RRDC/FIA Young Drivers Symposium news 2010-11-27

RISING RACING STARS EXTOL THE VIRTUES OF THE RRDC/FIA YOUNG DRIVERS SYMPOSIUM

HILLIARD, Ohio (Nov. 27, 2010) -- An array of rising stars from the world of auto racing have praised members and officials of the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC) and the sport's worldwide governing body, the FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile), for their efforts in staging a series of FREE seminars. The "Safe is Fast" concept is aimed at helping young drivers raise their awareness of safety by teaching them to effectively manage their racing vehicles and themselves in all aspects of their careers.

The third RRDC/FIA Young Drivers Symposium will take place on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, as part of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Five highly respected racing experts -- in addition to Indianapolis 500 winner turned successful team owner Bobby Rahal, who will emcee the event in his role as president of the RRDC -- will make presentations covering a wide range of topics including safety, physical fitness, setup and driving skills, sponsorship/branding, mental preparation and career management.

"The Young Drivers Symposium covers nearly all the aspects of being a complete racing driver," said Conor Daly, 18, from Noblesville, Ind., who attended the initial workshop at the PRI Show last year. "I found it incredibly helpful and I'm able to apply all of what I learned during the symposium to my career every day. All of the speakers have a wealth of knowledge and it was great to be able to learn from them."

Daly, a dominant winner of this year's Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear and widely acknowledged as one of the sport's most accomplished young performers, also will attend this year's PRI symposium along with his father, Derek Daly, an ex-Formula One/IndyCar racer and two-time winner of the Twelve Hours of Sebring sports car classic.

"It was a great experience for me," added Spencer Pigot, 17, from Windermere, Fla., who this year won both the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda as well as a prestigious Team USA Scholarship. "I learned a lot from all the specialists. You get a chance to understand a lot more about key aspects of the sport -- outside the car, fitness, sponsorship and much more. It was a fantastic event that all young drivers should attend because you will be able to use the information throughout your career."

"I learned so much at the symposium," said Miles Maroney, 16, from Topanga Canyon, Calif., who claimed Rookie of the Year honors in the Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Corsa Car Care and attended the RRDC/FIA workshop at Long Beach in April. "Out of everything, I think the thing that stood out the most for me was Dr. Jacques Dallaire's presentation on how the mind affects performance. His demonstration with the pendulum was an eye-opener, and from then on I have had a completely different approach to the mental aspect of racing. I think that any young racer needs information like that to really step up and advance in racing. I'm hoping to make it to the PRI show in December, because I'd love to hear the entire presentation again."

Fans of the concept are not limited to aspiring young champions of the future. Accomplished race and design engineer Steve Newey, co-owner of the Bryan Herta Autosport Indy Lights team, was equally impressed after attending last year's PRI Show along with his son Brandon Newey, one of the front-runners in this year's BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda: "The young driver seminar was much more than I was expecting," said the elder Newey. "For the future professional driver, the information that is presented is both immediately applicable and practical. I have been involved in racing for 30 years and found the seminar very informative about what a young driver should focus on outside of the race car."

There is no cost to attend the workshop, although space is limited. Registrations are being accepted on a first-come, first-served basis via rrdc.org. Respondents thus far represent a wide variety of motorsport disciplines including karting, open-wheel and closed-wheel racing, stock cars and drag racing.

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