VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES SNAPS UP OLYMPUS PARTNERSHIP
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is delighted to announce Olympus
as the team’s official supplier of photographic services.
Olympus has a rich history of involvement with Formula 1
through previous sponsorships and has worked closely with
and has photographed some of the sport’s legendary drivers
such as Mario Andretti, Ronnie Peterson, James Hunt, Ayrton
Senna and Michael Schumacher. Hunt and Senna both won Drivers’
World Championships with McLaren.
With the new Partnership, Olympus will continue to develop
its relationship with the sport by working alongside Vodafone
McLaren Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen,
Pedro de la Rosa and Gary Paffett. British photographer Jon
Nicholson, using the Olympus E system, will spend the 2008
season with the team, capturing not only the on-track action
but also an exclusive and intimate behind the scenes story
as the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team’s Championship
challenge unfolds.
Ron Dennis, Team Principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes commented:
"We are delighted to welcome a renowned brand such as
Olympus to our partner portfolio and look forward to a long
and successful co-operation. It’s always a tremendous
boost for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes when we announce a new
partner and to be able to do so only a few days before the
start of the new season in Australia makes it even more significant.
Formula 1 as a sport attacks every sense, be it sound or smell,
but most importantly it is very visual. Photography can capture
iconic moments in time on the race track in a way moving pictures
don’t allow, and it therefore forms an important element
of our communication. Olympus is a visionary organisation,
they seek to innovate in every area they work in and we are
excited about the opportunities they can help us explore together
in this area."
Olympus Managing Director Graeme Chapman said: "We are
delighted to be involved with the most exciting team in the
sport. I am looking forward to more vintage results both on
the track and on the back of Jon’s E3 SLR"
FAST FACTS
The two organisations have shared significant milestones
in their respective histories away from the race track. This
includes in 1999 when Olympus produced the first groundbreaking
digital camera with more than two million pixels, the same
year as McLaren-Mercedes won the Drivers’ World Championship
with Mika Hakkinen.
Olympus Optical Co (Europa) GmbH was founded in 1963, the
same year as Bruce McLaren founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing.
When Olympus launched the famous OM-1 in 1972, it became the
world-leading pioneer in the development of compact SLR cameras.
SLR is a moniker synonymous with McLaren and Mercedes-Benz
who are currently producing the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Roadster at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking.
The Olympus television advertisement in the 1970s created
the famous catchphrase "Who do you think you are, David
Bailey?". Lewis Hamilton was photographed by David Bailey
for the March issue of British GQ.
Olympus is a leading manufacturer of professional opto-digital
products and pioneers key technologies in the fields of imaging
and voice products, endoscopy, microscopy, bioanalytics and
diagnostics.
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