October 29, 2012
Two of the most important elements that are necessary for success in modern-day auto racing are the ability to procure – and maintain – sponsorship partners and a willingness to embrace the latest simulation technologies which, at the very least, allow drivers to gain a thorough knowledge of a track’s layout before they even set foot inside the circuit gates.
This week, the Road Racing Drivers Club’s innovative and effective www.SAFEisFAST.com website will pass along invaluable information on both topics to every genre of driver, including those who are seeking to make a career out of the sport or merely competing for the fun of it.
Accomplished driver and acknowledged sponsorship expert Townsend Bell will be available to answer questions as SAFEisFAST’s Online Marketing Instructor, while the program’s latest video tutorial is entitled “Getting the most out of Driving Simulators – Part 1, iRacing.”
The video features Sean Siff, marketing manager of iRacing.com, which offers some of the most realistic and cost-effective online simulation “games” on the market, as well as SCCA Sports 2000 National Champion Corey Fergus, Rolex Grand-Am Series drivers David Donohue and Memo Rojas, and IZOD IndyCar Series race winner Justin Wilson. The tutorial can be viewed at www.SAFEisFAST.com.
Bell, meanwhile, brings a wealth of knowledge to SAFEisFAST.com as Online Marketing Instructor. An industry expert presenter in the original series of SAFEisFAST workshops and a lecturer at numerous conferences to help young drivers maximize their personal sponsorship portfolios, Bell has raised over $10 million for his own motorsports programs. In 2009, he launched Townsend Bell Sponsorship Coaching to bring his expertise in the sponsorship world to drivers, teams and sponsors.
Bell has developed an accomplished and diverse resume since setting his sights on a racing career in 1996. Powered by determination and a knack for putting deals in place, the California native stepped from driving school to the cockpit of a Formula 1 chassis in a scant seven years, winning the 2001 Firestone Indy Lights Championship along the way. He became the first American to earn an F3000 podium, has competed at the highest levels of U.S. open-wheel racing – finishing fourth in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 and qualifying fourth in 2011 – and this year made his professional sports car racing debut in the American Le Mans Series with Lotus-Alex Job Racing, winning the GTC class in the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring. Bell also has received accolades as a TV color commentator in Formula One coverage and, most recently, the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Questions for Bell can be posted all this week at www.SAFEisFAST.com. His answers will be posted daily beginning next Monday.
SAFEisFAST.com is a free online resource offering video tutorials on safety, fitness, mental skills, race craft, career development, sponsorship, marketing and more to assist the careers of drivers in all forms of racing. The website was created by the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC), led by President Bobby Rahal, in conjunction with the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety and Sustainability. Since its launch, there have been over 213,500 views of the online tutorials from visitors representing no fewer than 130 countries.