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It’s All About Time

Rolex represented at Petit Le Mans. [Photo by Jack Webster]

Rolex represented at Petit Le Mans. [Photo by Jack Webster]

by Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

Motor racing is all about time. It is about who set the fastest time in qualifying, who set the fastest time in the race, how quickly a pit stop is made, how narrow the margin of victory in a race. You might say that motor racing is absolutely consumed with the telling of time.

How fitting that Rolex has played such a vital part in the history of our sport.

Sir Malcolm Campbell wore a Rolex when he became the first man to exceed 300mph at Bonneville in 1935. Roger Penske has worn a Rolex since as far back as we can remember – it is always on his wrist. We have witnessed Jackie Stewart in his pre-race ritual before climbing into his Formula One car, removing his Rolex and handing it to Ken Tyrrell for safe keeping until his return from battle. We have admired the Rolex on the wrist of Tom Kristensen, who has won Le Mans 9 times and must have a drawer full of Rolex watches.

To racers, a Rolex is much more than a watch. It is a symbol of achievement, accomplishment and success. Ask any driver who has won the Rolex 24 at Daytona or the 24 Hours of Le Mans what he most cherishes about that victory and the answer is always the same: “The watch.” For the winners at Daytona and Le Mans are presented with a specially engraved Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, forever branding them as a winner. Fellow drivers, who have become somewhat jaded about the trinkets and awards handed out to mark their successes in motorsport, still want to take a close look at their fellow driver’s new Rolex, and the owner always proudly takes it off of his wrist to show the special engraving on the back, which forever marks their place in motorsports history as a winner. Long after the trophy is gathering dust on a shelf, the Rolex on his wrist is a constant reminder of what he has accomplished. He survived, he didn’t give up, he drove his heart out, and he is a winner.

Here is a great example. Kenton Koch, an up and coming driver who we have been following since he was racing Mazda Miatas, got his chance to race in the big leagues for the first time this year at the Rolex 24 in an LMPC car. It was a great opportunity for the young man and he made the most of it, overcoming an accident and bringing the car home in first place after the grueling 24-hour race. He was behind the wheel at the checkered flag, and was quite emotional. He had won the Rolex 24 in his very first outing. We next saw Kenton at the 12 Hours of Sebring, where he was proudly wearing his hard won Rolex Daytona. As usual, everyone in the paddock who saw Kenton and congratulated him wanted to take a close look at “the watch”. No matter how far he ends up going in his racing career, he will always have that Rolex on his wrist as a reminder of what he accomplished.

Motorsports is very fortunate to have Rolex as a major sponsor in a number of racing venues, from being the official timepiece of Formula One, to being the title sponsor of the 24 Hours of Daytona, to sponsoring Le Mans and Sebring and all of their involvement in outstanding vintage racing from Goodwood to the Monterey Historics and Pebble Beach.

The next time you run into a Daytona or Le Mans winner, be sure to take a good look at the watch on his wrist. Ask to see the engraving on the back. He will be glad to show it to you.

After all, it’s all about time.

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