On July 26, 2025, Formula GT, the audacious new hypercar racing league founded by visionary Arthur (AJ) Chipman and engineered for the digital age, unveiled its global debut with a high-octane launch gala at Gravitas, in Beverly Hills, CA. Spearheading the league is British-Canadian entertainment innovator Chipman, celebrated for his groundbreaking work with both the Olympic Games and Formula One.
Backed by Apple Music, Aston Martin, Modern Luxury, and Tote and Carry, the launch event delivered what can only be described as adrenaline dressed in black tie. The mood? High gloss, high fashion, and high energy. Formula GT isn’t playing small — it’s launching across six global cities, with plans to reach over 100 million viewers and 1 million live spectators. It’s designed to be as cinematic as it is competitive. According to the official release, each race weekend will have a “festival-style atmosphere” mixing motorsport with music, fashion, and cultural immersion. It’s motorsport meets metaverse, and then some.
Billed as a fusion of speed, innovation, and lifestyle, Formula GT is rewriting the rules of motorsport. With an inaugural season set to burn rubber across Mexico City, Miami, Los Angeles, London, Singapore, and Dubai in 2026, the league is positioning itself as Formula One’s disruptive sibling — showcasing elite cars driven by racing’s finest, with a focus on tech, high-impact showmanship, and a side of augmented reality.
Racing, But Make It Next-Gen
Formula GT is setting itself apart not just with speed, but with storytelling. The league will showcase hyper-cars and hybrid vehicles designed by top global manufacturers and feature head-to-head races across street and custom-built circuits. But it’s not just about what’s under the hood — it’s what’s behind the scenes.
The goal? A full-immersion experience: AR-enhanced viewing, high-def global streaming, VIP hospitality, and real-time fan interactivity. Think Super Bowl meets Monaco meets Coachella, with a tech twist.
As the event host put it, Formula GT is “where raw power meets next-generation innovation… this is racing reimagined.” Built for spectacle, shaped by adrenaline, and elevated by immersive storytelling, it’s a league designed for the digital age.
And it’s not just cars and circuits. Each city will bring its own cultural layer, from fashion to music to regional showcases. The lifestyle is the league.
From Beverly Hills to the World
During the gala, Dr. Marie Y. Lemelle of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce captured the moment with precision: “This is history in the making,” she said. “Forget about Formula One — it’s Formula GT.” Emphasizing the league’s global ambition, Lemelle called for international collaboration, then turned the spotlight to Chipman: “Congratulate Arthur Chipman. He is amazing.”
Taking the stage to thunderous applause, Chipman wasted no time in sharing his appreciation to the audience that attended. “Thank you for joining us here tonight at Gravitas for the global launch of Formula GT. We are different. Just simply look at us,” he began. “We are not Formula One, we are not Formula E. This is a global movement of amazing people who have come together for you to do something absolutely different.” And with the idea of ‘different,’ we also talk about greatness. And what does that actually mean? I think before greatness arrives, God will humble you. God will absolutely humble you. Before He opens up doors to the high stages, He takes you through valleys of shadows, of canyons of doubt, of misbelief, of a lot of abandonment — of things that you always doubt in yourself. Before He hands you a crown, He’s going to show you the weight of pain, the sting of loss, and the truth of yourself.”
He continued: “Tonight, as we stand on the edge of a brand new era of global motorsports, allow me to speak not merely as a host, but as a witness — a witness to divine timing, tested perseverance, and a story of human triumph. Because I would be disingenuous to all of you here tonight, looking so absolutely amazing, if I did not tell you I did not arrive here unscathed.”
From there, Chipman shared his testimony, a personal revelation that was raw, spiritual, and unfiltered.
“I’ve known extreme poverty. I’ve known nights without shelter,” he shared with striking vulnerability. “I’ve been counted out a thousand times. Yet somehow, I never let the world convince me I wasn’t worthy of this moment.”
His voice didn’t crack. It climbed. “What you see here today…this launch…this league…it’s not a product of privilege. It’s a product of unyielding perseverance… showing up when no one else shows up.”
A New Type of Platform
Chipman made it clear that Formula GT is more than just a business. It’s a living, breathing, walking, mission. “I’m building a global sports league,” he said, “for the little Black boy in the favela… the Asian kid with a dream…the girl whose dream is bigger than her circumstance.”
This is the soul of Formula GT: performance meets purpose. “I stand before you of a world not by chance, but by choice — a choice to keep going, to keep believing, to keep creating something I believe in,” Chipman told the crowd.
He spoke directly to the dreamers in the room, and far beyond it: “To the child who’s got no parents, the teenager without support, the young girl with a dream… people may not see you, may not believe in you. But I swear to God, Arthur believes in you. God believes in you. We believe in you.”
Formula GT is not here to replicate tradition. The goal is clear: reimagine legacy.
Out of the Shadow, Into The Spotlight
Backing Arthur Chipman’s bold vision is a powerhouse executive team driving Formula GT’s mission from concept to global execution. At the helm of operations is Chief Operating Officer Phillip Bruenn, overseeing production and logistics with precision. Chief Marketing Officers Heather Engellis and Kyle Miranda lead the charge on audience growth and brand amplification, while Chief Communication Officer Jumoke Mendez brings cultural connectivity and community momentum. Chief Strategy Officer Joshua (JB) Beasley shapes strategic direction, and Chief Racing Engineer Michael Canepa commands race team logistics and competition dynamics. Rounding out the team is Francoise Blanchette, the league’s head of PR, whose storytelling prowess will shape Formula GT’s public narrative. Together, they represent the backbone of a league engineered for the future — diverse, dynamic, and ready to deliver at scale.
A Night of Power, Presence, and Purpose
The gala offered a compelling preview of what Formula GT promises to deliver, a fusion of high glamour and cultural impact.
The star-studded crowd reflected the league’s bold, inclusive mission, with community leaders, investors, influencers, business owners, and celebrities like Wale, Candace Wakefield, Leon Thomas III, Siya, Lance Gross, Nikki Murphy, Oluwaseyi Agbeti, and Porscha Coleman in attendance.
Gravitas, the upscale venue, lived up to its name, while the Formula GT executive team took the stage with a unified vision that blended ambition, innovation, and cultural relevance.
A New Experience in Sports
Make no mistake: this isn’t just a motorsport league. It’s a cultural engine.
Chipman is not about building hype. He is building legacy. “There’s some kid somewhere in the world who has an amazing dream and doesn’t know the road to get there,” he said. “I was that kid.” Formula GT isn’t just about pushing cars past 200 mph, it’s about pushing boundaries, economies, narratives, and lives.
As he closed his remarks, Chipman left the crowd with a message that was less farewell and more future-forward invitation: “We all have dreams. But sometimes it takes encouragement, support, and a team that believes in innovation to move an idea forward. That’s what Formula GT is.” His words underscored that Formula GT is not just a vision; it is already in motion.
The Future Has a Starting Line
Formula GT isn’t throwing its hat into the motorsports ring, it’s instead flipping the ring, installing LED panels, booking an artist-in-residence, and inviting the global South to the front row.
The league officially kicks off in Spring 2026, starting in Mexico City, then racing through Miami, LA, London, Singapore, and Dubai.
Formula GT is the hyper-future of racing. Engineered by resilience. Styled with ambition. Fueled by belief.
About Formula GT
Formula GT is a global hyper-car racing league founded by Arthur (AJ) Chipman and engineered for the digital age. Launching in 2026 across six major cities, the league fuses elite motorsport with immersive tech, cultural storytelling, and high-impact entertainment. Formula GT reimagines racing with AR-enhanced viewing, fashion, music, and regional showcases. More than a league, it’s a platform built on purpose, aiming to expand access, amplify global narratives, and redefine what legacy looks like in sport. For more information visit https://formulagt.org/ and follow Formula GT on social media @Formulagtusa.
About Momodu Mansaray (Photographer)
Momodu Mansaray is a 26-year-old photographer and cinematographer based in Leimert Park. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Visual Studies, he explores themes of Black identity, heritage, and liberation through film and photography. His work has been featured by LA Metro, the J. Paul Getty’s South LA In Dialogue program, and the Black Image Center’s In: Motion residency. Most recently, he shot Anthology of Leimert, a silent film now part of Metro’s Love, Leimert initiative. Mansaray blends art, technology, and cultural memory to create visually rich narratives rooted in community.
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