RRDC/FIA Young Drivers Symposium news 2010-11-19

THIRD RRDC/FIA YOUNG DRIVERS SYMPOSIUM TO KICK OFF AT PRI SHOW WITH LINEUP OF EXPERT PANELISTS

HILLIARD, Ohio (Nov. 19, 2010) - The third RRDC/FIA Young Drivers Symposium will kick off at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Orlando, Fla., next month with a lineup of the the sport's and industry's most distinguished experts.

The FREE workshop, open to racing drivers from all motorsports disciplines, will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 11, from 9 a.m.-12 noon. It will take place on a Saturday, so students will not have to miss a day of school.

This third in a series of "Safe is Fast" workshops - with S.A.F.E. an acronym for Skilled, Assured, Fit, Empowered - is supported by a grant from the FIA Motor Sport Safety Development Fund and features a number of racing champions who are RRDC members, plus renowned industry experts. Space is limited, so participants are asked to register early at www.rrdc.org. All workshop materials, including a comprehensive workbook, will be provided.

Once again, Bobby Rahal, Indy 500 winner and president of the RRDC, will lead the "Safe is Fast" workshop and will be joined by the following panelists:

Jacques Dallaire, Ph.D., Founder and President, Performance Prime, Concord, N.C. - MENTAL PREPARATION
For over 30 years, Dr. Dallaire has helped thousands to improve their mental skills and achieve their performance goals. More than 650 racers from 40 countries - including Helio Castroneves and Ron Fellows - have benefited from Dr. Dallaire's Performance Enhancement process that helps to develop a broad set of mental skills to perform in challenging situations and underlies championship performance.

Jim Jordan, Manager for Alternative Marketing at Mazda North American Operations, Irvine, Calif. - SPONSORSHIP/BRANDING
Alternative marketing within Mazda includes motorsports, social media, as well as other non-traditional marketing programs. Jordan, representing Mazda for 24 years, is responsible for marketing activation for Mazda across all professional race series, including Grand-Am GT, ALMS, Star Mazda, USF2000, Skip Barber, and Playboy MX-5 Cup. A racer and a former team owner, Jordan's footnote in MAZDASPEED heritage is having scored the first ever professional road-race win in the U.S. in an MX-5 Miata.

Jim Leo, C.S.C.S., President, PitFit Training, Inc., Indianapolis - PHYSICAL FITNESS
Leo is renowned as one of auto racing's premier fitness trainers. With a client list that includes Scott Dixon, Kasey Kahne, Dario Franchitti, and rising stars such as J.R. Hildebrand, PitFit Training has grown into a worldwide operation. In 1993 Leo designed a training program and cutting-edge fitness center for Penske Racing. He founded PitFit Training in 1997, offering driver training, pit crew performance training and sports nutrition programs.

Stephen Olvey, M.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Neurosurgery/Neurology University of Miami-Miller School of Medicine - SAFETY
Dr. Olvey has been a pioneer in improving driver safety and safety measures for over 30 years. He was Director of Medical Affairs for IndyCar/CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) and also served as the Medical Director for USAC (United States Auto Club). For over a decade, Dr. Olvey has been co-director (alongside Emerson Fittipaldi) of the International Motorsports and Vehicular Injury Research Center (IMVIRC). He is a Founding Fellow of the FIA Institute for Motorsports Safety and former Chairman and Founding Member of the International Council of Motorsports Sciences (ICMS). He is an author of numerous medical publications.

Michael Zimicki, President, Sliderule Motorsport Inc., Bondville, Vt. - INTEGRATED DRIVING
Zimicki has been providing the tools for success on and off the race track to young drivers for over 25 years. An accomplished racer in his own right, claiming the 1981 Skip Barber Formula Ford championship and serving as both a lead instructor and head test driver at the Skip Barber Racing School for over a decade, he founded Sliderule Motorsport in 1991. Combining driver coaching, data analysis and engineering to maximize a driver's and team's success, his roster of proteges has included Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick, Jon Fogarty, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and 2009 Cooper Tires Atlantic Series champion John Edwards.

The goal of this series of free RRDC/FIA workshops is to help young drivers raise their awareness of safety by teaching them to effectively manage their racing vehicles and themselves in all aspects of their careers.

"We are pleased to have such an illustrious panel of industry experts this year for the RRDC/FIA Young Drivers Symposium at the PRI show," said Rahal. "I am confident their presentations will be invaluable and informative. Participants at previous symposiums were very vocal about how much they learned during the three-hour workshop. We are grateful to have the members of this panel donate their time to help young drivers achieve their goals."

About the RRDC: The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club's membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.

President Bobby Rahal is the 1986 Indy 500 winner and is co-owner, with David Letterman, of the 2004 Indianapolis 500 winning Rahal Letterman Racing team. Six-time SCCA National champion John Fergus is the Club's Vice President/Treasurer, and five-time SCCA National champion Tom Davey is the Secretary.

In addition to RRDC members lending their expertise to up-and-coming drivers, the Club presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award for rendering outstanding service to road racing; the Mark Donohue Award for personal spirit and performance at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; and the Bob Akin Award - the top award presented to amateur and semi-professional racers - for speed with style, passion, sportsmanship and contribution to motorsports.

The RRDC also supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990.

Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. Additional information on the organization may be found at www.rrdc.org .

-source: rrdc