INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 10, 2016) - The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) has secured support from the Motorsport Safety Group, LLC, as an official partner of the ARCA Safety Initiative.
Dr. Jason Cormier, one of the country’s leading neurosurgeons, has formed the Motorsports Safety Group to create a means by which to promote health, wellness and preventative practices within the sport of auto racing. Dr. Cormier crafted this strategic partnership with the ARCA Safety Initiative Program to form a “Motorsports Healthcare Education Plan”, a high profile, interactive activation designed to reach millions of race fans throughout the country.
“From both my training as a neurosurgeon and my experiences as a racer, I continue to enjoy watching and participating in the sport,” said Dr. Cormier regarding his newly-announced involvement. “I look forward to sharing my ideas, as they are based on medical expertise and my personal and collaborative experiences in racing.”
Utilizing the strength and demographic reach of auto racing, the Motorsports Safety Group's mission is to provide a comprehensive, grassroots marketing campaign focused on preventative health care education and wellness training. With an emphasis to educate and engage race fans in their growing role as healthcare consumers, the objective is to influence behavioral changes, to provide racing’s brand-loyal audience with the medical knowledge to make informed, preventative decisions which directly affect the wellness of their families.
The partnership announcement was made by ARCA's VP of Business Development and Corporate Partnerships Mark Gundrum, in conjunction with So Good! Entertainment, the agency of record for the Motorsports Safety Group.
“The ARCA Safety Initiative is the culmination of forward thinking, combined efforts and the desire to achieve a higher level of responsibility within the safety sector of the ARCA Sanctioning Body,” said Gundrum. “The program was launched in an effort to explore, examine, and react to the elements that comprise the safety environment in the sport, and for the wellbeing of those who participate, spectate, and manage. The addition of the Motorsports Safety Group will prove to be highly beneficial to this effort.”
The past decade has seen significant improvements regarding driver safety in the sport. The combined and independent efforts of the leading motorsports sanctioning bodies worldwide have brought tremendous advances to the safety of automobile racing.
New fire extinguishers, cockpit carbon-monoxide filters for the drivers, wheel tethers and rooftop escape hatches have all been developed recently, in addition to the introduction of head and neck restraints mandated for use by all drivers in most major touring series and many short tracks across the country.
Additional driver safety enhancements to seats, helmets, and fire retardant clothing, plus external upgrades to retaining wall construction have made the sport much safer.
Further information about the programs planned throughout the season by the Motorsports Safety Group will be announced in the near future.