Rolex Continues Its High-Speed Legacy At Daytona
For Rolex, the beach at Daytona plays an intricate part in their history. It was there that Sir Malcolm Campbell initially did his high-speed runs, breaking the world land speed record five times. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, was already at a very early stage interested in Sir Malcolm Campbell’s achievements and recognized the potential of collaborating. They teamed up, and Campbell joined the Rolex family, achieving the vast majority of his records with a Rolex around his wrist. In 1965, Rolex officially named their chronograph Daytona, and it would become quickly more famous than the beach it got its name from.
In 1936, the track at Daytona Beach became the location where the world’s first endurance stock car race was being held. Eventually, the track would evolve into the Daytona International Speedway. They host not only the most prestigious race in NASCAR, the Daytona 500 but also the Rolex 24 At Daytona. As the name already indicates, does this endurance race take a full 24 hours to complete, making it particularly challenging.
From L-R: Alexander Rossi (USA), Ricky Taylor (USA), Filipe Albuquerque (PRT), Helio Castroneves (USA)
Rolex has been the name sponsor of the 24 hours at Daytona since 1992, while also being closely involved in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Last weekend, the 59th edition of the Rolex 24 At Daytona offered nailbiting excitement until the final minutes. 49 cars participated, with the Cadillacs initially taking the lead. They, and the other competitors could eventually not prevail that the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 DPi would win the race. Their lead was a slim one though, as they finished only 4.704 seconds before the No. 48 Ally Racing Cadillac DPi V.R. Third place was for No. 55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda RT24-P DPi. This makes it the first time in 8 years that three different car manufacturers are on the podium. The team of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 DPi is getting used to the top spot, as this is their third consecutive win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. As the winners of the race are also awarded a Rolex watch, meaning that they have already won a modest collection for themselves in the past years.
