Israeli racing driver Ariel Elkin competed yesterday (Monday) at the Nola track, outside of New Orleans, as part of the USF Juniors, an American racing series that serves as the youth round of the pre-IndyCar rounds. Although 16-year-old Elkin finished in third place, he stood out at the trophy distribution ceremony when he came to the podium wearing the overalls he competed with, on which were sewn the flag of Israel, the IDF emblem and the flag of the Principality of Monaco (as a tribute to the organization Friends of Israel in Monaco), and his helmet decorated with the pictures of the abductees.
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In the video from the podium, Elkin can be seen waving his helmet, which has pictures of the abductees on it, on the podium, instead of the trophy that belongs to third place. The podium moderator asked him to “grab the trophy and throw the helmet aside so we can move forward”, but the driver insisted on standing with the helmet in his hand.
“I want to thank Israel and everyone who supports me and follows me,” said Elkin to the USF’s official website, “I had a great race and made my first podium of the season. I am grateful to my team and the IDF, which protects my family. I am calling for the return of all the abductees now, I am waiting in Israel for my friend who has been in the Gaza Strip for six months, waiting for her to return together with all the abductees.”
Elkin lives in Haifa and studies at the Leo Buck school in the city. He finished a race last night on the podium for only the second time in his career. He has been competing since the age of five in karting, and since 2017 in Formula 4 races, and drives for the Inter MS team from Miami. Together with Elkin on the podium last night, Liam McNeely finished in first place, and Sebastian Weldon, son of Dan Weldon, the IndyCar driver who was killed in an accident in Las Vegas in 2011, in second place. The next race in the USF series will be held in Alabama.
