Not just for kids: the stars of tomorrow karting program is looking to narrow the open-wheel racing divide between the U.S. and the rest of the world

No matter which series a young racer aspires to join, Rahal believes that learning solely on road courses will produce the best-prepared drivers. "I've always been a big believer that road racing is the best education you can get," he says. "If you want to drive NASCAR, go drive it but all you have to do is look at the facts. Road racers have a far more successful time acclimating themselves to oval tracks than oval track racers do to road courses. It you're looking to compete on a worldwide stage, you've got to be able to he successful in road racing, that's all there is to it.

"In the 1960s and '70s, there were about 10 Americans racing in Europe. It's not that Frenchmen or Italians or Germans make better drivers than Americans do. It's that they've had the education. They've enjoyed intense racing at a grassroots level. It's no different than Little League baseball in this country. If you want to be a baseball player--even if you're from another country--you've got to come here. That's what we're creating here: the right environment for these young people to learn their craft."

If Rahal is successful, it won't be long before a young American is battling Michael Schumacher on the worldwide stage.

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COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group