TAG Heuer driver team celebrates the 30th anniversary of La Carrera Panamericana modern era!

Press Release

TAG Heuer driver team celebrates the 30th anniversary of La Carrera Panamericana modern era!

TAG Heuer was the first watchmaking brand associated with the race, since its beginning… and remains one of the longest partner of the mythical race!

On October 20, the competitors took off the Mexican road for the 30th anniversary of the mythical race’s modern era. After 7 days and 3,000 km along the most difficult and breathtaking Mexican roads, 158 competitors out of 170 crossed the finishing line at Durango. 2016 winning champions and TAG Heuer’s friends of the brand, Hilaire and Laura Damiron, arrived in 2nd position after winning 3 stages with their stunning “El Comander”, a Studebaker Commander from 1954.

The journey began with the classifications in Querétaro and then went through 7 stages including Mexico City where a photographic exhibition "Celebrating motoring in Mexico on the 30th anniversary of La Carrera Panamericana" was inaugurated on Saturday, October 14. At this occasion, Eduardo Leon, President emeritus of La Carrera Panamericana, said « We’re very excited to count on the support of our long-term partner TAG Heuer, to celebrate 30 years of this new era of motor sport and road speed in Mexico with more than 85,000 kilometers traveled and 1,000 participants from more than 25 countries. »

The history of cooperation between TAG Heuer and the race goes back more than 30 years when in 1962 Jack Heuer, the great son of the company’s founder, heard about the Carrera Panamericana which in only 5 years (1950 to 1954) established itself as one of the world’s most exciting and dangerous race. He recalls that when he first heard the word Carrera he loved its sound and meanings, road, race, course and career. The race was call off in 1955 for safety concerns but inspired Jack for what would go to become one of the world’s most iconic wristwatches: the Heuer Carrera.

Since 1963 with the first Carrera, a revolutionary chronograph designed for racecar drivers, TAG Heuer never stopped to pay tribute to the legendary Mexican race and launched more than 10 generations of Carrera. In 1988 the race was revived and since then has attracted several former Formula 1 drivers and celebrities such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Clay Regazzoni, Eric Comas, Phillipe Alliot, Guy Edwards, Jan Lammers; WRC with Harri Rovanpera, Stig Blomqvist, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason.

To celebrate 30 years of unstoppable passion and effort, TAG Heuer launched today the Mexico Angel Limited Edition, a 45 mm Carrera automatic with a black rubber strap, black opaline dial, black PVD steel brush case and a ceramic black bezel with red accents and “Mexico” lettering. It is worth recalling that TAG Heuer is also partnering the Red Bull Racing F1 Team, and is founding partner and Official Timekeeper of the FIA Formula E Championship; Tag Heuer is also Official Timekeeper of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) and the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 (Indy 500), the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), endurance racing with the Dempsey Racing team, and motorcycle racing in the Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC). On October 16th, TAG Heuer became the first watch brand as well to be official timekeeper of the world best-selling video game.