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APRIL 15: Annual West Coast Dinner - Long Beach, California
One of the true legends of American racing – Parnelli Jones – will be the guest of honor at the RRDC’s annual Long Beach Banquet on April 15 at the Long Beach Hilton. Raised in the rough and tumble world of American short track racing, Parnelli quickly got the attention of the road racing community when he entered the Trans-Am in one of Bud Moore’s Mustangs
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One of our members (then a spectator with dreams of racing) offered this recollection of the first time he saw Parnelli at the 1969 Watkins Glen Trans Am:
“Parnelli had his Boss Mustang and Donohue was in the Sunoco Camaro. First lap, they exited Turn 3 leaning on each other and charged up the hill with sixteen cylinders making a noise like God gargling. (There was no chicane in those no-bullshit days.) Parnelli kept smashing his car into Donohue’s and Mark slammed right back, over and over, neither giving nor lifting a millimeter until they disappeared down the back straight.
“Jesus”, I thought, with hands fishing around my pockets for reassurances of manhood, “is that what it takes to drive racecars?”
If that’s what it took, today’s RRDC membership would include Parnelli, Mark and maybe you, but not a lot of the rest of us. But now, on April 15, we mere mortals will have the rare – and probably unique – opportunity to shake the hand that turned the wheel that turned racing on its head.
THE DETAILS: April 15, Hilton Hotel, Long Beach, CA (Opening day of the Toyota Grand Prix)
7:00 PM cocktails and 8:00 PM dinner; Members guests are welcome; Just $150/Person
Rufus Parnell Jones enjoyed himself so much at last year’s Dan Gurney dinner that he was an easy sell to become our 2010 Long Beach honoree. (Right now, those who attended last year’s Gurney event are already reaching for their checkbooks, and shamed members who stayed home to watch curling on TV must vow never, never to miss another of these truly unique experiences.) Our miserably slim profits on $150 help Team USA’s young lions to compete – and often win – at the Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival and Silverstone’s international Walter Hayes Championship: think future RRDC members!
Once again, the banquet food and beverages will be superb; and, once again, Murray Smith will put Parnelli’s huge career into perspective while teasing out never-heard stories about cars, tracks, competitors and those savagely glorious times. (Murray’s like Charlie Rose, only sober – well, mostly.)
Please reserve ASAP to Jeremy Shaw and Tamy Valkosky at
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as we expect an overflow crowd. It would be lovely if everyone then mailed member and invitee checks, plus any unpaid dues ($75) to John Fergus c/o The Fergus Companies, 8377 Green Meadows Drive N Suite A, Lewis Center, OH 43035. Paid dues mean you can get in to the banquet, and your advance banquet check will allow immediate access to cocktails. Yes, backmarkers cash and checks will be accepted at the door.
APRIL 17: RRDC Safe is Fast Symposium -Long Beach, California
The second RRDC / FIA SAFE is FAST Young Drivers Symposium will be held at 8:30 AM on Saturday April 17 at the Long Beach Hilton in conjunction with the Long Beach Grand Prix. Admission to the symposium is free, but you must pre-register – and registration is limited – so sign up now.
To register go to www.SAFEisFAST.com or click on the SAFE is FAST logo on the home page. Any questions should be directed to:
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The program will be hosted by Indy-500 winner and RRDC president Bobby Rahal and will feature leading experts in Driver Preparation, Mental Skills, Physical Fitness, and Driver Safety.
The inaugural Young Drivers Symposium was held at the Performance Racing Industry Show in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 11, in front of an audience of over 150 young drivers, parents, media and RRDC members.
Drivers from a wide variety of motorsports disciplines, including karting, Skip Barber, Jim Russell, Star Mazda, drag racing, SCCA club racing, Legends racing, Late Models and professional sports-car racing, participated in the four-hour workshop, featuring industry experts.
The Faculty: Bobby Rahal (RRDC President), Jim Leo ( physical fitness), Townsend Bell (sponsorship/branding), Stephen Olvey MD (safety), Michael Zimicki (integrated driving) and Jacques Dallaire, Ph.D. (mental preparation).
Indy 500 champion and RRDC president Bobby Rahal was the moderator of the workshop, made possible through a grant from the FIA Motor Sport Safety Development Fund, lending his professional racing expertise to the group. Between speakers, Rahal introduced "Rev" video features (courtesy of Mazda and OnCars.com), covering pertinent subjects of performance, safety and training. Each participant took home a comprehensive workbook, which expanded upon the points made by each speaker.
"I'm extremely pleased with the RRDC's first effort in organizing this symposium," said Rahal. "The lecturers were absolutely the best and are true leaders in this industry. The information was concise, and having the workbook to take home just cements what the young drivers heard here. The fact that everybody was very attentive for four hours, didn't move and didn't fall asleep speaks a lot to the quality of the presentations."
"I thought it was very beneficial," said 18-year-old Brett Smrz, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, a Jim Russell and Skip Barber series racer who also received an RRDC-supported Team USA Scholarship this year. "What I learned about safety and mental preparation in the four hours I was here will help me step up in my career."
His mom Shirley Smrz added, "I thought the symposium was very informative and the information invaluable. I know my son is going to take a lot of this with him to help him further his career."
Said Nathaniel Steele, 21, of Syracuse, N.Y., an FRCCA (Formula Race Car Club of America) racer and a marketing/communications college major, "I learned a lot from Dr. Dallaire. He had a lot of good mental tips, which are very important. It was great to learn so much about safety as well as getting advice from the experts."
Fourteen-year-old Natalie Fenaroli, of Kansas City, Mo., a Mazda Miata racer at Hallett (Okla.) Motor Racing Circuit, impressed the crowd when she performed over 30 push-ups at the request of Jim Leo. "I learned so much," she said. "The PitFit presentation (Leo) was really interesting. I'll have to keep up with that. And I learned a couple of new exercises that are going to help me. I thought Mr. Zimicki's presentation was really important, as well as Townsend Bell's. We do mainly cold calls (seeking sponsorship). It will be interesting to try his techniques. I think it could yield much better results."
Sports Psychologist Jacques Dallaire shows how to get in the zone.
Fitness Trainer Jim Leo demonstrates the effect of G-forces.
Dr Stephen Olvey shares his experiences as Medical Director for major racing series.
Indy-500 driver Townsend Bell reveals what it takes to land sponsorship.
Driver Coach Michael Zimicki explains how to pull it all together on race day.
Any Questions : Go to
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