Due to the obscene hour of the 7:15 AM ALMS Friday practice at Long Beach -  and the need for today's wimpy drivers to be in bed at a time when old time drivers were just tucking into their fourth Triple Tequila Stinger - RRDC President Bobby Rahal has wisely decided to start our Thursday evening banquet events one full hour earlier than originally scheduled.

Here’s the skinny:

Cocktails at 6:00 PM in the beautiful outside courtyard, with four Parnelli Jones cars on display.
Dinner at 7:15 PM: Superb food and plenty of exceptional Bernardus wine, courtesy of good friend, Ben Pon.
The Rahal inquisition of Parnelli will be finished by 9:30

* Please note: Unofficial After-Hour Celebrations will continue to adhere to the rules of the old days.

Last year’s RRDC Long Beach banquet honoring Dan Gurney was The A-List Event of the Grand Prix weekend – a who’s who of racing gathered to honor a true icon of motorsports. Those of us who missed it are still kicking ourselves.

Well this year you’ve got a second chance since we plan to outdo ourselves as we salute another American racing legend - Parnelli Jones.

Dario Franchitti will host the event. And Bobby Rahal will handle the roast – a no-holds-barred interview with Parnelli.

Parnelli’s greatest cars will be on display - as will most of the movers and shakers in road racing today.

THE DETAILS:
Thursday April 15 at the Long Beach Hilton  (The opening day of the Long Beach Grand Prix)
Cocktails 6 PM
Dinner 7:15 PM
Members and guests welcome - $150 per person
Reservations required. Contact: Tamy Valkosky at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .


IF IT HAD WHEELS, PARNELLI COULD DRIVE IT!



Side by side with Mark Donohue at Kent in 1969

Laguna Seca 1964

Parnelli and AJ at IRP

PJ after winning the Times GP at Riverside in 1965

Behind the wheel of the Bud Moore Trans-AM Mustang

The Andy Granatelli turbine car at Indy in 1967

Join us in celebrating the career of this legenday American driver. To make a reservation go to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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).

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 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/Vice Chairman for Clinical Affairs Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami 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. 

Townsend Bell, Sponsorship Coaching, Beverly Hills, Calif. - SPONSORSHIP/BRANDING
The 2001 Indy Lights champion and fourth-place finisher in last year's Indianapolis 500 has raised over $10 million in motorsports sponsorship. His proven track record includes sponsor relationships with companies such as Rock and Republic, Toshiba, Toyota, Maxim, Herbalife and Intel. He has used his talents and experience to help young drivers maximize their personal sponsorship portfolios. 


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 protégés has included Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick, Jon Fogarty, Ryan Hunter-Reay and 2009 Cooper Tires Atlantic Series champion John Edwards.

Comments on the first symposium:

> "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."

Any Questions : Go to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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

.

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.

Please reserve ASAP to Jeremy Shaw and Tamy Valkosky at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 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.

I’ll be looking for you!

PS: Sad News. I've just received word that a long time friend of the RRDC - Joe Stimola - passed away last weekend following complications from open-heart surgery. Joe was the engine wizard behind multiple SCCA Formula Ford National Championships and most recently the Penske Shocks road racing at-track tuner. He was always a most-welcomed part of our annual Daytona dinners - most recently just a few weeks ago. RIP Joe - you will be missed.

Steve Earle, creator and organizer of the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, was named the recipient of the 2009 Bob Akin Award by the Road Racing Drivers Club at the annual dinner prior to the running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Each recipient of this honor, considered the top award in motorsports for non-professional drivers, is selected by Akin's son Bobby, RRDC members Brian Redman and Archie Urciuoli, and approved by RRDC president Bobby Rahal.

Steve Earle displays the Bob Akin trophy for RRDC members Archie Urciuoli (L) and Bobby Rahal

The distinctive trophy was conceived by the RRDC to honor the memory of long-time RRDC member and past president Bob Akin, who lost his life in a racing accident in 2002.

The trophy was designed by Steuben Glass in Corning, N.Y., and is given to an amateur, vintage/historic or semi-professional American road racer who best exemplifies the extraordinary qualities and characteristics that Akin represented, including a passion for motorsports and automobiles, a high level of sportsmanship and fair play, and who has contributed to the sport of motor racing.

Earle, who formed General Racing Ltd. In 1974 with a fresh concept of creating a public event to focus attention on the significance of old racing cars and the history of motorsports, was presented the award by Urciuoli, Akin and Rahal.

"Bob Akin represented so many great things and truly epitomized a true gentleman in the sport," said Rahal.

"Basically, there are three qualifications for the award," said Urciuoli, secretary of the executive committee of the RRDC. "One, you have a history of successful participation in racing; two, you have a high level of sportsmanship and fair play - in other words, you're a good guy or gal - and, finally, you have a record of contributing back to the sport. Interestingly, it's that third element that sometimes is the toughest one when trying to come up with a recipient.

“Steve has been a fan since he was basically in short pants in the late '40s, and an entrant in some of the early races in the '60s, such as the Times Grand Prix and Can-Am. After forming General Racing to run the first Monterey Historics race, at the invitation of a pal, he got his competition license. And it was especially meaningful that that pal was Bob Akin."

Earle and Akin placed fifth in the 1977 overall IMSA FIA Championship Series and Earle went on to race multiple times at tracks such as Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. He organized other notable historic-racing events at venues around the country and "had driven any and all cars I could get my hands on from age 14 with good and bad results,” he said. Today he is a steward of the United States Grand Prix and a member of the FIA Historic Motorsports Commission.

"RRDC member Pete Brock, a great chronicler of all things racing, said that Steve basically invented historic racing in the United States," added Urciuoli. "And another article said, 'What Bill France did with NASCAR and John Bishop did with IMSA and Nick Craw did with the SCCA, Steve Earle did for historic racing.’ That's a great tribute."

Bobby Akin recalled the time, at 10 years old, when his dad loaded the family into "our Buick station wagon with a Lotus 1 on an open trailer and we towed that car to Monterey, California, to the second Monterey Historics event. Under Steve's vision and passion it evolved into the preeminent event of its kind in the U.S. It is truly a magical event."

"First of all," said Earle, with a laugh, upon receiving the award. "I did not start historic racing in this country. I am not the father of any of this. There were people before me. Jim Haynes, for crying out loud, was at it long before I was. And Syd Silverman has done more for the sport than I can imagine."

Earle, who was born in Los Angeles in 1940, recalled those days of racing with his friend Bob Akin in IMSA and at Le Mans with respect and humor. "It was really something. We had fun the whole time. Bob was a very, very special guy for me and to be able to come here and receive this award in his name is a huge honor. I wish more than anything it didn't exist, but it does and I'm so proud to receive it and I thank you all so much."

Past recipients of the Bob Akin Award have been Sam Posey, Charlie Gibson, John Fitch, Jim Haynes, Cameron Argetsinger and Jim Downing.

The permanent trophy, listing annual winners, is on display at the International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC) in Watkins Glen, N.Y. The recipients receive a smaller, engraved version of the award.

Long-time RRDC member and current FIA Senate President Nick Craw was presented with the prestigious Phil Hill Award at the annual RRDC dinner/meeting at Daytona Beach.

Named in honor of the USA’s first Formula One World Champion, the Phil Hill Award is given each year to the person who the RRDC feels has rendered outstanding service to road racing.

Nick Craw is interviewed by SPEEDTv's Bob Varsha

After receiving his award, Nick engaged in a lively question and answer session with SpeedTv’s  Formula One broadcaster Bob Varsha. A lawyer by training, Varsha grilled Nick about the inner workings of the FIA and the recent Formula One off and on-track scandals. Nick’s candid, off-the-record comments were enlightening to say the least.

Nick has been an FIA Senate member while also head of the American Automobile Competition Committee of the U.S. (ACCUS) - an umbrella body representing NASCAR, NHRA, IRL, SCCA, IMSA-ALMS, Grand-Am, USAC and WKA. He had left his position as U.S. SAILING Executive Director in 2004 to concentrate on ACCUS full-time. Previously, he had been President and CEO of SCCA for 17 years.

A Princeton graduate with a Harvard MBA, he had been involved with the Project HOPE hospital ship, VISTA and the Peace Corps, and was a sports-car racing driver from 1968-1977, mainly as a factory BMW driver.   
He resigned as Peace Corps Director in 1974 in order to race full-time and, as a professional race-car driver, claimed the IMSA Goodrich Radial Challenge Championship twice, in 1973 and 1975.


RRDC President Bobby Rahal congratulates Nick Craw on winning the Phil Hill Award