VISIT FLORIDA celebrates 500th anniversary with sponsorship of HVM Status at Le Mans 24 Hours

The car's paint scheme for this race will feature branding for VISIT FLORIDA's travel planning website VISITFLORIDA.com, Viva Florida 500 and Brand USA.

HVM Status GP, a Canadian-registered team based in the UK, is competing in the highly-competitive LMP2 class at the round-the-clock classic, which attracts 250,000 spectators and a worldwide TV audience of 35 million viewers across 114 countries.

“VISIT FLORIDA is excited to use our presence at the world's oldest and most prestigious active sports car endurance race to invite visitors from around the globe to come help us commemorate Florida's 500th anniversary,” said Will Seccombe, VISIT FLORIDA President and CEO.

HVM Status GP co-team principle Teddy Yip Jr added: "We are proud and honoured to represent the great state of Florida through our partnership with VISIT FLORIDA at this year's Le Mans race. It's a truly global event and a celebration of pioneering spirit and excellence.”

VISIT FLORIDA is the state's official tourism marketing corporation, and serves as Florida's official source for travel planning to visitors across the globe. As the state's number one industry, tourism was responsible for welcoming 91.4 million visitors in 2012 who spent more than $71.8 billion, generating 23 percent of the state's sales tax revenue and employing more than one million Floridians. For every $1 spent on tourism marketing, VISIT FLORIDA generates more than $258 in tourism spending and $15 in new sales tax collections, paid by visitors, not residents.

“VISIT FLORIDA's vision is to make Florida the No. 1 travel destination in the world,” said Seccombe. “And by reaching the nearly 250,000 fans in the stands, and millions more through the television audience, we know our participation here at Le Mans will remind race enthusiasts everywhere of all there is to see and do in the Sunshine State.”

The HVM Status GP team is a collaboration between Keith Wiggins' successful IndyCar team HVM Racing, based in Indianapolis, USA, and the Silverstone-based Status Grand Prix team, which made its debut at Le Mans in 2012.

The drivers of the VISIT FLORIDA Le Mans entry are established British ace Johnny Mowlem, five-time Le Mans starter Tony Burgess of Canada, and rising Swiss sportscar racer Jonathan Hirschi. They will begin preparations for the round-the-clock classic on Sunday June 9 at the official Le Mans Test Day, which features eight hours of running on the 8.47-mile circuit.