Rolex Debuts ‘Don’t Blink’ – A Mini Doc About Racing Driver Tom Kristensen
With the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans hitting a legendary stretch of road in France this coming weekend, Rolex has just published “Don’t Blink” on the brand’s YouTube channel. It’s a 9-minute documentary about the career of racing driver Tom Kristensen, who holds the record for wins at Le Mans (9 total, 6 in a row), as well as the record of six wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship. The Danish-born driver has been a Rolex Testimonee since 2010, and this new video offers a closer look at what it’s like to be “Mr. Le Mans.”
Starting in karting, Kristensen offers insight into what it takes to win at Le Mans and the level of focus that is required to compete in a 24-hour race on the international stage. The film also covers a massive crash that threatened Kristensen’s career behind the wheel of a race car, and how he returned to Le Mans despite pressure to give up racing entirely.
Not wanting to over-describe the video, it’s a fast-paced short that gives a legend of motorsport the chance to elaborate a bit on what it’s like to operate at the peak of the sport. As you’d expect for a Rolex doc, it’s a slick video packed with archival footage, a dramatic presentation, and a strong connection to the brand’s presence in endurance racing. Interestingly, despite watching the video several times, I wasn’t able to spot a single strong presentation of any Rolex model – including any of what I can only imagine would be quite a collection of race-won Daytonas for Kristensen (he is wearing a watch in the video, but it’s never so much as highlighted.)
Maybe they don’t even have to show the watch? After all, if you were standing on the podium at Le Mans tomorrow, what would you want on your wrist?
Click here for more on Rolex and Tom Kristensen, or here for information about Le Mans, or here for a look at the watches of another legend of endurance racing (and Rolex Testimonee), Hurley Haywood.
Lead image via Getty Images from the World Endurance Championship in 2013, Manuel Blondeau.
Hodinkee