TAG Heuer Racing Awards: A New Standard For Judging Performance

TAG Heuer has initiated a new competition--the TAG Heuer Racing Awards--whose goal is to determine the world's best race-car driver.

Commenting upon the Awards, Jean Christophe Babin, TAG Heuer chairman and CEO stated, "Using our heritage and DNA in motor racing, we thought it was appropriate to try to identify the best driver of the world. Our idea is not to revise each championship or race results but to offer to the fans the opportunity to discover new categories, to celebrate amazing performances and to promote drivers. I’m sure there will be some surprises".

A jury composed of former drivers, team luminaries, race promoters, and automotive journalists will judge skill and analyze results each week, on Monday. The five racing disciplines to be evaluated are: Formula One, IndyCar, GP2, NASCAR, and the World Rally Championship. A unique Racing Awards Index scoring system will give an accurate scoring, despite the diversity of disciplines and talent involved. If required, the methodology may be revised, and additional parameters added to offer a better assessment.

“I agreed to be the President of this prestigious panel first of all because I fully support the idea of rewarding actual performances according to competitive criteria...it’s this that gives the sportsman his satisfaction and pride,” says leading panelist Michèle Mouton, a 1982 World Rally Vice-Champion. “Often, results do not reflect the performance! I think it’s an excellent idea to want to measure and quantify the performance of drivers according to fair criteria, without making any distinctions based on reputation between their respective disciplines.”

Fellow jurist David Richard, Chairman and Chief Executive of Prodrive Group and Chairman of Aston Martin Racing also had some very positive comments to make regarding the TAG Heuer Awards: "It’s innovative and compares all the disciplines of motor sport in a logical manner. Prodrive has been actively involved in most forms of motorsport and there are very few environments where specialists in each discipline can compare their individual talents. If they cannot do it on the track then the second best solution is to do so by way of the TAG Heuer Racing Awards."

Four-time Formula One World Champion and jury member Alain Prost added, "I think the public will be given information about categories, drivers and performances they may have never heard about before."

Award data and commentary can be accessed at the TAG Heuer website.