TAG Heuer has strengthened its long-term commitment to its champion racing ambassador Sébastien Ogier by forming a direct partnership with his World Rally Championship (WRC) team Volkswagen Motorsport, the 2013 Makes’Champion.
The pioneering Swiss brand’s award-winning chronographs and avant-garde eyewear will be worn onboard all Volkswagen Motorsport WRC rally cars by 2013 drivers’champion Sébastien Ogier, his fellow drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen, and his co-drivers Miikka Anttila, Julien Ingrassia and Mikko Markkula.
“TAG Heuer has been in the motor-racing business for more than 100 years” said Stephane Linder, CEO of TAG Heuer. “We invented the first dashboard counters back in 1911. We partnered with Ferrari in Formula One in the 1970s, and have been part of the most wining team in the sport, McLaren Mercedes, since 1985. We’ve always had a soft spot for a world where every fraction of a second counts, and are pleased to be able to work with the best in rallying. Volkswagen is a strong brand, which is currently shaping the World Rally Championship and, like TAG Heuer, strives for the utmost precision.”
“TAG Heuer has been synonymous with innovations in the development of chronographs for more than a century and a half,”said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. “At the same time, the premium brand is also a permanent fixture in motorsport circles, and has been the official timer and sponsor of high-class events, champions and sportsmen and women for many years. We are pleased to welcome TAG Heuer into the Volkswagen family.”
“Having TAG Heuer on board is a definite plus,”said Sébastien Ogier, a TAG Heuer Brand Ambassador since 2011. “The WRC pits drivers and cars against some of the toughest and most varied conditions on the planet. It is the perfect test ground for product development of this nature. The cars are close to those driven everyday, and as the races are held in 10 nations around the world, we see pretty much every type of climate and road condition there is. The brand’s motto and mindset—‘Don’t Crack Under Pressure’—captures the mental strengths this sport requires every second of every race.”
