Oakley On Ducati Island

Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, CA - 7/24/07

Team Oakley was in full force at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, CA over the past four days for the Red Bull US Grand Pix in MotoGP. Representation ran deep from the heads in International Design, Sales and Sports Marketing to our very own CEO Scott Olivet coming out to meet our friends at Ducati and top MotoGP athletes.

Day one was Thursday with the crew from the Rolling O Lab, John, Adam, Brian, Aaron and Ryan setting up on Ducati Island at the racetrack. By nightfall the guys were still cranking out and setting up our brand new awning that can basically be seen from outer space, showcasing the Oakley logo.

Day two started bright and early as I joined the Rolling O Lab crew in setting up the remaining displays, banners and such at 7am. By 10am we were looking sharp with two new posters hanging from the hospitality booth displaying Oakley’s top two Ducati racers Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner, as well as an Oakley / Ducati eyewear museum case. The Oakley / Ducati eyewear museum displayed all the eyewear we have designed with Ducati branding since 2003. Some top pieces for 2007 included the new Oil Drum signature sunglass of Loris Capirossi and a new Moto Crowbar goggle coming out this fall.

Traffic really started to pick up around noon with hundreds of spectators making their way through the crowds to check out the Rolling O Lab. The Ducati Hotties kicked off the event at 3:15 with a fashion show that had all the models sporting our latest Oakley eyewear.

At 4pm the Oakley / Ducati Media Event started with Pat McIlvain, Oakley Global Sports Marketing Director greeting the 45 plus media attendees and over 100 retail accounts. Oakley and Ducati had just recently signed a three-year extension to continue our partnership. Scott Olivet, CEO of Oakley spoke to the group about the strengths of both brands and how our position within our respective industries is truly unmatched; and that our daily goals are to continually be the best in our industries and settling for nothing less. Ducati CEO of North America, Michael Lock spoke to our new contract extension and that Ducati was very proud to share their island at Laguna Seca with Oakley.

Around 4:30 both Stoner and Capirossi arrived to sign autographs and take some photos with their fans inside the Oakley Rolling O Lab. Food and drink were served until 6pm with all media and retail accounts receiving private tours from the Rolling O Lab Crew. When the media were done with their tours, they were rewarded with an Oakley / Ducati Press Kit that included the new Loris Capirossi Signature Sunglass.

Day three the racing went into top gear with Casey Stoner taking the fastest qualifying run and grabbing the pole position with the fastest track time ever recorded at Laguna Seca. Olivet, McIlvain and Oakley’s Sports Marketing Managers Giovanni and Anthony Paggio paid visits to all racers and enjoyed pit / track access to view the racers firsthand.

Sunday, race day was epic with 80-degree weather, blue skies and light winds. With Stoner starting in the number one pole position, he shot out around the track and never relinquished his lead in all 32 laps and ran away with the win. This highlighted the first time that a Ducati racer had won at Laguna Seca and the fourth straight time the winner was an Oakley athlete with Nicky Hayden having won the last three races before this year. Casey was pumped, declaring this race to be his greatest achievement thus far in his career by taking top pole position, a track record and winning the race all in the same weekend. Look for Casey to continue his domination in the seven remaining races for the MotoGP season.

Words and Photos: Matthew Murray
Oakley: Sports Marketing Media Manager