Rubber B produces custom rubber watch bands for timepieces from a variety of leading global watchmakers, including Rolex, Tudor, and Panerai, as well as several others. Our complete product catalog features straps in a plethora of different colors, textures, and styles, and each one of our watch bands is made solely from 100% vulcanized rubber.
For those who are not ardent followers of Formula 1 racing, you may not immediately recognize the name Mark Webber. However, keen fans of the sport will certainly know who he is, as Webber raced professionally from 1999 to 2016, becoming one of the more decorated professional race drivers in the sport’s history throughout his almost three decades of professional racing.
Webber is also a keen collector of watches as well, so in honor of his many achievements during his racing career, let’s take a closer look at the life, sporting career, and watch collection of Mark Webber.
Who is Mark Webber?
Mark Alan Webber was born on August 27th, 1976 in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia to Alan, a motorcycle dealer and petrol station owner, and his wife, Diane. Webber also has an older sister, Leanne. Webber would attend both Isabella Street Primary School and Karabar High School, from which he would go on to graduate.
While attending Karabar High School, Webber would compete in a variety of different athletics, including rugby, Australian rules football, cricket, and swimming. This was primarily because his mother encouraged him to compete in as many different sports as possible.
Mark Webber’s Early Racing Career
During his early teens, Webber began to develop an interest in karting, and successfully managed to purchase a kart from the father of one of his friends from school. He would then begin to develop himself at a local indoor go-kart center near his home, where he would try to practice as often as he could.
In 1994, he would make his professional debut, competing in the eight-round Australian Formula Ford Championship, which was notable for featuring open-wheel racing vehicles fitted with treaded tires. He would later come in third place, which would be a season-high for him, at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit that same year, eventually coming in second place in the Rookie of the Year standings. However, he was disqualified from the Australian Grand Prix Formula Ford support race for passing the field on the formation lap.
After this incident, his father would attempt to help him locate sponsorship with the help of a friend, Ann Neal. In the interim, Webber would move to Sydney to increase his prospects at becoming a full-time race car driver and finding sponsorship deals. During this time, he would work as a defensive driving instructor to support himself financially.
Sports Car Racing and Mainstream Success
After several years of steadily building his reputation as a highly-skilled driver, Webber would have what was arguably his breakout year as a driver in 1998. That year, he would enter his first 24 Hours of Le Mans competition, as he has qualified for entry due to winning the FIA GT Championship the year before.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most grueling auto races in the world and, as its name implies, sees the drivers continuously driving for 24 hours. Webber was forced to stop after only 75 minutes due to the fact that his steering pump had a fault, which would go on to cause an engine failure.
He would later go on to enter the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, however, an unusual mishap would also force his withdrawal from that race as well. In this case, an aerodynamic issue caused Webber to go airborne in qualifying between Mulsanne Corner and Indianapolis corner on the Mulsanne Straight during race-day warm-up, once again forcing him to withdraw.
Webber would go on to compete in the 2000 IF3000 Championship and would finish in third place with 21 points, including a win at Silverstone.
Webber would drive for a variety of different teams throughout the course of his career, including Mercedes and Red Bull, but he would arguably have his greatest success during his time with Porsche, for whom he raced from 2014-2016. In 2015, Webber would receive the first, and only, first-place finish of his entire career, which is notable because it came towards the tail end of his career.
In 2016, Webber would complete what would ultimately be his final season as a professional race car driver, bringing to a close an almost three-decade career as an endurance driver and becoming one of the sport’s more recognizable names in the process.
Retirement
In 2017, Webber would formally announce his retirement, citing Porsche’s desire to commit to its LMP1 program and the difficulty of doing “this job half-hearted” with as reasons.
What Kind of Watches are in Mark Webber’s Watch Collection?
Webber is known to be an ardent fan of Rolex watches in particular, and is said to own a fairly decent assortment of them, including several Deep-Sea, Sea-Dweller and GMT models of watch. However, his personal favorite seems to be the Rolex Daytona Cosmograph, which is not all that surprising, considering that watch’s well-known history within the world of professional automobile racing.
Are You in Need of a Custom Rubber Watch Band For Your Luxury Watch? Visit Rubber B Today
No fillers or additives are used in Rubber B’s watch straps, and each strap is non-toxic and non-allergenic, as well as being FDA and BVGG compliant. Rubber B also offers both domestic and international shipping to its clients based on their current location.
If you would like to learn more about our complete product catalog, shipping policies, pricing, or have questions about our custom rubber watch straps, please visit the Rubber B website today for more information. One of our valued associates will be happy to answer your inquiry in a prompt manner.
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