F1 Champion Häkkinen visits Jamaica
TWO-TIME Formula One champion and Finnish racing star, Mika Häkkinen, will be in Kingston, Jamaica on Monday endorsing the global Responsible Drinking campaign, Join The Pact.
Häkkinen is expected to meet the public at Emancipation Park at 5:00 pm when he will speak about the campaign alongside local drivers David Summerbell Jr, Doug Gore and Andre Anderson.
Join The Pact is a worldwide movement spearheaded by top driver Lewis Hamilton and Häkkinen as they solicit signatures from across the globe at www.jointhepact.com.
The Hall of Fame inductee and Michael Schumacher’s greatest rival in the 1998-2000 Formula One Championships, was named a Responsible Drinking ambassador for McLaren sponsor Johnnie Walker in November 2006, and has since been promoting the cause.
Häkkinen has been actively spreading the message for greater personal responsibility and highlighting the dangers of drinking and driving in more than 13 countries across Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia.
“In the simplest form, responsible drinking means that people need to be accountable for their own safety and that of those around them,” said Häkkinen. “This means not drinking alcohol on an evening out if you are planning to drive. There are so many options available, whether it is appointing a friend to be the designated driver, booking a taxi or using public transport for your journey home. It may sound simple, but unfortunately there are still people who think it is acceptable to drink and drive, and I am determined to do all I can to help change these attitudes,” Häkkinen noted.
Marguerite Cremin, head of Corporate Relations at Red Stripe, a Diageo company, which distributes Johnnie Walker, said promoting responsible consumption of its brands was one of the company’s pillars and that it was happy to have Häkkinen as its spokesperson.
“Mika Häkkinen is an accomplished race car driver and now holds a lofty position in driver management. His visit to Jamaica will reinforce Diageo’s unwavering commitment to Responsible Drinking,” said Cremin.
Other partners in the Johnnie Walker Join The Pact campaign include LIME, Silver Star Motors and the Jamaica Race Drivers Club.
