In August of 2019 we met with Vicky Miller, journalist for the US magazine Sportscar Unleashed, in Silverstone at the 4 hours of Silverstone in the European Le Mans Series. We had a lovely interview on why we sponsor in motorsport.
Short article:
…Let’s take a break in the action to chat with a couple drivers and my first sponsor interview. As I have been to many races over the years, I have often wondered why would a company pay money to have their name on a race car? Is the sponsor hoping for television coverage for promotion? Was the sponsor CEO once a past driver themselves?
While wondering around the ELMS paddock, I had the pleasure to meet Danny Koppelmans, owner of a Swiss watch company Kloc Uhrwerk. Danny’s company is a sponsor of the Algarve Pro Racing team of which my buddy, John Falb just happens to drive! Kloc Uhrwerk makes only watches which is the only piece of jewelry for a man!
Kloc Uhrwerk is a sponsor for the full ELMS season for Algarve Pro Racing and also at 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Why did you pick this team to sponsor?
“One of the reasons is this is the most warm and I think the most friendly team around the paddock. They are actually very open. They welcome you and also for guests. They don’t have a lot of limitations, as long as you don’t stand in their way then everything is possible. Next to that, I am a fan of the blue color and our logo stands out with the white on the car, so it was a good match.”
Why spend the company marketing dollar on a race team?
“Because in the watch world watches are basically themed, so we created a couple of themed watches, for example, with planes and for diving. So, the technology in the watch enables you to dive very deep for example 300 meters below the surface but also in racing, watches and racing go hand in hand. Timing and accuracy that’s basically a theme we want to go along with and next to that we love racing.”
Have you ever raced a car?
“No. I did do some track days at Nürburgring and Spa. We raced with our own cars, which is already a lot of adrenaline but then again you also experience if you brake very hard, things can go wrong. They can break and then it becomes very expensive. So, I think we like the fact we can see people race. We can do it with experiences around the world with track days. That’s fine. But being a racing driver myself, I would love that but knowing also that it would cost a lot of money that’s maybe a bridge too far.”
While the watches are available at a couple retailers in New York City, if you aren’t planning a trip to the Big Apple anytime soon, please check out the full product line at the website www.klocuhrwerk.com where everything can be shipped to USA within a week, so you can have your Swiss made watch delivered to home!
Full article:
https://www.facebook.com/scunleashed/posts/3605529712794307
Thanks Vickie Miller it was lovely to meet you.