RRDC launches ground-breaking “Safe is Fast” web site
Access to the SAFE is FAST Video Symposium is FREE (upon registration).
Supported by the FIA Motor Sport Safety Development Fund, this comprehensive site is an invaluable tool for up-and-coming racing drivers, as well as established ones, to hone their skills and learn from the best in the world.
Hosted by RRDC President Bobby Rahal, SAFE is FAST features more than 30 RRDC members and other industry experts in some 90 minutes of high-quality videos covering subjects from physical and mental preparation to driving techniques, driver safety to car setup and sponsorship. Here’s a sampling:
Helmets and HANS Devices by Drs. Steve Olvey and Terry Trammell.
Driver Fitness by Dr. Jim Leo.
Focus and Concentration by Dr. Jacques Dallaire.
Karts to Cars by Dario Franchitti and seven other professional drivers.
Learning a New Track by Patrick Long and four other drivers.
Is Smooth Fast? by Boris Said and six others.
Braking by Graham Rahal and six others.
Overtaking by Memo Gidley and nine others
The Driver Coach by Mike Zimicki with Graham Rahal
Working with an Engineer by Julian Robertson and 10 others
Cockpit Management by David Donohue and two others
The Ladder System by Martin Brundle and nine others.
Team USA by Jeremy Shaw and four graduates
What Teams Look For by Roger Penske, Chip Ganassi and three others.
Sponsorship by Mazda’s Jim Jordan.
These videos have additional observations and tips by Neil Alberico, A.J. Allmendinger, Bill Auberlen, Ryan Briscoe, Tim Cindric, Conor Daly, Ryan Dalziel, Cliff Dempsey, Scott Dixon, John Edwards, John Gentilozzi, Joey Hand, Hurley Haywood, Bryan Herta, Mike Hull, Charlie Kimball, Andy Lally, Patrick Long, Josef Newgarden, Johnny O’Connell, Max Papis, Scott Pruett, Lyn St. James, Michael Shank, Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor, Dan Weldon, Justin Wilson, Henry Wolf and Jimmy Vasser..
Future videos now in production include Basic Driver Workout, Getting in the Zone, Tire Management, Rain Racing, Pit Stops, Overtaking, Basic Car Set-Up, the Friction Circle, Understeer and Oversteer, Data Acquisition, Aerodynamics 101, Marketing Yourself, Working with the Media, Kids Helmets and the Evolution of Safety.
“Back in the club’s early days, you could go to a drivers’ school or seminar and your instructors would be Mark Donohue, Roger Penske or Paul Newman," explained Rahal. “I think we’ve re-created that experience – online.
“I’m really proud to be associated with this effort as it makes the RRDC truly relevant for today and into the future."
Nick Craw, head of ACCUS and President of the FIA Senate, called http://www.safeisfast/ “nothing less than a game changer. This exceeds my expectations, which are fairly high to begin with, and whets my appetite for the coming items."