SPEED Announcer Bob Varsha to Serve as Online Instructor Reaction Training, Featuring PitFit’s Jim Leo, the Subject of Newest Video Tutorial

SPEED Announcer Bob Varsha to Serve as Online Instructor
Reaction Training, Featuring PitFit’s Jim Leo, the Subject of Newest Video Tutorial


HILLIARD, Ohio (December 20, 2012) – When the Skip Barber Racing School hosted its 2012 Championship Shootout last week at Road Atlanta, offering the top prize of a funded ride in next year’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda worth in excess of $200,000, SPEED television announcer Bob Varsha and PitFit Training’s Jim Leo were among the industry experts on hand to tender advice on how to optimize the candidates’ capabilities.

This week, both Varsha and Leo will continue to give back to the sport that has enriched their livelihoods by contributing to the Road Racing Drivers Club’s ground-breaking www.SAFEisFAST.com initiative. Varsha will serve as the latest Online Instructor, fielding questions especially pertaining to interaction with the media, while Leo will feature in the latest video tutorial, demonstrating how a driver can improve his or her hand-eye coordination in order to gain an advantage on the race track.

Best known as the lead announcer for SPEED’s Formula One coverage, a position he took over when he joined the network (then operating under the Speedvision moniker) from ESPN in 1999, Varsha holds a degree in law and was an accomplished long-distance runner. The native New Yorker twice attended the U.S. Olympic Trials as a marathoner while undertaking his law studies at the Emory University School of Law, from which he graduated in 1977. He looked set for a bright career as a corporate litigator until fate intervened in 1980 and he was invited by TBS to cover a renowned foot race in Atlanta. Before long he had found a new profession. In addition to announcing virtually every form of motorsport in the world, Varsha’s wealth of knowledge includes the experience of supporting his son Matt as he attempted to follow his dream of becoming a professional racecar driver in the middle 1990s. Varsha will continue with SPEED in 2013, commencing his season by leading coverage of the 51st annual Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“I'm honored to have the opportunity to serve as an Online Instructor for SAFEisFAST.com," said Varsha. "This great resource for aspiring drivers came into being right about the time I was invited to join the RRDC as an honorary member, and I have been astonished to see the response from around the world when I've mentioned  the site during our SPEED television broadcasts. That response tells me SAFEisFAST.com is getting its message out, and I'm happy to help in that process.”

Questions for Varsha are being accepted now at www.SAFEisFAST.com. His answers will be posted directly after the New Year.

The video tutorial, Reaction Training, will be available for viewing – FREE, as always – tomorrow (Friday).

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 RRDC, led by President Bobby Rahal, in conjunction with the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety and Sustainability. SAFEisFAST.com also includes a popular “Ask a Pro” section which has featured an array of Online Instructors, including Formula One World Champion Jenson Button, two-time Le Mans winner Alexander Wurz, Indianapolis 500 champions Dario Franchitti and Gil de Ferran and, most recently, Indy 500-winning team owner Bryan Herta. Since its launch, there have been over a quarter of a million views of the online tutorials from visitors representing more than 130 countries.

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About SAFEisFAST.com/RRDC:
The SAFEisFAST.com website is supported by a grant from the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety and Sustainability, a not-for-profit organization that develops and improves motorsport safety worldwide. The site was created by the Road Racing Drivers Club, a U.S. organization made up of many of the world’s most successful racing drivers. Members are elected by their peers and include Formula One World Champions, Indianapolis 500 winners, champion sports car drivers, and top American amateur road racers. 

The club was founded in 1952 by a group of prominent American road racers as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport – particularly in the area of safety. At the time, racing was enjoying a post-war boom with new circuits springing up throughout the country, but the predominance of haybale-lined tracks proved to be quite dangerous. 
 
Now celebrating its 60th Anniversary, the club continues to lead the way in motorsport safety and young driver development.

Contact:  Tamy Valkosky, Public Relations, SAFEisFAST.com • (949) 459-9172 Office • (949) 842-3946 Cellular • pr@safeisfast.com