Friday, April 11, 2014

FIA WEC: Audi drivers visit watch partner Oris

  Friday, April 11, 2014      

Audi Press Release

  •                                 Guests at head office of Audi Sport’s new ‘Official Watch Partner’
  •                                 A glimpse behind the scenes and autograph session for Oris employees
  •                                 Mike Rockenfeller: “Impressed by precision and high quality”

Ingolstadt, April 11, 2014 – Audi race drivers as watchmakers: For a day, Marcel Fässler, Nico Müller and Mike Rockenfeller delved into the world of Oris. The company based in Hölstein (Switzerland) will become the new ‘Official Watch Partner’ of Audi Sport at the beginning of this motorsport season and, among other things, be featured with its logo on the mirrors of all eight Audi RS 5 DTM plus the R18 e-tron quattro cars.


The visit to Oris was a welcome change between the successful track tests at Budapest and the final DTM tests at Hockenheim, which are starting on Monday. “It was great to have the opportunity to experience this fascinating technology at your fingertips,” said Mike Rockenfeller. The reigning DTM Champion, together with the two-time Le Mans winner Marcel Fässler and DTM rookie Nico Müller, took an exclusive peek behind the scenes of the watchmaker. “What particularly impressed me was the precision and high quality of the work done here – that does have a lot in common with motorsport,” said ‘Rocky.’

Following a company tour, during which the race drivers had the chance to try out their own skills as watchmakers, the location’s close to 60 employees got to meet their prominent brand ambassadors at an autograph session. Oris has been manufacturing watches in Switzerland for 110 years and is one of the few independent Swiss watch manufacturers still being managed by their owners. The watches are purely mechanical and are characterized by the symbol of a red rotor.


“It was a great pleasure for us to welcome the Audi drivers to our facilities here in Hölstein. Marcel Fässler and Mike Rockenfeller have an impressive performance record and Nico Müller is a promising young driver. All three exude this passion for motorsport that is characteristic of Oris as well, plus a strong determination to win. We wish Marcel Fässler, Mike Rockenfeller and Nico Müller a successful start of the season,” says Ulrich W. Herzog, Executive Chairman of Oris.

The Audi drivers are now heading back to the race track. From Monday to Thursday, Mike Rockenfeller and Nico Müller will be participating in the final track tests at Hockenheim before the season opener on May 4. For Marcel Fässler, the season will start in earnest on the Easter weekend when the first race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Silverstone is on the agenda and the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro celebrates its racing debut.

Photo credit: Audi Communications - Motorsport