Tom Kristensen

A motorsport legend

Born in Hobro in 1967, Tom Kristensen was inspired by his father who was also a race driver. Tom's father, Carl Erik, was quick to support his son's interest, and bought a go-kart for Tom that he could drive. He practiced in the local area, and already drove his first go-kart World Cup in 1978. It was then that Tom knew that racing would be his career. He was go-karting through the mid-'80s, and then began to move up in the racing world. In the 90s, Tom drove both Formula 3 and Touring races in parallel, with several titles in both categories. In 1997, Tom entered and won his first Le Mans race. After that, he had two unlucky years, and in both '98 and '99 had to watch his team leave without finishing the race. After that however, his luck turned, and along with Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro, he won the race in 2000, 2001 and 2002, making them all three the only ones to win three races in a row since Belgian Jacky Ickx did the same in 1977. After that, the team changed a bit, but that didn't stop Tom from winning again in 2003, 2004 and 2005. This marked his 6th win in row, and 7th overall, cementing him as the most successful Le Mans racer ever. However, he did not finish here, breaking his own record two more times, with wins in 2008 and 2013, before announcing that he would retire from the sport in 2014. In addition to his success at Le Mans, Tom Kristensen is also the most winning driver ever in the 12-hours of Sebring race, with 6 wins in the years 1999-2012.

Quality-conscious products

Tom Kristensen's background as a racing driver means that he has an extraordinary eye for functionality and quality, which is also reflected in the products he has helped develop. At Spreeglee we carry various products from Tom Kristensen. Among other things, we have a selection of sunglasses developed in collaboration with Prego. The sunglasses are made of luxurious materials, that clearly harken back to Tom's background in motorsport. Right now we have sunglasses in three different material variations. The first series is made of a 24-layer carbon fiber material, which is combined with stainless steel rods. At the end of these rods there is a piece of acetate that allows the glasses to be adjusted to fit perfectly. The next series of glasses is made entirely in acetate. Acetate is a cotton based material and is often seen in eyeglasses. For this range of glasses, the material has been chosen because it makes it possible to produce high quality glasses that are easy to fit but at the same time keep their shape perfectly. Finally, we have a series of glasses produced in a lightweight metal alloy. This alloy is designed specifically for sunglasses, and the material has exactly the properties you want from it. The design is rounded off with spring hinges and, like the other models, also has acetate ends for maximum comfort. All glasses models come in two color combinations and come with either gray / green tint glass, with polarization and anti-reflection treatment, or brown glass with the same anti-reflection treatment, but with contrast enhancing properties that highlight the colors red, yellow and green and can help give the user a better depth perception . All models have Tom Kristensen's signature engraved on the glass as well as on the bars.

In addition to Tom Kristensen's stylish sunglasses, we also carry the definitive coffee table book, 'The Book' written by Tom himself. This book contains much more than just a chronological review of Tom Kristensen's racing career. It takes the reader on a journey through four decades - from Tom's first drive at his dad's gas station in Hobro, to triumph on one of motorsport's biggest stages, in front of 250,000 fans. Private and never before shared photos, facts and new stories told by Tom Kristensen himself make 'The Book' a must have for all motor sports enthusiasts, or fans of the legend themselves.