In 2010 Swiss watch brand Audemars Piguet announced that legendary auto race champion Michael Schumacher would be their newest brand ambassador.

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An experienced pilot who had flown rescue missions in Africa, he was at the treacherous auto race in case any participants needed to be airlifted.

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The cover lot, made of pink gold, is a "split seconds" chronograph, so-called because it has not one, but two second hands and is capable of timing two different parts of a dramatic event, say, a high-stakes horse race or an auto rally.

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Instead of fighting higher standards, auto manufacturers are engaged in a race to meet them.

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The son of a fishing trawler captain who quit school to race motorcycles, Bernie Ecclestone built his fortune from auto sales, property and the transformation of Formula 1 into one of the world's most popular sports.

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It should come as no surprise that both sides of the contentious U.S. presidential race are headed into overtime playing political football with the auto industry.

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In the auto industry, as in politics, a third-party entry into a well-known, hotly contested race can cause significant consternation among the rank and file.

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