Rahal steps up to becoming driving coach with SAFEisFAST.com

SAFEisFAST.com has a new online driving instructor and it’s Graham Rahal, son of Road Racing Driver’s Club (RRDC) president Bobby Rahal and driver of the No. 15 National Guard Dallara/Honda/Firestone Indy car in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Rahal will be answering questions from prospective and upcoming drivers about his experiences on and off the track.

The “Ask a Pro” segment of the website, which has support from the FIA Institute and is presented by Honda will be Rahal’s domain through Sunday, April 27, when the driver will be trying to earn his second career INDYCAR race at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. Rahal’s answers to questions will be posted for the following two weeks.

There are an infinite number of questions that can be posed to the 25-year-old Ohio native, who has been driving cars for 11 years. When he was only 14 Rahal jumped from karts to the Formula BMW series and then joined what is now the Mazda Road to Indy. He made his INDYCAR debut in 2007 while still a high school student and famously missed his prom to race.

Rahal’s recent racing education has included time in the unfamiliar world of drag racing, as he’s been dating Courtney Force, the daughter of 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion John Force. Courtney Force, a winning and accomplished Funny Car driver in her own right, and her family have been educating Graham on the different ways that NHRA approaches the entertainment aspect of the sport.

He’s learning about marketing of drivers and teams through his affiliation with Courtney and the entire Force family: John, wife Laurie, and Courtney’s sisters Ashley and Brittany, the latter a Top Fuel driver. “It’s pretty cool to see how the Force PR machine works and how all those stories come out. I look at a lot of that and learn as much as I can so we can do better on this end. I enjoy the racing and seeing how the cars work, too,” Rahal said. “The more I’m around NHRA, the more interested I am in it.

“From the driver’s perspective, you look at the way they do a lot of things. I look at safety and there’s a lot for me to think about from that angle. I also look at the way they do hospitality and the fan engagement. Those are all things that are of interest to me.”

Considered a knowledgeable racer, due to his career in the Indy cars and also because of his successful foray into sports car racing, having won the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2011, Rahal is excited to be an online instructor at SAFEisFAST.com. “I was exposed to a lot (in racing) growing up, but I know most people don’t have that advantage, don’t have parents who can give them advice on how to go racing, how to do PR, media and all that leads to success in this sport.

“Looking at the list of drivers who have done this (online instruction), I have some big shoes to fill, but I’m excited to be a part of it. It’s a great tool for kids in motorsport,” he said. Graham Rahal may be dishing out the advice through this coming Sunday but he realizes that every day he’s at a racetrack - whether working with his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLLR) INDYCAR team or visiting the NHRA troops to spend time with Courtney, he’s always learning new tricks he can share with others.