QuestionGood afternoon Dan. I am looking for true racing lesons for my 15 year old son. He has had kart lessons and has excelled> I will enroll him in the fromula ford classes at Limerock CT at the Skip Barber School. He really does seem to have a passion for this. Do any outfits like Penske have interships that you know of. It is exciting to see his passion for this and I just want to do what I can to help him develope this skill set which he does seem to have. Thank you for your time . PWBarrett
AnswerYou can start by developing a PROFESSIONAL resume', with photos, records of success , and personality out-takes. Have as much of this done professionally as possible, perfection is important. Submit to organizations like Penske, Chip Ganassi, Andretti Green and the rest. They all have development driver programs and draw from them when they need new blood.
Then there's the thing that no-one thinks of. Personality and the camera. Your boy will have to develop the ability to stand in front of a video camera and say things about the "Mars Bars,Pennzoil,Tampax Special was strong today and we were just a little better than- - -"
You've seen it on TV, the ability to do that is VITAL to a professional career. I know a local driver who is every bit as talented as Jimmy Johnson, and could really shine in Sprint Cup- - -but the guy is an obnoxious JERK. He'll never make it beyond the Hooters Cup.
In the mean time, Sports Car Club of America has the reins on amateur road racing in the USA. Go to <www.scca.org> and look for your local region and district. You can both get involved in amateur racing with them almost immediately.
Finally the subject of funding raises it's ugly head. For now, he's going to need some good paying jobs, so are you, then as he progresses, there are companies that seek out sponsorships for racers and other atheletes. They work on a percentage of what they acquire for you. and some of them can be a major boost.
I wish you luck
Dan Liddy
Sarasota, Florida
