Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time IndyCar CART champion Gil de Ferran has become the Global Ambassador for SAFEisFAST.com, the online driver development program from the Road Racing Drivers Club.

A prodigious talent known for his speed and sophistication, de Ferran enjoyed a successful career in his native Brazil, as well as in Europe and the United States, culminating in the early 2000s, winning back-to-back IndyCar CART titles in 2000 and 2001 with Team Penske. The Brazilian also won the 2003 Indy 500 in his final season before retiring from open-wheel racing.

Gil de Ferran

In his new role, he will help to promote SAFEisFAST.com at races and events across the world, participate in online tutorials and encourage other professional drivers to do the same. The initiative is designed to empower aspiring racing drivers to improve their skills and safety levels through educational materials, such as videos on handling techniques, driver fitness and cockpit safety. De Ferran takes over from fellow Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, who was Global Ambassador for the 2014 season.

De Ferran commented: “I was fortunate throughout my career to have many fantastic people advising and encouraging me and I believe it is our duty as former professional drivers to pass on what we have learned to future generations of racers. When you’re starting your career you can never get enough help and you can certainly never stop improving, so I think this sort of resource is an essential tool for all aspiring champions.”

Bobby Rahal, President of the RRDC, said: “This is fantastic news for young drivers everywhere. We started this program to help the next waves of talented racers to be successful and safe on the track, so to have such a knowledgeable champion represent us and provide advice is a really great thing.”

In a further boost, Honda Performance Development (HPD), the racing arm of Honda, will remain as the presenting partner for SAFEisFAST.com for the next three years, enabling the program to continue to produce high-quality content and reach out to young and amateur drivers worldwide.