New dates and locations are available for the B.R.A.K.E.S. Teen Pro-Active Driving School sessions throughout 2009. Learn more and sign up now by clickingHERE!
To support local, 501(c)(3) charity B.R.A.K.E.S. the Lincolnton Police Department has put B.R.A.K.E.S. license plates on their patrol cars. The organization operates out of Doug Herbert Performance, the high-performance parts store located in Lincolnton that is owned by B.R.A.K.E.S. Founder Doug Herbert.
“My parts store and race shop have been here in Lincolnton for many years. I’ve always enjoyed working with the city officials and the police department,” said NHRA Top Fuel drag racer Doug Herbert. “I’m proud that B.R.A.K.E.S. is located here too. For a long time everyone in Lincolnton has been very supportive of me and my business. It’s great now to see the city embrace the charity and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
The organization, founded little more than a year ago, has grown tremendously since its inception. It recently partnered with SPEED’s hit television show “PINKS All Out” to promote the message that racing should be taken off the streets and viewers should ‘take it to the track’.
“All of us at the Police Department really respect Doug for what he is doing through B.R.A.K.E.S.,” said Lincolnton Police Chief Dean Abernathy. “Doug is someone to look up to and we really appreciate everything he does for our city.”
“Since we placed the plates on the vehicles we’ve received a lot of positive comments from people in Lincolnton, they’re glad to see that we support the program,” added Abernathy. “We’re on board a hundred percent with the B.R.A.K.E.S. organization and everything it’s doing to teach our teenagers how important it is to be safe when they’re on the roads.”
The B.R.A.K.E.S. Teen Pro-Active Driving School is a free, four-hour course for teens and their parents, which is designed to give young drivers further hands on, behind-the-wheel training. Professional driving instructors educate students on the proper way to handle skids, panic stops, accident avoidance and driving with distractions. The school has seven sessions remaining in 2009, five in Charlotte, N.C., one in Spartanburg, S.C., and one in Columbia, S.C. More information can be found on the B.R.A.K.E.S. website at www.puonthebrakes.org.
“The Lincolnton Police Department is helping us promote our message through these license plates and I think that’s great,” said Herbert, who is currently building a land speed car in his Lincolnton shop that he will drive at the Bonneville Salt Flats. “When a teenager sees the plate it reminds them of why they need to drive safely, because the consequences can be deadly. That’s why B.R.A.K.E.S. has license plates and decals available on its website, so anyone can help us remind teens that they need to be safe and responsible drivers.”
Carolina Harley Davidson, Located at 2380 E. Franklin Blvd. Gastonia, NC 28056, will be holding a Poker Run on June 13th, 2009. All Proceeds with benefit the B.R.A.K.E.S. Foundation as well as the Victory Junction Gang. Please come and participate - enjoy a day of fun, music, food and riding!
B.R.A.K.E.S., the 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to promoting safe teen driving, will hold it’s Teen Pro-Active Driving School at two different South Carolina locations in July and August. On July 25 the organization will use the BMW Performance Center near Spartanburg, and on August 8 it will utilize the National Guard Armory in Columbia.
“We’ve already had numerous successful schools here in Charlotte, but going down to Spartanburg and Columbia will help us reach even more teens,” said B.R.A.K.E.S. Founder, Doug Herbert. “I really want to thank everyone at the BMW Performance Center and the National Guard Armory, especially General Schuler. I’m also very appreciative for the effort put forth by South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer. He is a friend to our organization and he worked to secure these sites for us, and we’re very thankful.”
“I have a lot of respect for Doug, and I saw how one wrong move affected his life forever and ended two young, promising lives,” said Bauer, who will attend the school on July 25 to speak with participating teens and show his support for the cause. “Despite the consequence of a terrible decision having a devastating impact upon Doug and his family, he is determined to turn personal tragedy into saving grace for other parents and children, and I will gladly do all I can to support him.”
The B.R.A.K.E.S. Teen Pro-Active Driving School, which is conducted free of charge for all participants, gives young drivers the dynamic experience of handling a vehicle in adverse driving conditions and a controlled environment. Professional driving instructors educate students on the proper way to handle skids, panic stops, accident avoidance maneuvers and driving with distractions.
“A large number of auto-related fatalities occur as a result of inexperienced driving,” said David Trimble, Sales and Events Manger, BMW Performance Driving School. “At BMW we realize the severity and national scope of this issue, as well as the need for additional, hands on training for our young drivers. As a manufacturer we have a responsibility to help and donating use of our facility to B.R.A.K.E.S. is one way that we can aid the foundation in its effort to keep teen drivers safe. We’re glad that we can do our part to make a difference.”
To attend the school, teens must have a valid learner’s permit or driver’s license. Parents are required to attend and are invited to experience the various courses; however, the focus remains on the teens. Two sessions of the school will be held at each site, the morning sessions will run from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and the afternoon sessions from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
“Using the BMW facility will be great for the school because we can host a large number of students at that facility,” said Herbert. “We’ll register 18 teens per session for the school at the National Guard Armory in Columbia and we’ll have enough space at the BMW Performance Center to have 40 teens per session.”
Parents and teens can visit www.putonthebrakes.org to learn more about the B.R.A.K.E.S. Teen Pro-Active Driving School. Spots will fill quickly and parents interested in registering their teen(s) for either location, Spartanburg or Columbia, should call (704) 732-8950.
About B.R.A.K.E.S. B.R.A.K.E.S., which stands for Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe, is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization founded by NHRA Top Fuel drag racer Doug Herbert in memory of his two sons who were killed in a car accident. By training and educating teenage drivers and their parents, the foundation aims to promote safe driving in an attempt to prevent injuries and save lives. To volunteer, obtain more information or donate, please visit www.putonthebrakes.org.
VILLA PARK, Calif. (April 23, 2009) -- Drag racing pioneer and innovator Chester “Chet” Herbert died on April 23, 2009. Herbert, born on March 4, 1928, overcame huge personal challenges and went on to develop some of auto racing’s most significant speed components. Growing up in Southern California’s early hot rod scene, the teenaged Herbert had a reputation for building and racing fast cars and motorcycles. When he was 20 years old, though, he was stricken with polio and lived the rest of his life in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the chest down. “My grandmother told me he was so wild about racing, that if he didn’t have polio to slow him down, he probably would have died,” said son Doug Herbert, 41, who followed his father into professional drag racing. “When my dad was 12, my grandma bought him a trumpet and hoped he’d learn to play. But he traded the trumpet for a Cushman motorscooter and it was life in the fast lane ever since.” Lying in a hospital iron-lung for six months in 1948, Herbert developed ideas for manufacturing racing parts in his head. When he was released, he developed the first roller camshafts for race cars and was among the first to try nitromethene fuel in a dragster after reading how the German army had used it to power torpedoes during World War II. Although he never personally raced again, Herbert fielded scores of dragsters, drag motorcycles and land speed-record streamliners for other drivers. His racing Harley-Davidson, nicknamed “The Beast,” was the fastest quarter-mile dragster in its day, having achieved a then record-shattering 129 mph, faster than any car in 1950. Herbert also developed the zoomie-type exhaust header, which blew the smoke away from a dragster’s rear tires in order to achieve better traction, helping them break the 200 mph record. Herbert was one of the first to establish a successful speed shop and parts mail- order business. According to hot rod historian Greg Sharp of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, Herbert was probably the first racing parts retailer to utilize advertising in national magazines to reach consumers. His chopped 1932 Ford sedan was a rolling billboard for his business. He built it with a Hydromatic transmission so he could drive it using hand controls. It was featured in the March, 1952, issue of Hot Rod Magazine and in 2007, was voted one of the most significant 1932 Ford hot rods in history. Herbert was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1993. Herbert is survived by his wife, Leanne; three children: Doug; daughter Heather Herbert-Binetti and daughter Tracey Drage; and his sister Doris, who as editor of Drag News, was also inducted into the Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1993. Herbert was preceded in death by his sister, Fay Trout, and by grandsons, Jon and James Herbert. To overcome the sorrow of his grandsons’ death in 2008, Herbert and son Doug were in the process of building a Bonneville streamliner with which they hoped to achieve 500 MPH, breaking the world speed record for piston-powered, wheel-driven cars. Son Doug is still determined to accomplish that dream. A memorial celebration of Herbert’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 2, at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1855 Orange Olive Road, Orange, CA 92865. A private, graveside family service will be held that afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Fair Haven Memorial Park in Santa Ana. In lieu of flowers the family requests that a memorial contribution be sent to B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe), which is the 501(c)(3) organization founded in memory of Chet Herbert’s grandsons who were killed in a car accident. Donations can be mailed to 1443 E. Gaston St. Lincolnton, NC 28092, or online at www.putonthebrakes.org.
STATEMENT FROM DOUG HERBERT: “My dad was my hero. He taught me so much about how to be a strong and determined person. Despite the fact that he had polio and was in a wheelchair for much of his life, he never let that stop him from doing anything. He proved to everyone that he could accomplish whatever he set his mind to; which taught me that, no matter how tough something may seem, if you fight hard enough, you can overcome it. I always looked up to him. I’m glad I had the opportunity to follow in his footsteps and be involved in a sport that he helped to invent. Some of my best memories with my dad were made over the past year. We had grown much closer since my boys, Jon and James, died in a car accident in early 2008. I will miss my dad very much. I am lucky to have many wonderful memories of him that I will always cherish.”
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