Father and son Ian and Simon Dawson have announced plans to field a new LMP2 racecar in the WeatherTech Championship Prototype class beginning next season.

Hasbro, the company behind the “Transformers” toy, television and movie franchise, will join them for the creation of the D3+Transformers Racing Team, which is targeting a three-year program.

“From the minute we met the Hasbro people, we knew this was the partner we were looking for to introduce D3 to the world through their immensely popular Transformers line,” said Ian Dawson, CEO of D3. “I have been working on giving new opportunities to young drivers and engineers who are looking for a way to progress their talents in motorsport and with Simon’s commercial awareness and interest in the business we developed a vision.”

“We sought to bring a franchise entertainment brand like Transformers into the primary position so we could create a stable, long-term platform for others to collaborate with, and we could not have secured a better company than Hasbro to bring real family values to the sport at the highest level,” Dawson added. “We know this is going to be an exciting, competitive and fun partnership for all involved. Every kid out there is going to want to go the races to see the Transformers race cars and to be a part of the support programs we plan to create at each venue.”

The third “D” represents the third generation of Dawsons, Simon’s son, who was born in June 2008.

“We are very pleased to collaborate with D3 and the Dawson family to be part of this exciting racing program,” said Tom Warner, senior vice president, Transformers franchise.

“We’re always looking for innovative ways to be more than meets the eye and connect Transformers with families and fans of all ages,” Warner added. “We are excited to team up with a first-class racing team and series with a brand that has a natural fit for cars and fans of all ages.”

IMSA President Scott Atherton applauded D3 and Hasbro for bringing “a new sponsor to our sport that has a natural fit and growing demographic, kids asking parents to bring them to races, which we are seeing more and more.

“We welcome Hasbro and D3 to the Prototype field of the WeatherTech Championship,” he added. “Not only will this team be popular with the kids but the adults as well, especially for the Transformers promotional activities they plan to activate surrounding our races.”

Additional information on the program is expected to be announced during the Motul Petit Le Mans event weekend at Road Atlanta on Oct. 4-7.