Well, Ciro, perhaps I wouldn’t
go as far as bill the program as “socialist racing” since that could pretty much divert attention from your purpose. Unless you’re applying for funds from Hugo Chávez or something.
(Come to think of it, no kidding, he might actually like the idea. Propably for all the wrong reasons – his courtship with Iran and attacks on media are really ill advised actions – but if you don’t mind “a bit” of controversy and personal risk ...
) But seriously, I believe the capitalist vs. socialist dilemma has become all but irrelevant, we’re facing bigger social/environmental/cultural controversies but as of yet they’re not very well defined.
But enough of that, back to racing, and your ideas.
- a public track in major cities – OK, perhaps to be constructed as a public service facility to service driving schools too, incorporating variable obstacle courses and wet surface training equipment to justify the costs. A racetrack alone might sound like too much fun for bureaucrats ...
- a pool of public karts subsidized somehow (at least in part) by car manufacturers – this could be tricky, public property is generally mistreated. Perhaps a simple modular kart design, parts provided against a fixed (low) collateral, micro loans to cover for that if necessary and a complete refund for any equipment returned in full working order. No sponsors, no modifications (apart from the single make manufacturer) allowed to keep financial competition out of it. Just a few simple setup choices and a set racing weight for absolute equitability (driver weight differences compensated with ballast).
- a voluntary teaching roster – shouldn’t be too hard ... but what about qualifications?
- a certification program that includes a regular license in the end as part of the non-mandatory sports activities you can learn at school - hmm, sounds somewhat complicated, but on the other hand if you want to try and motivate as many kids as possible, a school is the logical venue to get to present your case.
- some sort of bonuses or incentives for public transportation drivers that complete the program when they look for a job – depends on the country. If the professional/occupational driver requirements are strict already there’s no need to involve these sort of schemes. I have to confess I know next to nothing about licencing in Colombia.
- an impulse to "only in the track" amateur racing – almost everyone has to blow off racing steam sometimes. Better to do it in a controlled and legal setting.
- a strong support for "Make our roads safe" FIA campaign – why not.
Btw, using “belligerent Hugo” as an awkward transition, if an affiliation with the red shirts isn’t appealing, you can always go and seek a higher blessing for the project. Just the other day no lesser authority than Vatican released their take on the ten commandments for drivers. If they ring the church bells of Maranello for a Ferrari victory
... and there’s nothing like a public alignment with a moral authority to open a few purse strings and get politicians and businessmen alike throwing around ridiculously large (sized) cheques in photo-ops and chic fundraisers
. Anyway, here are the “tweaked” commandments, if you’re interested:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070619/ap_ ... _road_rage
1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible toward others.
I think you got it spot on, describing the root cause of much of the bad driving as “analfabetism”. Just remember that it can be only part corrected by driving instruction alone. An alarming number of people haven’t got the haziest idea about basic human psychology, the limits of perception, the laws of physics and such to make informed decisions on the road. I’m not suggesting that you hugely expand your project, but if such a scheme has a preset preparedness to lead people to learn more about those sorts of things once they realize there’s an inherent advantage in understanding the stuff, all the better.
To put it simply, racing is only elitist if it’s perceived as such. Racing is also meritocratic, rewarding success and that’s OK as far as I’m concerned. But in order to attract even those with lesser competitive instincts and such, it also needs to be made approachable, playful and democratic. What needs to be respected is the diversity of talents, motivations and objectives we all have – it all starts there and that can’t be planned. Very different kinds of successes, and very subjective successes, apart from merely winning the occasional race have to be rewarded somehow. The way I see it, one has to leave room for surprises and go with the flow once the idea gets beyond one’s own head.
Good luck.
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