Royal Purple Synthetic Oil presented the Indiana chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America with a $5,500 donation on Monday, June 12. The money was raised in conjunction with the Mazda Road to Indy at the May 11-13 Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

Attending the presentation were J.P. Hyden, marketing and event coordinator at Royal Purple Synthetic Oil; Jason Penix, director, development series, Indy Lights at INDYCAR; John Brunner, Belardi Auto Racing team manager; and Emilee Hunt and Lisa Kelly representing the Lupus Foundation of America.

May was Lupus Awareness Month, and Royal Purple Synthetic Oil and the Mazda Road to Indy joined forces to bring attention to Lupus, a mysterious chronic autoimmune disease, which sees 16,000 new cases reported each year. At the Grand Prix of Indianapolis all 50-plus cars across the Mazda Road to Indy series displayed a decal in support of the Lupus Foundation of America, and a special hashtag ­– #RaceToEndLupus ­– was utilized throughout the event. Fans were able to show their support by donating on behalf of their favorite drivers via a special page on the national Lupus Foundation website. $5,500 was raised throughout the weekend and the check was presented to the Indiana chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America at the organization’s Indiana headquarters.

“We at Royal Purple were proud to present this check to the Indiana Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America. After a successful partnership with Mazda Road to Indy we were able to raise $5,500 in an effort to increase awareness for this disease that has affected the lives of over 1.5 million Americans,” said Davey Hamilton, director of sponsorships at Royal Purple Synthetic Oil. “We really enjoyed partnering with the Mazda Road to Indy team and it was great that we were able to come together to support such an important organization. We had an excellent weekend at the track with some great racing, which helped us spread the message of the Lupus Foundation of America and we look forward to working with them in the future.”

Royal Purple Synthetic Oil headlined all six rounds of competition across the three ladder series – ­Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. In addition to enjoying a trackside suite, guests from Royal Purple and the Lupus Foundation of America participated in an array of activities including waving the green and checkered flags, the trophy presentations and pace car rides.

“It was great to have Royal Purple Synthetic Oil on board to support and generate awareness for the Lupus Foundation of America,” said Ken Burris, director of sponsor services for Andersen Promotions, which operates all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy. “It was a successful weekend all around and we would like to thank those who made donations and helped to spread the word. I can see ways to make this partnership program bigger and better in the future.”

The Mazda Road to Indy will be back in action next weekend with doubleheader rounds for all series at the driver and fan-favorite Road America road course near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.