SCCA, IMSA champion joins Survive the Drive

Bob Sharp, SCCA and IMSA GTU champion, has joined the board of directors of Survive the Drive, an organization aimed at educating teen drivers about auto safety and crash prevention.

Sharp joins Sam Posey and John Fitch as representatives from the motorsports world.

Survive the Drive began in 1997 in northwestern Connecticut with Skip Barber Driving School instructor Bob Green. He started a program for driving-age teens in the community called Crashing is a Bummer. Several of these events turned into full-day driving courses. The program operates in several states, with help from high schools, local Rotary clubs, Lions clubs and other community organizations.

Sharp is no stranger to racing, or to teaching. He started driving professionally in 1963 and eventually ended up with actor/driver Paul Newman in the Trans-Am series as Newman-Sharp Racing. Sharp is a former board chairman of In Control, a Massachusetts-based company that provides hands-on crash-prevention training.

Sharp will help the nonprofit organization find a new facility for instruction, as well as develop a computer simulation for crash-prevention training. Check out www.survivethedrive.org for more information.

By Jake Lingeman