Inside Papua New Guinea - ExxonMobil

25
Champion race
drivers swap cars
to showcase Mobil 1 lubricants
NASCAR’s Tony Stewart and Formula 1’s
Lewis Hamilton trade rides at legendary
Watkins Glen International.
Story by Thomas L. Torget
Imagine football quarterback
Peyton Manning firing fastballs
from the pitcher’s mound at
Yankee Stadium. Or baseball’s
Derek Jeter calling signals as quarterback
of the Dallas Cowboys.
Two famous race car drivers
did something almost as amazing
earlier this year, when they traded
cars and took turns speeding
around Watkins Glen International
raceway in New York.
Tony Stewart earns his living
driving stock cars in the United
States in races sanctioned by the
National Association for Stock
Car Auto Racing (NASCAR).
Lewis Hamilton drives Formula 1
race cars in Grand Prix events,
sanctioned by the Federation
Internationale de l’Automobile
(FIA) and held around the world.
Both drivers are recognized
worldwide as being among auto
racing’s best.
NASCAR and Formula 1 cars
have a number of differences
between them. NASCAR vehicles
are heavier and more powerful.
Formula 1 cars are much smaller
and more aerodynamic. The skills
required for success in each category
differ significantly, and driving
an unfamiliar car at racetrack
speeds presents a real challenge,
even to experienced drivers.
“Mobil 1 has supported championship
racing for more than 30
years,” says Rebecca Aldred,
global brand manager for Mobil 1
synthetic motor oil. “To showcase
that support, we brought these
two champions together so they
could drive each other’s cars on a
challenging course. Because both
cars use Mobil 1, it was a perfect
way to demonstrate the product’s
superior performance under the
extreme conditions of racing.”
Trading places
Before a crowd of race fans and
motorsports journalists from
around the world, Hamilton took
laps in Stewart’s No. 14 Mobil 1/
Office Depot Chevrolet Impala,
while Stewart took the course in
the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
MP4-23.
“I’d always wondered what