© Oracle Red Bull RacingREBL ARTFCT – From A Dollar To A DynastyThis REBL ARTFCT – From A Dollar To A Dynasty – celebrates the birth of Oracle Red Bull Racing and when the story truly began.
ThisREBLARTFCT–FromADollarToADynasty–celebratesthebirthofOracleRedBullRacingandwhenthestorytrulybegan.Theprizeisasingleone-dollarbillsuspendedinitsdisplaycase,signedbyRedBullRacing’sTeamPrincipalChristianHorner.
REBL ARTFCT #11© Oracle Red Bull Racing
Why a $1 bill? Well, back in September 2004 Ford put Jaguar Racing Formula One Team up for sale because it wanted to focus its sporting aspirations on the World Rally Championship, and was also disgruntled that the Ford brand wasn’t as prominent as they thought it should be.
Jaguar, who had bought out Jackie Stewart’s Team, had competed in five seasons without much success. Its highest finish in the Constructors’ Championship was seventh and the team only managed two podiums over those five seasons.
Nobody was looking to buy, but the deal was done in November 2004 on the evening before the deadline to enter the 2005 Formula One World Championship. The deal was for just $1 – on the promise that Red Bull would invest millions into the team to ensure it kept them in Formula One.
The agreement helped everyone in Formula One, not only because it meant there would be enough cars on the grid for a full championship – it was speculated that some teams would have to run three cars to make up the numbers – but it also helped secure the jobs of the 300 employees in Milton Keynes who were part of Jaguar Racing.
Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz made the bold decision to put a young 31-year-old Christian Horner in place as Team Principal of the new team. At that time Christian had never been part of Formula One, but had successfully managed the Arden International F3000 team. He joined in January 2005 before the start of the season.
The deal was so last minute that the monitors in the garages were still in Jaguar Racing colours, but it was at this point that Red Bull Racing was born, along with the new Rebl spirit. The Team turned heads, played music loud in the garage, and upset rivals who called the Team ‘just a fizzy drinks company’. The rivals were soon eating their words as the Team, along with its young Team Principal, proved it was there to compete and soon turned that $1 purchase into a dynasty of a racing team in Formula One.
Moneywellspent!
The REBL ARTFCT is a single dollar bill with ‘From a Dollar to a Dynasty’ written on it and it is signed by Christian Horner. The bill hangs with a lone original bolt from the RB1 – the first car that started it all.
For your chance to win this REBL ARTFCT representing the birth of the Team, you need to be a member of Oracle Red Bull Racing’s loyalty programme: The Paddock. It’s free to join and offers you the chance to win exclusive prizes and see content you can’t get anywhere else… Sign up here.
