Catchfence

MIAMI—Former Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran recently teamed with Homestead-Miami Speedway
Vice President of Operations Al Garcia to talk traffic safety with children from the Greater Hollywood
YMCA. Each speaker took a break from his racing responsibilities—de Ferran from his participation
in the American Le Mans Series, Garcia from preparing Homestead-Miami Speedway to host the 2009
NASCAR, IndyCar and Grand-Am Championship finales—to join Lightning McQueen of the wildly
popular movie “Cars” in promoting “Disney on Ice” at the BankAtlantic Center.

“Most of the safety innovations found in today’s consumer cars evolved directly from the technology
developed in racing,” said Garcia, who also stressed the need for driver awareness, cautioning against
excessive cell-phone use and the dangers of text messaging while driving.

De Ferran—a South Florida resident who has amassed some of motorsports’ most prestigious titles—
relayed personal experiences in stressing in-car safety: “Sometimes things go wrong on the road,” he
said. “I, unfortunately, have had several accidents. But the reason I’m here talking today is because we
wear helmets and safety harnesses, and you have to wear your seatbelts.”

- Homestead-Miami Speedway, Press Release