No Boundaries: Howard Jacobs, SKELETON and IMSA

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (July 24, 2018) – Performance Tech Motorsports’ driver Howard Jacobs, driver of the No.77, is limitless in all aspects of his life.

The South Florida resident is a longtime race car driver, an avid boater, a business owner and an overall outdoors enthusiast. This constantly varied lifestyle left him in search of companies and products after his own heart; fit to overcome whatever challenge come its way. On this journey Jacobs partnered with SKELETON Optics, a military grade sunglass company built for an extremists lifestyle.

"It's the sense of adventure, of having and living with no boundaries," Jacobs said. "After our own trail-tested outdoor adventures, we found there was a need for sunglasses that could not only stand up to the harsh elements but do so while providing extraordinary vision quality. Thus, began the story of SKELETON Optics and their partnership with IMSA."

After trying multiple pairs of SKELETON Optics Jacobs decided it was time to bring them to the track and put them to the test. He passed them out to the Performance Tech Motorsports crew and drivers to see if they could endure the harsh daily-conditions of the race track. Before long individuals from neighboring teams began taking notice of the durable and stylish glasses. By the end of the five-month trial period over 60 pairs of SKELETON frames were circulating the paddock amongst seven teams.

Seemingly overnight Jacobs had infiltrated the paddock with SKELETON Optics, pushing the traditional brands to the wayside. IMSA took note of this incredible growth and requested a meeting with Jacobs. In turn, Jacobs outfitted IMSA officials with glasses to let the product speak for itself.

"As time continued we knew that we were both literally and figuratively a perfect fit for IMSA," Jacobs said, "And IMSA was a perfect fit for us. Two companies grounded in the same philosophy of passion and excellence. Being the designers of the frames gives us the ability to create a branded product that matches the target audience of our partners."

As the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship dawned so did the official start of the "SKELETON Optics, the Preferred Sunglass Provider of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship," campaign. With this new partnership came the question of what made SKELETON Optic better. To start, all of the frames are fitted with handcrafted, polarized lenses by ZEISS.

"The ZEISS lenses are made from a durable polycarbonate," Jacobs said, "These are polarized injected meaning the polarization is injected into the lens itself and will not "flake" off. SKELETON uses advanced coating technology of two premium coatings developed by CZVS laboratories. Tri-Flection mirror makes our lenses anti-smudge and easy to clean while Ri-Pel is an anti-smudge and repellent barrier that is both durable and scratch resistant."

On top of the breaking-edge lenses, SKELETON also uses military grade frames. Every pair is designed and handcrafted in Italy with Grilamid TR-90 thermoplastic. Thermoplastics are incredibly flexible and stress resistant. They also are lightweight, and sweat-wicking to ensure your glasses stay in place all day long.

As the 2019 season approaches the partnership has continued to grow with custom IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sunglasses on the horizon. With help from Jacobs, SKELETON is looking to expand further into the motorsports realm. An extreme sport will always call for extreme products and SKELETON has risen to the occasion.

"We look forward to continuing our relationship with IMSA and engaging IMSA partners as we continue to grow the brand in the Motorsport/Autosport arena," Jacobs said. "IMSA has brought us into Michelin and Michelin brought us into BF Goodrich. Both of these brands, like IMSA, were looking to partner with a company that had the same quality and values as the products they represent. We're excited to see where we can grow from here."

Jacobs next appearance will be at Virginia International Raceway from August 17-19 for Round 5 of IMSA Prototype Challenge powered by Mazda. Coming off a win at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park he looks to use the momentum to stand on the podium steps again. SKELETON Optics can be purchased at the track or at skeletonoptics.com with the code IMSA15 for fifteen percent off. For a complete schedule visit prototypechallenge.imsa.com. The Race will be broadcast through its entirety on imsatv.imsa.com. A delayed broadcast will air on FOX Sports 2 on Thursday, September 6, 8:00 p.m. ET – 9:00.