The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and officials from sister companies Rolex Watch USA and TUDOR Watch USA today announced 10-year extensions of their established partnerships to begin in 2016.
Rolex will extend its partnership with Sebring International Raceway, which is owned within the IMSA Properties group, as an official sponsor of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida. Earlier this year, Rolex announced a 10-year extension of its partnership with Daytona International Speedway as entitlement sponsor of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
The relationship between Daytona, the France family – which has held a leadership role in motorsports since the 1930s – and Rolex dates back to 1959. Rolex added the name “Daytona” to the dial of its Cosmograph line in 1962 and has been the title sponsor of the Rolex 24 At Daytona since 1992.
From 2001 through 2013, Rolex was the entitlement partner of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Rolex’s North American motorsports involvement also extends to sponsorship of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
“Clearly, Rolex considers its association with IMSA and sports car racing to be an important one,” said Rolex Watch USA President and CEO Stewart Wicht. “We’re pleased that we now have aligned our business interests at Daytona, announced earlier this year, with Sebring, two of the most iconic endurance sports car races in the world that begin the IMSA season.”
TUDOR will become the “Official Timepiece of IMSA” for the next 10 years, beginning in 2016. With the relaunch of the TUDOR brand in the United States behind them, the company will no longer serve as entitlement sponsor of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship after 2015. Beginning in 2016, the series will be the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
TUDOR relaunched its brand in the U.S. in the fall of 2013 and concurrently became entitlement partner of the 2014 and 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Its motorsports portfolio also includes partnerships with the FIA World Endurance Championship and Ducati.
“The timing of the relaunch for the TUDOR brand in the U.S. coincided perfectly with the launch of the newly merged IMSA sports car championship. Given our companies’ lengthy history, it was a natural fit for us to take on the entitlement of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship,” said TUDOR Watch USA Brand Manager Russell Kelly. “Over the past two years, this partnership has clearly helped us establish the brand, and now that our relaunch process is complete, the timing is right for us to shift into the ‘Official Timepiece’ category and pave the way for the new entitlement partner to help continue to grow the sport, IMSA and our collective brands.”
“Both Rolex and TUDOR have tremendous history in sports car racing, and they have been and will continue to be outstanding partners for IMSA and the sport globally,” said IMSA CEO Ed Bennett. “Clearly, the long-term commitment that they are providing our motorsports platforms – both with the Championship and our tracks – speaks to our close historical ties as well as their confidence and belief in the future of IMSA.”