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."

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