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Billund, Demark/Oxford, UK – One of the world’s premier toy brands, The LEGO Company, today announced a major licensing agreement with WilliamsF1, one of the most respected names in Formula One.
The three year collaboration is based on the LEGO’s Racer products, and will provide children with an educational insight into the engineering, design and experimentation processes that are vital to success in Formula One.
The customisation and adaptation of LEGO Racers to compete in The LEGO Company’s fictional competition environment, the Drome, will draw on the real-life engineering practices used in Formula One, thus providing children with an exciting and engaging medium to learn about the design of vehicles to suit a variety of circumstances.
Brand Director Stig Blicher, said, “We decided to work together with the WilliamsF1 team as they quickly caught on to the idea about bringing the fascinating world of Formula One into the children’s own racing universe. Formula One is all about cutting-edge technology and we think that WilliamsF1 has one of the most ambitious and serious approaches to racing. They are really world class within their field and known for building race cars, customisation, high-quality performance and best practices. These qualities correspond very well with those of The LEGO Company. The learning element and the strong brand recognition are also common features of the two companies.”
Jim Wright, WilliamsF1 Head of Marketing reflected, “Following hard on the heels of the launch of the new car last week, the FW24, this association with another global brand of the stature of The LEGO Company is tremendously exciting for all concerned.”
Morten Melbye Andersen, Director of Product Management, said: "Young boys are drawn towards racing because of its essential elements of action, high speed and excitement. Thanks to this new collaboration with the WilliamsF1 team, the young drivers of LEGO Racers can now also see how a Formula One driver is not only dependent on his own driving skills, but also very much on the technical back up in the pit."
“LEGO Racers is a brand-new property from The LEGO Company that places children in the driver’s seat. Motor racing is a sport in which everything can change in a split second. The LEGO Racers universe gives children access to the very DNA of motor racing, offering them a tangible taste of the excitement and encouraging them to experiment, build and rebuild their vehicles in order to improve performance. In tying up with WilliamsF1 we want children to be inspired by the fascinating real-life-racing world which they can then transfer to their own universe at home,” Morten Melbye Andersen continued.
Commenting on the new alliance, Frank Williams, WilliamsF1 Managing Director said, “I am delighted that we have forged such a prestigious partnership with LEGO Company, a ubiquitous brand name in every corner of the world. The LEGO Racers series is not just fun, but provides serious learning content for children, drawing on the lessons of Formula One.”
"During our meetings with WilliamsF1 it was great to see how fascinated they were by our Drome concept, a fiction environment - the Coliseum of Competition - where race cars are rebuilt and customised for many different environments and the thrills and spills of racing is enjoyed. The Drome concept has been created to inspire children to experiment and play with the racing DNA and the LEGO DNA," says Morten Melbye Andersen.
In September 2002, The LEGO Company will launch a WilliamsF1 Racer to complement the Racer series. The 65-centimetre long model, will be based on the WilliamsF1 BMW FW24 (Formula One racing car) and will be the LEGO Racers flagship model.
The family-owned LEGO Company, founded in Denmark in 1932, is the world leader in providing quality products and experiences that stimulate children’s creativity, imagination and learning. It does so through playful activities that encourage hands-on, minds-on creation, fun, togetherness and the sharing of ideas. By 2005, the company wants the LEGO brand to be the strongest in the world among families with children.
WilliamsF1 is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of Formula One racing cars. Formed in 1977 by Frank Williams and Patrick Head, the team has secured nine FIA Formula One World Constructors’ Championships and seven FIA Formula One World Drivers’ Championships. In addition to the Championship successes, WilliamsF1 has also received worthy recognition from groups outside the motorsport arena - the team has twice been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement (1981 and 1994) and Frank Williams was awarded a Knighthood in the 1999 New Year’s Honours List.