The Kids Machine part of the program is to help generate interest in racing by using the car, the driver, and the excitement of racing to help teach important messages to young children.

 

Jim and the team bring the car to local schools and events to talk about the importance of education, teamwork, safety, non-bullying, abstaining from alcohol and drugs, and communication. The presentation/discussion is geared to the age group, with an emphasis on it being fun, as the team feels the kids need to be having fun when talking about these things. 

 

Jim and team have presented to over 500 elementary aged kids over the past 2 years. To help reinforce the important information mentioned above, they use hands-on interaction with the car, helmet, race suit, gloves, and boots to create the excitement and get their attention. They follow it up with give-away items (Frisbees, cups, rulers, etc…with the team’s marketing partners’ name and logo) to help them remember and hopefully make an impact where it is needed. This has become Jim’s favorite part of the program, as the kids are excited and have many questions about racing, the car, and the messages they are sharing. 

 

They also bring these goodies to the tracks they run and hand them out to the kids in the stands. This is another way to keep the kids interested and provide additional exposure for the programs marketing partners.

 

General information on all of the Racing 2 Learn programs is given to the PR person and race announcer at every track run. The “Kid’s Machine” moniker helps draw even more attention to the program and the marketing partners supporting the program.