Staying on Track With Shamir
Renowned race car driver Sébastien Bourdais is used to being in the limelight—literally and figuratively. He has been driving for most of his 45 years, and bright lights, both artificial and natural, have long been an irritant and distraction.
When The VitaminSee caught up with him, Bourdais was preparing for the IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) 24-hour race in early June. Currently a factory driver for Cadillac in the IMSA sports car series, Bourdais was born into racing. Literally.
Tip: “Shamir was determined to find a better solution for the visual problems that can arise from driving cars.”
All in the Family
His dad raced in Le Mans, the family’s hometown in France, which is also home to the world’s most famous racetrack by the same name. “Before I was born, my dad raced there, and I spent years growing up on those tracks. I got a motorcycle when I was 3, a go-cart at age 10, and things just went from there.”
Bourdais has been wearing prescription glasses since he was 5. “Without them, my vision is pretty lousy,” he admits.
The Shamir Relationship
How did he become associated with Shamir? “For me, the most appealing thing, and what built our relationship, is that Shamir was determined to find a better solution for the visual problems that can arise from driving cars in general and especially race cars.” And they did just that with the Shamir Driver Intelligence™ lenses.
“There are so many things Shamir analyzed to develop the lenses. It’s the first time in the optics world that a company spent the proper resources to identify driving habits and the problems associated with driving…to find unique solutions with its Driver Intelligence™ lenses. To finally have someone who cares what’s happening when you drive, especially a race car, that’s definitely at the core of our relationship.”
Bourdais has been wearing prescription glasses since he was 5 years old.
The Specifics
Shamir combined on-the-road research about the driving habits of both race car and everyday drivers with the company’s big data in the development of its Driver Intelligence™ lenses. How do the lenses compare to what Bourdais wore in the past? “They help everybody get better vision, but people wearing them also feel less visually fatigued,” explains Bourdais. “That’s especially true when it comes to night myopia.”
Two Options
What does he think of Shamir’s unique solution? “I like the Sun and Moon choices,” Bourdais tells The VitaminSEE. “I really enjoy the night-driving Moon lenses. With the aggressive placement of LEDs, displays, and artificial lights all lit up everywhere, the Moon lenses are a real benefit.”
Whether its driving during the day or night, wearers also benefit from Shamir’s coatings. For the daytime Sun lenses, it’s Shamir Glacier Sun™. It provides powerful protection, sun glare reduction, durability, and easy cleaning. For nighttime and low light conditions, Moon lens wearers will appreciate Shamir Glacier Expression™ anti-reflective coating that, for most users, provides a 25% increase in contrast sensitivity, improved reaction times, and a reduction in eye fatigue.
For Bourdais, they’re “quite a game changer,” he says. “Instead of focusing on and being distracted by bright lights and other visual interruptions lap after lap, it makes my time in the car—up to three hours—much more comfortable. That saves my energy for what’s important.
“Both Driver Intelligence™ lenses, Sun and Moon, help eliminate visual distractions,” concludes Bourdais. “That keeps my focus where it belongs… on the raceway.”
To learn more about these exciting lenses, go https://shamir.com/us/for-professionals/shamir-driver-intelligence/
Erinn Morgan
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