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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.

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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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.