10 years at Petit Le Mans,
• A firesuit signed by all drivers in this year's Petit Le Mans
• A variety of sports memorabilia from Steiners in New York
• An autographed Atlanta Falcons jersey and four tickets to the team's game against the Indianapolis Colts on Thanksgiving Night in the Georgia Dome
• A one-day Porsche Sport Driving School at Barber Motorsports Park.
• Chipper Jones and John Smoltz signed baseballs
• Framed "Franchittis at Sebring 2007" photo print
• Klein Tools 28-piece tool ensemble
• Peyton Manning signed photo print
• East Lake Golf Club – home of the TPC Championship – foursome
Other Series drivers also will be on hand to sign autographs during the reception. Donations also may be made during the event.