Highsnobiety
amsterdam-berlin-nft-racing-laura-marie-geissler (2)
Amsterdam Berlin

Sitting in my hotel lobby in Munich waiting to meet racecar driver Laura-Marie Geissler for breakfast, I hear Geissler arrive before seeing her. Geissler's daily driver is a G-body 911 SC, fully caged and stripped, in Rothman’s Porsche Dakar livery.

The 24-year-old's car sports a “Show Me Your TTs” decal on the rear side windows which, of course, refers to “twin-turbos.” It's an obvious automotive-inspired middle finger to the stereotypes that women in any traditionally male-dominated space are frequently forced to push past.

But what I quickly learned about Geissler over breakfast is that she really “doesn’t give a shit” (her words) what anyone thinks about her beyond her driving. The confidence she has in her ability as a driver is clear, but measured: she clearly believes in herself but understands that her journey is just beginning.

Geissler, like most racecar drivers, started in karting, which evolved into a job as an instructor for experiences offered by brands like Lamborghini and Bentley. In 2021, she was offered a seat in the Porsche Sprint Challenge, her first professional racing entry, where she achieved first and third place finishes, setting the tone for her future racing career.

Unfortunately, being a talented driver isn’t always enough to make it in racing.

If you’ve ever watched motor racing and you read the team names, you might be confused. And that would be understandable.

Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Instagram post.

You’ll likely see multi-hyphenate names composed of familiar beverages or software companies with the actual car manufacturer somewhere in the middle. Those are the sponsors and, when their money is involved, there’s politics.

Going racing costs a lot of money. This means that navigating the necessary politics can get pretty expensive; if it doesn't cost dollars and cents, then it'll be a driver's dignity as they're forced to wear the name of a corporation or potentially questionable person across their chest just so they can drive competitively.

Geissler has a vision of change. Her LMG GT No. 1 project, launching with agency Amsterdam Berlin via NFTs available from March 22 on Opensea and Unblocked.Exchange, epitomizes her mission statement.

Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Vimeo video.

LMG GT No. 1, in collaboration with Amsterdam Berlin, aims to become the first NFT-funded racing team, utilizing a decentralized sponsorship model to eliminate the external cues that unjustly influence the racing business.

But, like that twin-turbos decal on her personal 911, it wouldn’t be Geissler without a whiff of controversy.

Specifically, the LMG GT No.1 car design takes cues from the livery of the iconic 1971 Porsche 917/20 Le Mans racer, the “Pink Pig.”

Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this YouTube video.

Instead of swiping the iconic butcher map, however, Geissler’s car bears the dotted lines that cosmetic surgeons use to map out an operation.

Here, they mark the functional dynamic shapes of the car, such as wider fenders and slimmer central body. The car is thus anthropomorphized and objectified, a twist on the male gaze all too frequently levied at female athletes.

Amsterdam Berlin

LMG GT No. 1's NFT auction includes non-fungible tokens of a 360-degree render of the livery and top shots of the design, plus the buyer's name on Geissler’s real LMG GT No.1 race car, and a signed Arai GP-6 helmet.

In addition to the car design itself, a series of 1001 digital helmets and 100 digital race suits that come in different iterations will follow, following the branding and sponsor-free theme, not including the LMG GT No. 1 logo that'll be sold at a fixed price.

Amsterdam Berlin

Additionally, a capsule collection consisting of two long-sleeved T-shirt designs will be available prior to Geissler’s first race in April.

Amsterdam Berlin

Sports in its purest form is an inspirational exhibition of talent at the highest level but reality too often gets in the way, especially in motor racing where money, politics, and marketing supersede the sanctity of competition.

But with new technologies come new strategies.

Consider the purchase of an LMG GT No. 1 NFT as less of a simple investment and more like a vote for better, more equitable racing, a model that may allow for a fairer future.

We Recommend
  • Salomon Is Turning Recovery Slides Into Mary Janes
    • Sneakers
  • If Anyone Can Bring NFT Merch Back, It's Pharrell. But Can He?
    • Culture
  • Is There Still a Market for NFT Streetwear Merch?
    • Style
  • Champion Presents: Joshua Marin Is Keeping Tradition Alive For The Next Generation
    • Culture
    • sponsored
  • 15 Balaclavas To Tackle Cold Weather Face First
    • Style
What To Read Next
  • adidas Originals Is Looking Back For the Future
    • Sneakers
  • Nobu & Caviar with Chef Nobu
    • Culture
  • Why Are Famous People Obsessed With Cowboycore?
    • Style
  • LOEWE's JW Anderson Made 'Challengers' 2024's Best-Dressed Movie
    • Style
  • imma and Youngji Break the Mold for Level 3
    • Style
    • sponsored
  • Oakley's Techy Outdoors Label Is Expanding
    • Style
*If you submitted your e-mail address and placed an order, we may use your e-mail address to inform you regularly about similar products without prior explicit consent. You can object to the use of your e-mail address for this purpose at any time without incurring any costs other than the transmission costs according to the basic tariffs. Each newsletter contains an unsubscribe link. Alternatively, you can object to receiving the newsletter at any time by sending an e-mail to info@highsnobiety.com

Web Accessibility Statement

Titel Media GmbH (Highsnobiety), is committed to facilitating and improving the accessibility and usability of its Website, www.highsnobiety.com. Titel Media GmbH strives to ensure that its Website services and content are accessible to persons with disabilities including users of screen reader technology. To accomplish this, Titel Media GmbH tests, remediates and maintains the Website in-line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which also bring the Website into conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Disclaimer

Please be aware that our efforts to maintain accessibility and usability are ongoing. While we strive to make the Website as accessible as possible some issues can be encountered by different assistive technology as the range of assistive technology is wide and varied.

Contact Us

If, at any time, you have specific questions or concerns about the accessibility of any particular webpage on this Website, please contact us at accessibility@highsnobiety.com, +49 (0)30 235 908 500. If you do encounter an accessibility issue, please be sure to specify the web page and nature of the issue in your email and/or phone call, and we will make all reasonable efforts to make that page or the information contained therein accessible for you.