Catchfence

August 12, 2010 – The Indy Racing League’s USF2000 National Championship series has emerged with a leader both on and off the track. Andretti Autosport driver Sage Karam has won five of eight races so far this season, and he leads the series in championship points. He is a rising star within the racing world, having captured 35 national karting championships. At just 15 years old, Sage continues to inspire those all around him.

Karam has become involved with Operation Smile for the past year through his manager Michael Fux and The Michael Fux Foundation. Operation Smile is a children’s charity that has been treating facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates all around the world since 1982. More than 150,000 boys and girls have been treated since that time, with the help of many volunteers. Sage is one of many who have volunteered their time so that others may receive a lifetime of smiles.

He was chosen to speak at Operation Smile’s 18th Annual International Student Leadership Conference, held on the week of August 1-August 5 in Denver, Colorado. The conference brought in 500 students from all over the world. Sage was selected not only based his dedication to Operation Smile, but also his perseverance on the track with Andretti Autosport. The theme of the conference was “Be the Change” and Sage’s speech, titled “Life at ½ Speed is Life ½ Lived!,” paralleled just that.

The sequence of his presentation was “Start, Pit Stop and Winner’s Circle.” While each of these are steps Sage takes at the track, they are also steps we should strive to achieve in our own lives.

He described that at the start of any journey it is important to stay focused. This pertains to a race, but also reaches beyond that.

- Andretti Autosport