Who: Friends and family of RACE 101 past and present

What: Annual RACE 101 Gala and Graduation Event

Where: La Quinta Inn, Hickory, North Carolina

When: Sunday January 13th, 2013, 2:00 pm

Why: To celebrate the graduation of the RACE 101 Class of 2012, and to announce new RACE 101 Ambassadors

Online registration is the fastest and easiest way to reserve a spot, and people can visit www.race101.net to find the link for registration, or follow the precise link at the bottom of this release.
“We’re very optimistic from the emails and phone calls we have received on this event,” said RACE 101 founder Tony Blanchard. “We have received inquiries from grassroots racer and professional race teams alike. Our attendees won’t be disappointed.”
‘Team Development Weekend’ will debut January 11th, 12th, and 13th, 2013 in Hickory, North Carolina’s La Quinta Inn as well as RACE 101’s headquarters in Denver, North Carolina. The three-day seminar was created to meet demands from racers and race teams to get a detailed overview of everything taught in the popular year-long RACE 101 program.

“We have an aggressive weekend planned,” said RACE 101 instructor Adam Ross. “We’re ready to present a lot of information in three days, and with the follow-up we plan to provide people will get some great material.”
RACE 101 is a one-year educational program for young racers looking to flourish by understanding the complicated business of racing both on the track and away from the track. It combines technical principles along with marketing and public relations studies that a race team needs to achieve success.
“It is amazing what we will introduce a class in just three days,” said marketing and public relations instructor Adam Ross. “Once we share our philosophy behind the way we approach the business of racing it becomes much easier to take everything in. We also plan to work with our race teams beyond the weekend to see them succeed.”
Blanchard and Ross say the reason for understanding the material taught is just as important as understanding the material itself. If it sounds complicated – it is, but it isn’t at all.

“Any of the topics we teach could be university courses,” said Blanchard. “From physics, to public relations, to communication the content is advanced learning. But if you understand it in context, and if you understand why you need to grasp those subjects then it becomes much easier.
“If we told the average racer we need to affect the coefficient of friction on a car he or she likely wouldn’t know where to start. When you explain we’re looking for forward bite then it becomes much easier to understand. Every racer has encountered that challenge. We plan to help our students understand reasons for learning what we teach, and it will be much easier to grasp.”
While teaching the drivers it is important to also teach the whole crew. The need for crew members and family to understand the same principles as the driver is simple.
“The core of RACE 101 is communication,” said Ross. “Communication dictates the success of a race team. Communication within the team is critical to on-track success. Communication with the media and with potential marketing partners creates opportunity.
“Often a race team is a family operation with a small amount of outside help. When everyone understands the same principles the team becomes stronger. In three short days we will show how communicating the right way will lead to greater success in our sport, and the entire team will play a role.”
Following two days in a classroom setting the group will put its knowledge to use working on various parts of a race car. The course is hands-on, and the material relates directly back to each individual race team.
Included in the cost of the seminar is ongoing consultation with Blanchard and Ross on both chassis set-up, proposal-writing, and the creation of a media campaign.
“Our goal is to communicate what we know to be successful strategies and tactics in racing, and then to work with each team to make sure they apply what they learn successfully,” said Blanchard. “By applying their studies to their individual teams it completes the teaching process. The results are staggering.”
“We don’t just want to teach a class and move on to the next group,” said Ross. “By following up with each team to execute what they’ve learned then we know they understand. It’s very rewarding to see past students achieve their potential.”
For more information on RACE 101: Team Development Weekend, or to inquire about registering to this exciting event please follow the above link: or email RACE 101 at office@race101.net .

Specific areas of study during the Weekend:
BASICS OF RACE CAR MECHANICS
Driver comfort in relation to speed
Communicating with the crew chief
Being the driver – taking responsibility
Mechanical terms
Mechanical confidence

CHASSIS SET-UP
Camber
Camber curves
Castor
Static wheel loads
Roll center
Bump steer
Rear suspension
Car alignment

ADVANCED MECHANICS AND MECHANICAL THEORY
Jacking forces
Dynamic wheel loads
Cornering forces
Front-end design
The speed in air pressure

SHOCKS
Shock graphs
Shock pistons
Bump stops
Shock selection

ENGINES
Four cycles of an engine
Engine mathematics
Camshaft theory
Torque vs. horsepower

MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS TOPICS
Core public relations:
Press release writing:
Storylines:
Cause marketing:
Creating media opportunity:
Fundamentals of speech:
Body language:
Powerful storytelling:
Elevator speech:
Lead generation:
Effective marketing materials
Introducing your ‘product’
Powerful social media: (not everything is a sales pitch)

Weber races under the guidance of RACE 101 founder Tony Blanchard as RACE 101’s development driver. The solid finishes prove to Blanchard the development process is working.

Weber drove his family-owned #50 at Concord, but the engine went sour during the race.

“We put our young driver through a gruelling week

end,” said Blanchard. “Between practice and the races he drove more than 500 laps this weekend. More importantly he endured a flat tire racing under green flag conditions, and he persevered to the finish when the engine went sour at Concord. We are really starting to see the maturing process kick in for Karl.”While two races in two days doesn’t sound overly difficult the conditions often dictate the stress level. After suffering engine troubles at Concord and limping home at a track where Weber had no experience the team switched to the RACE 101 house car for Southern National Motorsports Park. Sleep was brief for the diminutive Weber, but he turned his fastest laps ever qualifying just a couple hundredths of a second out of the top five.

“He drove a smart race at Southern National in a car that was a real handful,” said Blanchard. “Karl should be proud of what he accomplished this weekend.”

Blanchard is completing his second year working with the Weber family from Indiana. The Webers farm corn for a living, and Karl earned his nickname the ‘Flying Farmer’ while racing karts throughout North America.Looking towards year number three together the schedule will get more demanding, and it will feature more premier events.

Weber drove a loose-handling 101 car to a lead lap finish at Southern National.

“We focused on racing where Karl could find his comfort zone and mature in a productive environment,” said Blanchard. “It’s time to go racing, and we plan to showcase Karl’s talent against the best in the sport. The next year will test Karl’s will. I believe he’s up to the challenge.”

For more information on RACE 101 visit www.RACE101.net. Applications remain open for the RACE 101 class of 2013. For interview requests, or for any information not found on the website please send inquiries to  office@race101.net .

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“The Team Development Weekend will be intense,” said RACE 101 founder and head instructor Tony Blanchard. “The goal is to introduce drivers, team members, and family members to the principles we teach our students in the full RACE 101 program. It will be a lot to take in over three days, but we have been developing this for years. The market is ready.”

RACE 101 is a one year program for young racers looking to flourish by understanding the complicated business of racing both on the track and away from the track. It combines technical principles along with marketing and public relations studies that a race team needs to achieve success.

“It is amazing what we will introduce a class in just three days,” said marketing and public relations instructor Adam Ross. “Once we share our philosophy behind the way we approach the business of racing it becomes much easier to take everything in. We also plan to work with our race teams beyond the weekend to see them succeed.”

Blanchard and Ross say the reason for understanding the material taught is just as important as understanding the material itself. If it sounds complicated – it is, but it isn’t at all.

“Any of the topics we teach could be university courses,” said Blanchard. “From physics, to public relations, to communication the content is advanced learning. But if you understand it in context, and if you understand why you need to grasp those subjects then it becomes much easier.

“If we told the average racer we need to affect the coefficient of friction on a car he or she likely wouldn’t know where to start. When you explain we’re looking for forward bite then it becomes much easier to understand. Every racer has encountered that challenge. We plan to help our students understand reasons for learning what we teach, and it will be much easier to grasp.”

While teaching the drivers it is important to also teach the whole crew. The need for crew members and family to understand the same principles as the driver is simple.

“The core of RACE 101 is communication,” said Ross. “Communication dictates the success of a race team. Communication within the team is critical to on-track success. Communication with the media and with potential marketing partners creates opportunity.

“Often a race team is a family operation with a small amount of outside help. When everyone understands the same principles the team becomes stronger. In three short days we will show how communicating the right way will lead to greater success in our sport, and the entire team will play a role.”

Following two days in a classroom setting the group will put its knowledge to use working on various parts of a race car. The course is hands-on, and the material relates directly back to each individual race team.

Included in the cost of the seminar is ongoing consultation with Blanchard and Ross on both chassis set-up, proposal-writing, and the creation of a media campaign.

“Our goal is to communicate what we know to be successful strategies and tactics in racing, and then to work with each team to make sure they apply what they learn successfully,” said Blanchard. “By applying their studies to their individual teams it completes the teaching process. The results are staggering.”

“We don’t just want to teach a class and move on to the next group,” said Ross. “By following up with each team to execute what they’ve learned then we know they understand. It’s very rewarding to see past students achieve their potential.”

For more information on RACE 101: Team Development Weekend, or to inquire about registering to this exciting seminar please email RACE 101 at office@race101.net .

WONDERING WHAT IS COVERED IN RACE 101: TEAM DEVELOPMENT WEEKEND?

BASICS OF RACE CAR MECHANICS

Driver comfort in relation to speed

Communicating with the crew chief

Being the driver – taking responsibility

Mechanical terms

Mechanical confidence

CHASSIS SET-UP

Camber

Camber curves

Castor

Static wheel loads

Roll center

Bump steer

Rear suspension

Car alignment

ADVANCED MECHANICS AND MECHANICAL THEORY

Jacking forces

Dynamic wheel loads

Cornering forces

Front-end design

The speed in air pressure

SHOCKS

Shock graphs

Shock pistons

Bump stops

Shock selection

ENGINES

Four cycles of an engine

Engine mathematics

Camshaft theory

Torque vs. horsepower

MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS TOPICS

Core public relations:

Press release writing:

Storylines:

Cause marketing:

Creating media opportunity:

Fundamentals of speech:

Body language:

Powerful storytelling:

Elevator speech:

Lead generation:

Effective marketing materials

Introducing your ‘product’

Powerful social media: (not everything is a sales pitch)

“We’re proud to add Leaf Racewear as a marketing partner,” said RACE 101 founder and instructor Tony Blanchard. “Leaf has earned a reputation for providing great quality and safety, and we appreciate the support.”
Leaf Racewear specializes in custom racing suits and team apparel. The company was formed in the 1980s, and it continues to flourish in the competitive motorsports apparel industry.
“I’ve seen what RACE 101 is doing for young racers, and we’re pleased to get involved,” said Leaf Racewear owner Colin Grandy. “We try to support young talent, and this gives us a way to be involved with a great group of people.”
In addition to the custom racing suit Leaf Racewear is providing the Premier Driver it is also offering preferred pricing to all RACE 101 students.
“It’s important that our students maintain an impressive image,” said RACE 101 marketing instructor Adam Ross. “It can be costly to achieve, but with the phenomenal support of Leaf Racewear it’s much more attainable.”
For more information on RACE 101 visit www.RACE101.net, and to see what Leaf Racewear offers visit www.LeafRacewear.com.
The Premier Driver for the Class of 2012 will be announced at the annual Graduation Ceremony and Gala Dinner in North Carolina this winter. Applications are still being accepted for students wanting to enroll in RACE 101 for the Class of 2013. To apply, click here: APPLICATIONS .
Leaf Racewear will be attending various trade shows this off season. For great deals on race suits and accessories, see Leaf Racewear at the upcoming Parts Peddler show in New York, or at the Performance Racing Industry show in Orlando.
For more information contact Adam Ross at adamrossenterprises@gmail.com or 519-212-8632.

XXX

“We want to create more dialogue before our selection process begins,” said program founder Tony Blanchard. “The new application process starts with an opportunity for young racers to express interest in joining us.

“In years past our prospects filled out a cumbersome application, and we didn’t get enough opportunity to communicate and ensure that the program would fit the student. I expect this process will lead to a great class for next year.”

A link to the new application is at the bottom of this release, and applications are officially open. Prospects will be contacted to arrange discussions over the next four months before the new class is announced.

“We expect to announce the new class earlier than in years past,” said instructor Adam Ross. “This process should make it easier to find the best students, and announcing it sooner is better for everyone.”

For more information on the RACE 101 program and its stellar graduates, visit www.RACE101.net . To apply to the program, click here:

  Class of 2013 APPLICATION

“It has been a long winter, and I just can’t wait to get back in the car again.  We have everything ready to go, we are just waiting for Saturday night to get here so we can go racing”, says Wilson, referring to their first scheduled race at Fulton Speedway with the Patriot Sprint Tour.

2012 has been busy off the track for Wilson, leading up to the new season.  Back in January, she was accepted in the Race 101 program in North Carolina where she has participated in weekend classes learning all aspects of the industry from chassis and shock adjustment to the marketing and promotional side of the sport that is invaluable in today’s motorsports world.

Wilson, along with four other local female racers, traveled to North Carolina for one weekend in February and March for in-class training.  The rest of the year they will have weekly online seminars throughout the season, and will resume their in class portion again in November as they return to North Carolina once the local racing season is over.  When Wilson returns, she will also get an opportunity to test the Race 101 prepared house car at the famed Hickory Motor Speedway.

“The Race 101 program has been an unbelievable experience so far”, says Wilson.  “Everyone is so helpful to us, and I cant wait to get back down there again in the fall.  Adam (Ross) and Tony (Blanchard) are amazing at what they do, and I have met so many great people, and it has just been an awesome program”.

In an effort to better promote April Wilson, we are very excited of the launch to the new April Wilson Racing website.  It will be filled with photos, information, schedule of events, race results and so much more as the 2012 season gets going.

“I really have to thank Finish Line Web Design for the awesome job they did on my new website”, adds Wilson.  “I really think our fans are going to really enjoy it.  The website has both Facebook and Twitter updates, so fans can follow us while we are at the track”.

April Wilson, and the Wilson Motorsports 2012 racing schedule is still being put together, but will be highlighted by a few events with the World of Outlaw Sprint Cars, including the inaugural race at Cornwall Motor Speedway on July 29^th, and a pair of shows at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on May 16^th and October 6^th.  Wilson will also be at Brighton Speedway for most of the Southern Ontario Sprint Car races, and both Patriot Sprint Tour Races at Brockville Speedway, as well as the Sprint Car open race at Brockville during the Northeast Fall Nationals on October 13^th.  Wilson will also race at both Empire Super Sprint Events at Chapman’s Can Am Motorsports Park, held on April 28^th and July 7^th.  Other events may be added at a later date.

For more information on April Wilson and the Wilson Motorsports team, including updated race schedule, photos, results and sponsor information, please visit our brand new website, www.aprilwilsonracing.com.

The final touch was added this week when the car was wrapped with the familiar 101, supporters, and a few twists.

RACE 101 graduates were quite vocal in their apprecation of being put on the race car. Driver Trevor Sanborn will have two dozen young racers riding with him.According to RACE 101 owner, founder, and chassis designer - this year's color scheme is meant to be all business.While Trevor Sanborn may be driving the car, RACE 101's official Twitter feed @RACE101DotNet sits atop the window.

According to RACE 101 owner, founder, and chassis designer - this year's color scheme is meant to be all business.

While Trevor Sanborn may be driving the car, RACE 101's official Twitter feed @RACE101DotNet sits atop the window.

After a successful test at Hickory last month the team went to Kenly, North Carolina to test at Southern National Motorsports Park. The car wasn't to the liking of Sanborn or Blanchard, so they cut the front end apart and made minor tweaks to the design. Upon returning to Hickory early last week, Sanborn's was only response when asked how it ran: "bad fast".

After arriving in Charlotte on Friday, Mach 16th, Murphy and the Race 101 students spent the day in the classroom continuing their discussion about shocks. Tony Blanchard, the owner of Race 101 instructed the students on the importance of the shock program, and later in the day heard from Adam Ross, who discussed tips on how to approach new marketing partners.

“Tony and Adam do such a great job in teaching us all aspects of this sport”, says Murphy. We have only had a few classes here, but I have already learned so much. I cant wait to get going with our 2012 racing program, and apply everything that I have learned so far”.

After class was over on Friday afternoon, Murphy along with her “Fearsome Foursome” friends traveled to South Carolina to Lancaster Speedway for some Dirt Late Model Racing. North Country star Tim McCreadie was in action, and the young racers were excited to meet up with the local racing star.

Murphy was back in the classroom on Saturday morning, and they continued their discussion about shocks, and became more hands on, learning how they are built, how to take apart and rebuild a shock, and how to read a shock dyno graph. With class over for the day, the entire Race 101 class took a field trip to the historic Hickory Motor Speedway for the night for their weekly racing program.

“It was a great race, and we all enjoyed getting to watch some racing at such a historic place”, adds Murphy. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to get to test the Race 101 car at this track later in the year”.

Sunday was spent back in the classroom, and this time they reflected back on their evening the night before. While everyone remembers the race winners name, it is also important for everyone else to find a way to get their name out there and represented in a positive way. They also discussed interview techniques, and how to help a marketing partner get a return on their investment.

“It was a great weekend once again. I am a little sad that we wont be back down to North Carolina again until late in the year after we are done racing, but I am looking forward to applying everything that I have learned to our racing program”.

Tabatha Murphy would like to thank King Edward Auto Parts, Brockville Tractor Trailer Maintenance, Reabel’s Plumbing, Splash Well Drilling, Ernie’s Auto Clinic, McGuffy’s News and Finish Line Web Design for all of their support.

We have been working hard over the off-season getting ready for 2012, and we look forward to working with you all again in 2012. To stay up to date with Tabatha Murphy and the Murphy Motorsports team throughout the off-season, log on to the team’s new and improved website at www.tabathamurphy.net. The website is updated weekly during the racing season and it also contains information on Tabatha Murphy as well as direct links to our sponsor’s websites.

If finding marketing partners for your racing career was easy – everybody would do it. Sure it’s not exactly the way the phrase was designed, but it applies. Every time I failed on the race track the same words fell out of my dad’s mouth; if it was easy, anybody could do it.

I can’t even describe the anger I would feel listening to it, but as time went by I understood what he meant more and more. As a young racer it’s hard to comprehend that you’re not as good as you’re going to get. In a sport that requires confidence to succeed it seems contradictory that you also need patience and humility.

Whether you race five times a year or 50 times a year I can assure you that you get more practice improving your racing skills than you do perfecting your marketing skills. Following that logic many racers never do succeed finding marketing partners because they never take the time to learn how. It’s not easy, and not anybody can do it. That’s precisely why you should learn how.

The phrase ‘Become the Opportunity’ was chosen as the theme for my series of blogs for a simple reason. If you change the way you look at ‘sponsorships’ (and I despise that word more every day in a racing context) you will realize that you’re not asking for sponsorships when you become the opportunity. When approaching a potential partner you are presenting an opportunity for them to market themselves. You are the opportunity, and they are the entity that will capitalize on you. You will receive their investment and offer them great return.

Katelyn Kane gets the biggest line for autograph sessions. Understanding how that can benefit marketing partners is a key to success. Find her at FearsomeFoursomeRacing.com

The entire process of creating a partnership takes time, and you have to invest energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and skill to make the partnership work. More than anything you need a plan, and your plan needs to have a goal. Whether you’re pitching an interview to the media, creating marketing partnerships, or even interviewing with a potential new team – you need a plan with goals. Why? How on earth will you know if you were successful if you didn’t set a goal and achieve it?

There are three basic steps you can apply to every relationship and every activity you create from a motorsports marketing standpoint:

1. Introduction
2. Call to action
3. Engagement

With your plan in place to nurture success you are ready to embark on your marketing journey. Media interviews, networking opportunities, trade shows, and daily activities will provide you ample opportunity to introduce yourself to potential partners. Without understanding that the introduction is merely the first of three steps it’s easy to shake a hand and walk away before realizing you left opportunity behind. Don’t leave opportunity behind.

Your introduction is the perfect opportunity to plant a proverbial seed. You not only want to introduce yourself, but you want to introduce a ‘call to action’. Simply stated – the call to action can be almost anything, but in this case you want the call to action to lead to further encounters. It’s hard to build a relationship when all you do is introduce yourself.

Daniel Alvarez is extremely successful introducing himself within the industry. Look him up and ask him his secret. He's not shy! Daniel Alvarez Racing on Facebook.

The call to action varies depending on the nature of the introduction, but it needs to lead directly to the engagement of your new relationship. If you are able to engage your new partner, then chances are you have earned the right to present an opportunity.

What’s your opportunity? That’s not for me to know, and it changes frequently. The opportunity is limited only by your imagination and the quality of the partners you have been able to harvest. What I can tell you is that the opportunity leads you back to step 1. When you ‘introduce’ the opportunity, it will again lead to a ‘call to action’, and once you are able to ‘engage’ your partner you can hope it leads to a marketing agreement.

The knowledge here doesn’t help you as a racer. Knowing how to apply the knowledge is where you will be able to achieve more than you thought possible.

Become the opportunity. Understand your potential. Seek guidance, and then go out and harvest relationships that lead to achieving your goals. If it was easy, anybody could do it. Good thing it isn’t easy because it’s worth knowing how do to it effectively.

For more information on the topics discussed in my blogs, email me at adamrossenterprises@gmail.com . If you’re interested in the RACE 101 program where we teach these principles among many others, visit us online at www.race101.net . Stay in touch for upcoming seminars in your area! Until then, work hard towards Becoming the Opportunity.