Since 2003, AD Holdings, in association with RML, Graham
Nash Motorsport and the other teams with which it has raced,
has published more than twenty different HeroCards. Handed
out at official autograph sessions, during pitlane walkabouts,
or simply from the back of the team garage, these cards
have proved very popular, and highly collectable. Cards
signed by the drivers appear regularly on Internet auction
sites, and sometimes command surprisingly high prices. One
card, signed by Thomas Erdos, realised over £20.
As
the generic name might suggest, the idea originated in America,
where drivers and teams, especially those associated with
Nascar, regularly started to publish these "Hero Cards"
in the 1980s. The first British team acknowledged with employing
genuine HeroCards was Team Marcos in 1994. The team's manager
at the time, Gene Pinnell, had spent several years in the
States, and suggested the idea. It then took off in a big
way when the team released a pair of cards for the Le Mans
24 Hours in 1995.
Since
then the idea of handing out quality large-format postcards
at race meetings has become common practice by many teams
and drivers. Easier to handle and more durable than posters,
the cards represent a great memento of a day at the circuit,
and make the perfect medium for collecting autographs.
Here
is a complete checklist of all the cards AD Holdings has
published since 2003. Below the list are further details
about each card, including some interesting insights into
how the cards were created - some of the photographs are
not quite what they seem! It is also possible to click on
the thumbnail in the checklist to go straight to an explanation
of that card.
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FIA
GT Championship 2003 - Saleen S7-R
A5 format. Full colour front, black and white on reverse.
Published June 2003
In association with Graham Nash Motorsport. Drivers:
Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos |
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Le
Mans 24 Hours 2003 - Saleen S7-R
A5 format. Full colour front, black and white on reverse.
Published June 2003
In association with GNM. Drivers: Mike Newton, Thomas
Erdos & Pedro Chaves |
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Le
Mans 1000 Kilometres 2003 - MG EX257 (Type
1)
A5 format. Full colour front, blank on reverse. Two
types printed. Published November 2003
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton, Thomas
Erdos & Chris Goodwin |
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Le
Mans 1000 Kilometres 2003 - MG EX257 (Type
2)
A5 format. Full colour front, blank on reverse. Two
types printed. Published November 2003
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton, Thomas
Erdos & Chris Goodwin |
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Bathurst
24 Hours 2003 - Porsche 911 GT3 (Type 1)
A5 format. Full colour front, blank on reverse. Published
November 2003
With GNM. Drivers: Mike Newton, Thomas Erdos, Manfred
Jurasz & Rod Wilson |
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Bathurst
24 Hours 2003 - Porsche 911 GT3 (Type 2)
A5 format. Full colour front, blank on reverse. Published
November 2003
With GNM. Drivers: Mike Newton, Thomas Erdos, Manfred
Jurasz & Rod Wilson |
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Daytona
24 Hours 2004 - Michael Shank Racing Doran
Lexus #6
A5 format. Full colour front, blank on reverse. Published
January 2004
Drivers: Mike Newton, Tommy Erdos, Cort Wagner, Brent
Martini & Kelly Collins |
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FIA
GT Championship 2004 - Monza - Saleen S7-R
#7
A5 format. Full colour front, blank on reverse. Published
March 2004
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton and Thomas
Erdos |
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FIA
GT Championship 2004 - Valencia - Saleen S7-R
#7
A4 format. Full colour front and back. Published April
2004
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton and Thomas
Erdos |
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FIA
GT Championship 2004 - Saleen S7-R #8
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published May 2004
In association with RML. Drivers: Miguel Ramos and Chris
Goodwin |
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FIA
GT Championship 2004 - Saleen S7-R #7
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published May 2004
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton and
Thomas Erdos
|
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Le
Mans 24 Hours, 2004 - MG EX257
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published June 2004
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton, Thomas
Erdos & Nathan Kinch |
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Daytona
24 Hours 2005 - Synergy Racing Doran BMW #8
A4 format. Full colour front, blank on reverse. Published
January 2005
With Synergy Racing. Drivers: Mike Newton, Tommy Erdos,
Burt Frisselle & Brian Frisselle. |
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Le
Mans Endurance Series 2005 – Spa - MG
EX264
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published April 2005
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton and Thomas
Erdos |
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Le
Mans Endurance Series 2005 – Spa - MG
EX264
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published June 2005
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton and Thomas
Erdos |
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Le
Mans 24 Hours 2005 - MG EX264
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published June 2005
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton, Thomas
Erdos and Warren Hughes |
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Le
Mans Series 2006 – Istanbul - MG EX264
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published April 2006
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton and Thomas
Erdos |
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Le
Mans Series 2006 – Spa - MG EX264
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published May 2006
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton and Thomas
Erdos |
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Le
Mans 24 Hours 2006 - MG EX264
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published June 2006
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton, Thomas
Erdos and Andy Wallace |
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Le
Mans 24 Hours 2006 - Special Edition - MG EX264
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published late June
2006
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton, Thomas
Erdos and Andy Wallace |
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Le
Mans Series 2006 - MG EX264
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published June 2006
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton and Thomas
Erdos |
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Daytona
24 Hours 2007 - Cheever Racing Fabcar Porsche
#51
American 'A4' format. Full colour both sides. Published
January 2007
With Cheever Racing. Drivers: Mike Newton, Tommy Erdos,
Eddie Cheever & Harrison Brix |
 |
Le
Mans Series 2006 - MG EX264
A4 format. Full colour both sides. Published April 2007
In association with RML. Drivers: Mike Newton and Thomas
Erdos |
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FIA
GT Championship 2003
The
first card produced for AD Motorsport appeared in 2003.
This was an A5 sized card, and featured the AD Holdings
sponsored Saleen S7R, as raced in the FIA GT Championship
by Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos.
The
car was prepared by Graham Nash Motorsport of Mallory Park
in Leicestershire - the same outfit that had helped Thomas
Erdos to the British GT Championship title (alongside Ian
McKellar Jnr) in 2001.
The
reverse of the card was in black and white, and carried
head-and-shoulder images of both drivers down the left-hand
margin, and logos of all the car's sponsors down the right.
The centre was left blank for the addition of autographs.
Le
Mans 24 Hours 2003
A
second card was created for the Le Mans 24 Hours, when the
duo shared the Saleen with Pedro Chaves.
The
image on the card, although based upon the same photograph,
was subtly altered for the Le Mans version. As well as the
addition of Pedro's photograph, the GNM logo was dropped
(in acknowledgement of RML's management of the Le Mans endeavour)
and several of Pedro's sponsors' logos were digitally added
to the car. The number panel was also amended.
The
back of the Le Mans card also carried Pedro's photograph,
and the list of sponsors was updated. The main photograph
was taken by John Brooks. The cards were printed litho in
June 2003
Le
Mans 1000 Kilometres 2003
Towards
the end of 2003, AD Holdings joined forces with RML to begin
a sports prototype campaign, based initially on Mike Newton’s
purchase of one of the original works-prepared MG Lola EX257
racecars.
A
pair of HeroCards were produced in time for the inaugural
Le Mans 1000 kilometres race in November 2003. One showed
the EX257, with Thomas Erdos driving, running on the "school"
test track at Silverstone, with an inset static shot from
the same day (Photos by Marcus Potts), and head-and-shoulder
images of the three drivers: Thomas Erdos, Mike Newton and
McLaren development driver - and long-term RML regular -
Chris Goodwin.
The
second version had the same photographs across the top,
but the main image depicted the RML EX257 apparently running
up the rise towards the Dunlop Chicane at Le Mans. This
was a composite image, superimposing another shot from the
Silverstone test day (with Mike Newton driving in an unpainted
helmet) onto an earlier image from Le Mans. (Yet again,
both photos by Marcus Potts)
In
both cases the Dedicated Micros logo was imposed across
the bottom of the main image. The
cards were printed litho, side by side, in November 2003.
The backs of the cards were left blank.
Bathurst
24 Hours 2003
In
November 2003, Mike Newton’s Porsche 911 GT3 was shipped
out to Australia, where the car was entered for the Bathurst
24 Hours, managed by Graham Nash Motorsport.
Mike and Tommy shared the car with Manfred Jurasz and Australian
Rod Wilson.
The
main photograph (Marcus Potts) showed the car during the
final UK test at Silverstone in late October 2003. Subsequently,
most of the visible logos, driver names and other details
were added digitally.

The card was printed in full colour on both sides, with
the second side carrying the same main photo, but with the
addition of head-and-shoulder photographs of the four drivers
and a number of other minor changes to layout.
The
cards were printed litho in early November 2003 and shipped
out to Australia.
Daytona
24 Hours 2004
In
January 2004, Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos joined up with
Michael Shank Racing to contest the Daytona 24 Hours. (January
31st – Feb 1st 2004). They
shared the Doran Lexus #6 with Cort Wagner, Brent Martini
and Kelly Collins.
A
single-sided full colour A5 postcard was produced in January
2004. The image on the card was taken during the official
test weekend for the Daytona 24 Hours, but was later manipulated
within PhotoShop to reflect the changes that had been expected
to be made to the car’s livery. Some of those changes
were not, in the end, applied as hoped, so the card was
not a wholly accurate representation of the racecar.
FIA GT Championship
2004 - Monza
In
2004 Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos returned to the FIA GT
Championship to campaign the RML-prepared Saleen S7R #7.
The team entered two cars that year, with the second S7R
#8 being shared by Chris Goodwin and Miguel Ramos.
For
the first round of the year at Monza a temporary card was
created. It was A5, digitally printed in full colour to
the front only. It showed all four drivers and both cars.
All photographs were by John Brooks, updated in PhotoShop
from 2003 images. Driver photos created digitally to include
team race suits. These
cards were produced in March 2004
FIA
GT Championship 2004 - Valencia
For
round 2 of the championship, the first double-sided A4 cards
were produced. These were produced digitally in relatively
small quantities, but sufficient to meet the needs of the
second race at Valencia.
Cards
were created for both cars, and while the image of the #7
car from Monza (right, by John Brooks) was subsequently
changed for the litho run – see below - the image
used on the #8 car, driven by Miguel Ramos and Chris Goodwin
(and also by John Brooks) was retained for the main printing.
The
first run of cards was printed in April 2004
FIA
GT Championship 2004
After
the second round, the full production run for the season
was printed using conventional litho processes.
The
image carried on the front of the card for the #8 car was
retained (left), and showed the Saleen hopping across the
Monza kerbs, having just overtaken one of the works GT2
Porsches. The back of each card carried a second view of
the car and detailed written profiles of each driver, including
individual head-and-shoulder photos. Representations of
all major sponsor logos were also featured.
The
image for the #7 car, however, was changed. For the
new photograph John Brooks had managed to capture both the
RML Saleens in the same frame. Taken at Valencia during
Round 2 of the championship, the image was modified within
PhotoShop by having the Armco in the background adjusted
to simulate an advertisement for Dedicated Micros, the team's
main sponsor in 2004.
These
cards were printed in May 2004. At
the same time, an A3 –sized poster was also produced.
This was the only time, to date, that AD Motorsport went
to this format for printed merchandising.
Le
Mans 24 Hours, 2004
For
the Le Mans 24 Hours in June 2004, Mike Newton and Thomas
Erdos were joined in the RML MG Lola EX257 by Nathan Kinch.
The back of the card reflected this, with written profiles
of all three drivers, individual photos, and technical specifications
of the MG EX257.
An A4 double-sided card was created, based around images
taken during the official test weekend. Once
again, PhotoShop was used to enhance the composition of
the image and alter the background.
The
first task was to centre the image. As can be seen from
the thumbnail of the raw file (right), the car was very
close to the edge of the frame. Using material sampled from
other images, the track and background were reinstated to
the side and in front of the car. A number of logos were
then added to the livery, including Virgin Mobile. Finally,
the Playstation 2 hoarding in the background was cleaned,
and the Dedicated Micros logo imposed in its place.
The
cards went to press in June 2004.
Daytona
24 Hours 2005
Once
again, Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos returned to America
for the start of the new season, taking part in the Daytona
24 Hours. In 2005 they partnered the Frisselle brothers;
Burt and Brian, in the Synergy Racing Doran BMW Daytona
prototype #8. An A4-format full colour card was created
using an image taken during the official Daytona test day.
On this occasion few changes were made, save that the DM
logo across the rear wing was made larger to fit - a change
that did take place on the car in time for the race. The
cars were printed in the States
in January 2005
Le
Mans Endurance Series 2005 – Spa
The
start of 2005 saw RML and AD debut the all-new MG Lola EX264
for the first round of the LMES at Spa Francorchamps in
Belgium.
For
this race a short run of cards was produced commercially
on a Heidelberg Nexpress digital press.
The
image used had been taken by David Lord at the official
ACO test at Paul Ricard, staged a few weeks previously.
Printed in full colour on both sides, including driver profiles
on the reverse, the cards were published in April 2005.
Le Mans Endurance Series
2005
With
the first round completed a suitable photograph –
or in this case, photographs, plural – were chosen
for the full season’s HeroCard.
In
truth, some four images were used to create the single view
printed on the front of the card. All photos were by Marcus
Potts. The main image (below), showed Thomas Erdos
entering the second element of the Les Combes chicane. Once
again, the car was not centre-frame, and additional foreground
and kerbing was added from a second view. Then additional
Armco was added to the background from a third image to
extend the scene to the right.
This
still left an image that lacked dynamic action, so a fourth
photograph was used to provide the blue LMP2 Courage in
the background. Finally, and with apologies, David Stephens
(now one of our regular photographic contributors!) was
removed from the background.
To
save on production costs, these LMES cards were printed
in June alongside similar cards being produced for the 2005
Le Mans 24 Hours:
Le
Mans 24 Hours 2005
For
the Le Mans 24 Hours in June 2005, Mike and Tommy were joined
by Warren Hughes - one of the original MG drivers from 2000-2001.
The
card created for the event used images taken during the
official Le Mans test weekend, with the front view depicting
Mike Newton on the run down towards Tetre Rouge.
The cards were printed simultaneously
with those for the LMES season in early June 2005.
Le
Mans Series 2006 – Istanbul
For
the opening round of the 2006 Le Mans Series, a limited
run of digital HeroCards was commercially produced, yet
again using the Heidelberg Nexpress system.
The
image, by David Lord, showed Mike Newton on track during
the official ACO pre-season test at Paul Ricard. (It is
worth noting that Mike and Tommy did contest the 2006 Daytona
24 Hours, but on this occasion, no HeroCard was produced).
These cards were printed in April 2006
Le
Mans Series 2006 – Spa
Following
the first round in Turkey – one the team still tries
hard to forget – a selection of photographs was submitted
to AD for consideration. One of those, and the one eventually
selected, was another composite image by Marcus Potts. The
original photo, showing Mike Newton taking a left-hander,
was a good view of the MG EX264, but was thought to contain
insufficient ‘action’. To counter this, an extracted
view of one of the works’ Aston Martin DB9s was added
to the scene.
These cards were printed digitally
and went to press in May 2006
Le
Mans 24 Hours, June 2006
For
the EX264’s return to Le Mans after winning the class
in 2005, Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos were joined by Andy
Wallace. The card included profiles of all three drivers
on the reverse, while the image on the front showed Mike
Newton cresting a rise with one of the Pescarolo LMP1 cars
in the background.
The
photograph, by David Lord, was taken during the official
test weekend, a fortnight before the race. The cards were
printed in June 2006.
Le
Mans 24 Hours – LMP2 Winners
To
celebrate winning, for the second time, the LMP2 class at
Le Mans, a special limited edition HeroCard was created.
This was essentially the same as the official Le Mans card,
but carried a specially commissioned logo highlighting the
car’s double-win. The text on the reverse was also
updated to reflect the result.
The card was printed immediately
after the race in late June 2006, and first distributed
at the MGOC Silverstone weekend.
Le
Mans Series 2006
Alongside
the printing of the Special Edition Le Mans HeroCards, a
new card was produced for the three remaining rounds of
the 2006 Le Mans Series.
Using
a photograph of Mike taken by David Lord during the first
race at Spa, the “Le Mans Winners” laurel logo
was incorporated on the front, and the driver profiles and
sponsor details on the reverse were updated. As previously,
the cards were double-sided A4, full colour throughout.
Printed in June.
Daytona
24 Hours 2007
Once
again, AD Motorsport was represented in the Daytona 24 Hours
at the start of the new year. On this occasion Mike and
Tommy shared the Cheever Racing Fabcar Porsche #51 with
Eddie Cheever himself and Harrison Brix.
Artwork
for the car was prepared in the UK as usual, and emailed
to the States, where the double-sided, full colour cards
were digitally printed. For the first time, the cards were
produced to American dimensions, so the trimmed size was
8.5 inches x 11 inches.
The
cards, produced in January 2007, also reflected a change
in style. For the first time in almost three years the white
border was dropped in favour of an overall image that "bled"
across the sides of the card. The same background image
was used for both sides, but different views of the car
were overlayed, with driver images on one side and sponsors'
logos on the other. All Daytona track photos taken during
the official January test by Randy Stevens.
Le
Mans Series 2007
2007
sees Thomas Erdos and Mike Newton back in action once again
in the RML MG Lola EX264.
New
HeroCards were ready for the first round of the season,
staged at Monza in April. The image by John Brooks actually
came from Spa in 2006, but with relatively few changes to
the car since then, it was a moderately straightforward
task to update the livery and tidy up the background . .
. just a little.
The
back of the card (above) includes driver biographies, technical
specifications for the EX264, and information on the main
sponsors.
A
full run of cards was produced in April 2007, the intention
being that these will be sufficient for the first half of
the year. A special card is planned for the Le Mans 24 Hours
in June.
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Windows
Desktop
800 pixels x 600 pixels
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Windows
Desktop
1024 pixels x 768 pixels |
To
download a version of the 2007 card image in the correct
format for a Windows desktop Wallpaper, please select one
of the two size options above, and click the thumbnail link.
The image will open in a new window. Right click anywhere
within the image and select "Set as Background".
Alternatively, right click on the thumbnail above and select
"Save target as" from the menu that appears. Save
the file to your hard drive. The usual folder for this is
"My Documents/My Pictures". Within Settings/Control
Panel it should then be possible to select the file as your
Background within Windows.