TAG Heuer - Dream Machines driven by Generous Hearts
June 26-27, Le Castellet, France “Dream Machines driven by Generous Hearts” “28 exceptional men and women at the wheel of the fastest and most legendary contemporary GT cars ever join forces and hearts with TAG Heuer and Save the Children to create a limited edition photography artbook as well as a very special racing event at Le Castellet F1 test track, to give children access to sports and mobility around the world” GT RACING PURISTS AND PERFORMERS TAG Heuer supports sport and recreational projects for vulnerable children by celebrating a legacy and sharing a passion The benchmark in Avant-Garde chronographs and timekeeping technology since 1860, TAG Heuer is the Luxury Swiss watch brand with the longest-standing links to the exciting world of professional motor sports and Grand Tourisme. To commemorate this unique legacy and support children around the world, TAG Heuer has joined forces with Save the Children, the world's independent children's charity that fights for the rights of children in over 100 countries. The result is the “Dream Machines driven by Generous Hearts” project, an exceptional photographic exhibition and charity event celebrating the very special love affair between influential men and women and the Avant-Garde “dream machines”- GT cars- that inspire them. For the project, TAG Heuer has invited a diverse and multi cultural group of men and women to pose alone and with the dream cars that fuel their driving passion. Drawn from more than 20 countries, these brilliant and generous talents from the world of Art, Sport and Business have contributed their time and creativity without any remuneration. All proceeds from the sale of the book will support Save the Children’s recreational and sports projects around the world, giving children the opportunity to learn, play and develop. The exceptional ambition and scope of this project, the prestige and fame of the people involved, the energy and enthusiasm generated, not to mention the resources deployed, combine to create a truly unprecedented international effort. View this news on TAG Heuer.com : http://www.tagheuer.com/the-news/events/dream-machine-generous-hearts/index.lbl Download pictures of the event on TAG Heuer’s FlickR space : http://flickr.com/photos/7776652@N03/sets/72157600855858799/ Watch the video of the event : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z-sQfC-gNE AVANT-GARDE MEN AND WOMEN AND THEIR DRIVING PASSION Alongside racing legends Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, David Coulthard, Sébastien Bourdais and Mattias Ekström, the virtuosi gathered for this project — athletes, actors, musicians, writers and business leaders from around the world — all have a serious addiction in common: Avant-Garde GT cars and engines! TAG Heuer’s Honorary Chairman Jack Heuer, for example, is paired with his dream machine, a Porsche Carrera, while TAG Heuer President & CEO Jean-Christophe Babin is seen with his own, a gleaming Ferrari 456 GT. Other famous names joined this exciting project: Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay is matched up with a Ferrari Enzo, while James Bond star Timothy Dalton connects with a Ford GT 40 Limited Edition! THE ELITE TEAM — AND THEIR PHOTOGRAPHERS: AUSTRALIA Eric Bana Actor by Daniel Smith DUBAI Mohamed Bin Sulayem President Auto Club UAE by Nick England CHINA Peter Ho Actor/singer by Chen Xu Ren Ren FRANCE David Halliday Singer by Guillaume Gelley INDONESIA Soetikno Soedarjo President, PT Mugi Rekso Abadi by Anton Ismael GERMANY Katarina Witt 2x Olympic Gold Medalist in figure skating by Markus Hildebrand/ Stephan Maka HONG KONG Louis Koo Actor by Paul Tsang INDIA Shah Rukh Khan Actor by Atul Kasbekar ITALY Matteo Marzotto Chairman of Valentino S.p.A by Giovanni Gastel JAPAN Koji Yakusho Actor by Kazumi Kurigami KOREA Si Won Ryu Actor/singer by Han Jun Kim MALAYSIA Dato Tony Fernandes CEO Air Asia Bhd by Brian Fang PHILIPINES Eduardo F. Salonga President of Ages Aviation Center Incorporated by Kai Huang PORTUGAL Vitor Baia Football/soccer player by Kenton Thatcher SINGAPORE Darren Cheong Director of Hong Fok Corporation Limited by Geoff Ang SWITZERLAND Murat Yakin Football/Soccer Coach by Joel von Allmen THAILAND Pracha + Dom Chief Editor Daily News Dom Hetrakul Actor/TV show host by Witaya Marayat UK Nick Mason Pink Floyd drummer by Lorenzo Agius USA Sarah Fisher Driver by Francis Catania THE CARS The list of serious GT dream machinery includes the Audi R8; the Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren, the Mercedes Benz CLK DTM AMG (limited Edition) and the McLaren F1 GTR; the Porsche GT1, the Porsche Carrera, the Porsche GT3 RS, and the Porsche 911 Turbo; the Aston Martin DB9; the Jaguar XJ220; the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder; the Bentley Continental R; the 2007 Spyker Convertible and the Ferrari Enzo just to mention a few… A UNIQUE EVENT FOR A VERY SPECIAL CAUSE AND A VERY HIGH END NEW WATCH COLLECTION This gallery of unconventional and artistic photographs has been unveiled on June 26th- 27th 2007 at a very exclusive, innovative and exceptional TAG Heuer racing event at the Circuit Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track in Le Castellet, South of France. Never before had such an impressive gathering of the finest GT cars been organized, with all the great names to be proudly represented: Audi, Porsche, Mercedes McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin… Not only had the participants the unique opportunity to drive the most inspiring and fascinating dream machines, they did also discover as World Premiere the brand new TAG HEUER GRAND CARRERA COLLECTION made of ultra-exclusive, high-end luxury timepieces of unprecedented sophistication, performance and precision inspired by the unrivalled motor-racing heritage of the Swiss watchmaking legend. In attendance of this glamorous event were famous international celebrities, drivers, renowned photographers and TAG Heuer ambassadors, all fans of GT cars. Proceeds from the sale of the limited edition art book gathering this incredible gallery of portraits will benefit Save The Children and their programs providing recreational and sports equipment to children in need around the world. The “Dream Machines driven by Generous Hearts” project comes as an obvious match with TAG Heuer. The N° 1 luxury watch reference in motor racing — first watch brand to develop chronographs dashboards for sports cars at the beginning of the 20th century, first watch brand to partner with racing drivers, first watch brand to partner with a Formula 1 team, first watch brand to crack and master the time barrier, creating luxurious chronographs with a precision of 1/10th, 1/100th and now 1/1,000th of a second, TAG Heuer has more than any other watch brand a strongly racing-oriented DNA. The brand has built its reputation on the core values and codes of motor sports and prestigious sports cars. Now, through the “Dream Machines driven by Generous Hearts” project and its association with Save the Children, TAG Heuer has the opportunity to use its passion to benefit the children of the world. “Success is worth nothing if it doesn’t serve to benefit those less fortunate. TAG Heuer, the leading luxury watch brand in the sports world for over more than a century, now wishes to use its reputation, its expertise and its influence on behalf of others, on behalf of those who will shape the future: our children. Because such simple and natural things as laughing, running, having fun and achieving physical and mental excellence through developing self-confidence and a team spirit should be a right within reach of all children, TAG Heuer has chosen to commit itself to supporting Save The Children in its sports and play programs and to thus enable vulnerable children to blossom and find fulfillment through sport. As President and CEO of TAG Heuer, but above all as a father of five, I particularly cherish this project. I am proud that TAG Heuer, at the occasion of the launch of the new TAG Heuer Grand Carrera series, is devoting its resources and its unique sporting heritage to furthering the cause of children.” Jean-Christophe Babin, President & CEO, TAG Heuer More than any other activity, sports allows children to not only push themselves to the limit, but also to experience what it means to be free, to have fun — in short, to be a child. Along the way they learn important values and life skills, including self-confidence, teamwork respect and fair play. These values are crucial to TAG Heuer, whose peerless link to sports goes back to the Olympic Games in the 1920s and is personified by its unparalleled roster of sports ambassadors: number 1 golfer Tiger Woods, top WTA player Maria Sharapova, Nascar idol Jeff Gordon, three time world champion Champcar driver Sébastien Bourdais, Formula 1 aces Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, and Kimi Räikkönen. These sports superstars share TAG Heuer’s commitment to promote access to sports for every child in the world. TAG HEUER AND PHOTOGRAPHY: A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP The “Dream Machines driven by Generous Hearts” gallery of portraits, created in a series of shoots in more than 20 countries, forms an international exhibition of high-powered players and high-octane engines on the international scene. It is only the latest of TAG Heuer’s photo-based campaigns. For years TAG Heuer has demonstrated a keen interest in the art of photography, having worked with famous names as Herb Ritts, Peter Lindberg, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Karina Taira, Patrick Demarchelier and Joël Von Allmen… The “Dream Machines driven by Generous Hearts” project is the second international charity exhibit organized by TAG Heuer in as many years. Last year, TAG Heuer and its glamorous international brand ambassador and Hollywood star Uma Thurman created an exceptional photographic exhibit celebrating Avant Garde women worldwide to benefit UNIFEM, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, a UN organization dedicated to advancing women’s rights and achieving gender equality. SAVE THE CHILDREN Save the Children is the world’s leading independent children’s rights organisation. 27 members work together to improve children’s lives in more than 100 countries. It is an outrage that millions of children are still denied proper healthcare, food, education and protection, Save the Children’s began life as an emergency relief agency. Now it responds to children’s immediate needs in an emergency, while prioritising long-term recovery and development. Within all work, Save the Children take learning's and successes from work on the ground to campaign for a much greater change at a local, national and international level thereby impacting a much greater number of children. Save the Children has a strong history of raising the bar in terms of what’s acceptable for children. They are going to continue to inspire real, measurable breakthroughs for children and make sure that children caught up in conflicts can still get an education, and fighting to radically reduce malnutrition and stunting in children in African and Asian countries. They will continue to prove that free healthcare saves lives, and make it available for all the poorest children. And stop orphans and other vulnerable children from being shut away in institutions – Save the Children will help their communities look after them. "We are delighted TAG Heuer have chosen Save the Children as a charity partner for the 'Dream Machines' event. All the funds raised from the sale of the art book will support Save the Children's recreational and sports related projects - giving children the opportunity to learn, play and develop. We would like to give a special thanks to TAG Heuer and all those people both in front and behind the lens who have created this amazing collection of photographs. Your time, talent and generosity will help Save the Children create dramatic change for children around the world! Toby Porter, Emergencies Director, Save the Children. Convinced that children represent the future hope of our planet, and that by improving their conditions we advance the whole of humanity, TAG Heuer is proud to be involved in this unique project, and grateful to the exceptional personalities who have participated, all of whom have shown a true commitment to making a difference. TAG Heuer International Press Relations Manager: Valentine.Balmat@tagheuer.com TAG Heuer, the leader in prestigious sports watches and chronographs since 1860, is one of the largest and fastest growing luxury Swiss watch Brands. The Swiss watch making legend draws upon its active engagement in the world of sports to create the most accurate measuring instruments and sports watches in the world. TAG Heuer is today the first watchmaker ever to master luxurious Chronographs with an unsurpassed precision of 1/10th, 1/100th and 1/1,000th of a second. From the Olympic Games in the 1920s to its role as official timekeeper to within 1/10,000th of a second for the legendary Indy 500, TAG Heuer, in a constant quest for innovation, excellence, performance and prestige, continues to aim ever higher, as reflected in its partnerships with Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in Formula 1 and its two aces: Fernando Alonso, youngest ever and already two times Formula 1 world champion and Lewis Hamilton, GP2 world Champion in 2006. With two times Formula 1 world vice-champion and Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver Kimi Raïkkönen, with world number 1 golfer Tiger Woods and WTA number 1 tennis player Maria Sharapova, with Nascar idol Jeff Gordon, Champcar three times world champion Sébastien Bourdais, promising talent Bruno Senna as well as Hollywood and Bollywood icons Brad Pitt, Uma Thurman and Shah Rukh Khan, TAG Heuer more than ever epitomizes Sport and Glamour !