ROC brings together the world’s greatest drivers from motor sport’s major disciplines – Formula 1, World Rally, Le Mans, MotoGP, NASCAR, IndyCar, Touring Cars and the X-Games – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery on a unique track with two parallel lanes linked by a crossover bridge. When the lights go green, the entire field will give their all, embodying to the fullest the core values of TAG Heuer’s “Don’t Crack Under Pressure” campaign. Drivers confirmed for ROC 2014 include nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen, F1’s Romain Grosjean (the reigning ROC Champion of Champions), 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, Australian V8 Supercar ace Jamie Whincup and 2014 FIA World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg. The rest of the field will be announced in the run-up to the event. ROC is a natural fit for TAG Heuer. The brand has by far the deepest relationship with motor racing in the Swiss watchmaking industry: from Formula 1 to Formula E, from Carrera Panamericana to WRC, from Le Mans to Indy 500. TAG Heuer’s first ambassadors were driving legends, and its long-standing partnership with motor racing teams has pushed the brand to innovate technologically, to break the rules of the traditional watchmaking industry in order to master time with the most extreme precision possible. TAG Heuer is also sponsoring the exciting new ROC Skills Challenge, which is designed to test a range of driving skills including chicanes, slaloms, 360˚ and 180˚ turns and parallel parking. Following December’s event, many of the cars raced at ROC 2014 will stay on at the Bushy Park Circuit, offering corporate guests, VIPs and fans the opportunity to race in identical cars on the very same track as the legends of motor sport. Comparing yourself to the world’s best drivers — to the tiniest fraction of a second — do you dare? “Motor racing has been a part of TAG Heuer’s DNA since the very beginning of its history,” said TAG Heuer CEO Stéphane Linder, “and the Race Of Champions is an absolutely unique experience in this racing universe: the best drivers, all driving the same cars, all taking on the same intense challenges. It is exactly what TAG Heuer’s claim “Don’t Crack Under Pressure” means. The “ROC Skills Challenge” is a great new idea, and TAG Heuer is proud to be part of it. I can’t think of a better way to mark the 10th anniversary of our partnership with the Race Of Champions.” “TAG Heuer is a company that shares our passion for the best of motor sport,” said ROC organiser Fredrik Johnsson. “We are delighted to be joining forces again. The Race Of Champions is used to seeing the very tightest of finishes and thanks to TAG Heuer’s technology we are able to determine winners down to as little as one 10,000th of a second. So no matter how close it gets, we’ll know who wins…” TAG Heuer: the Swiss Avant-Garde watchmaker since 1860. Its rich heritage is built on pushing boundaries and breaking rules: harnessing mental fortitude to overcome technology restraints and create daring watches and chronographs. Long-lasting partnerships with motor racing teams and charismatic ambassadors drive it to break with watchmaking conventions, and, as a consequence, master time with unparalleled precision. The brand's motor racing DNA, as well as the amazing athletes who belong to its dream team, reflect its core values of teamwork, mental strength, courage and ambition. Its slogan, DON’T CRACK UNDER PRESSURE, is far more than a claim – it is a mindset.PaddockTalk Perspective