FOR MOST SIGNSHOPS, requests for race car graphics are few and far between. But when the flag is raised, the shops are raring to go. Why? Because the work is new and creative, involves unique vehicles and clients, and allows both the car and the shop to pull away from the crowd.
Pit Crew
For RCR Graphics Center Powered by Roland (Welcome, NC) Graphics Manager Nick Woodward, race car graphics take up about 50% of the facility’s workload. Co-designed with and produced for the Bennett Transportation/United Rentals Chevrolet SS featured in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, RCR installed a complete wrap using Avery Dennison’s MPI 1105 SuperCast Easy Apply RS and UC DOL 1360Z Gloss Overlaminate. RCR uses all Roland-brand equipment, including two TrueVisVG2-640s, a TrueVis VF2-640 and a GR-640 vinyl cutter, as well as a Neschen ColdLam 1650 laminator.
Night Light
They said it couldn’t be done, but Designer Wraps (Pitman, NJ) gave it a go anyway. We’re talking about wrapping a NORMA M30 LMP3 race car with Avery Dennison High-Visibility reflective film. First using Avery Dennison Conform Chrome and laminating with the manufacturer’s DOL 1360Z Gloss Overlaminate, the shop then printed on Avery Dennison V4000 High Visibility Beaded Reflective Film, which they understood was “not wrappable,” President Sean Tomlin says. “But we made it happen …. The reflective vinyls really make the design pop when hit with a flash or any lights while racing at night.”
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Cute ‘Lil Bugger
Full Sail Graphics & Marketing (Huntington Beach, CA) meticulously wrapped this Polaris RZR for their client despite the many small, angular sections that proved to be a bit of a graphics alignment challenge for the team, President Peter Brunner said. The graphics were printed on 3M IJ180Cv3 graphic film using an HP 570 Latex printer and protected with 3M Scotchcal 8518 Gloss Overlaminate via their trusty GBC laminator. Despite the challenges, Brunner says they enjoy wrapping race cars as the intricate designs keep them on their toes.
Dangerous Curves Ahead
AP Graphics’ (Sykesville, MD) Strategic Account Manager Becky Duke knew she wanted to work with a new race car client right away for a change from the shop’s usual fleet clientele. Duke says they first completed a site survey of the 2015 Radical SR3 RSX race car to get exact measurements to create a custom template. Once the design was approved, they removed the existing graphics and installed 3M Color Change, 3M Wrap Film 2080-G55 Gloss Lucid Yellow and 3M 2080 Matte Charcoal vinyl.
Pixel This
Atchley Graphics (Columbus, OH), already working with the owner of Axell Racing under another of his businesses, was approached for a custom design for Axell’s Porsche race car, Atchley owner Derek Atchley says. The digital camo variation was printed on an HP Latex using 3M IJ180Cv3 graphic film, then wrapped, while the logos and other appliques were printed using 3M 680CR Reflective Film and a GBC laminator. Atchley’s staff installed the graphics using a variety of tools during hours of careful work.
Fan Zone
When local race car owner/driver Travis Stevenson approached racing fans and Quality Designs Ltd. (Campbell River, BC, Canada) owners Geoff and Shannon Orlick about adding some graphics to his iMOD Series race car, they jumped at the chance. Using clip art purchased from Aurora Graphics, they designed the silver, purple, black and white graphics in Photoshop, then printed them on Avery Dennison MPI 1105 SuperCast film with a Roland SOLJET Pro 4 XR-640 printer. They applied the graphics to separate panels for Stevenson to reassemble on his car.
PHOTO GALLERY (20 IMAGES)
AP Graphics | Atchley Graphics | Designer Wraps | Full Sail Graphics | Quality Designs | RCR Graphics
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