Ho-Pin Tung: Watches & Racing
While many people love watches and motor racing, most of us have a much greater chance of owning our dream watch than we do of ever driving a racing car- let alone, having a successful career in motorsport. One man able to live the dream is Ho-Pin Tung, who is in Singapore this weekend racing for the first time on the Marina street circuit in the Porsche Cup.
Ho-Pin was born in the Netherlands, but today races under a Chinese licence. He won the 2003 Formula BMW Asia series, resulting in a Formula 1 test drive with Williams-BMW, a relationship that would continued into 2007 when he was announced as a test driver for Sauber-BMW.
As Ho-Pin’s career progressed, he gained a spot in the Championship winning Renault F1 team in 2009, where he was named as the team’s third driver. This relationship continued to 2011 when he was a test driver for the same team, which by now was called Lotus-Renault.
In addition to his Formula 1 experience, he has raced IndyCars, GP2 and A1 Grand Prix- a global career at the pinnacle of motor sport.
Ho-Pin’s career has been supported by TAG Heuer since 2010, when he became a Friend of brand. He is a genuine watch lover and fan of TAG Heuer, as well as being a regular Calibre 11 reader. I asked Ho-Pin if we would be willing to share his story with Calibre 11 readers, and to give us an overview of what his preparation was like leading up to the race.
Ho-Pin has generously taken the time to write the article below in between his travels from Shanghai, where he was working at the Porsche Driving School, to Singapore for this weekend’s race.
My Racing Career
After winning several championships throughout my career I was invited to take part in the young driver test in Spain with Renault F1 in 2009. At the official launch in 2010 I was appointed official Third driver for Renault F1 and was retained by the team (which was then badged as Lotus Renault GP) in 2011 as one of their reserve drivers.
This year I am still silently involved, for example completing a demo for them in Malaysia earlier this year, but more in the background due to my commitments in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia with Budweiser Team StarChase.
Working with TAG Heuer
Since 2010 I have been a TAG Heuer “friend of the brand”, of course with the focus on the Chinese market. The Chinese have embraced the innovative spirit of TAG Heuer combined with the rich heritage of the brand although it is relatively new in the Chinese market. I have made appearances and been involved in several events and PR activities from TAG Heuer in China.
Having a big passion for both racing and timepieces, the link between me and TAG Heuer is unmistakably- there is no other brand that breathes racing and innovation as TAG Heuer. Probably one of the most memorable moments for me was being responsible for the Beijing leg of The Odyssey of Pioneers, sticking the sticker on the car right in front of the iconic Bird’s Nest National Stadium and joining the Shanghai stage of it at the World Expo together with CEO Jean-Christophe Babin, a great friend and probably the coolest CEO I know.
In my opinion there isn’t anybody else more suitable to be the CEO of TAG Heuer, his passion for watches and innovation is endless! Whenever we meet we just talk about two things: watches and racing.
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Great interview. Ho-Pin Tung is a great guy and amazing race driver!
Great interview. Ho-Pin Tung is a great guy and amazing race driver!
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