MONTREAL, QC – Earlier today, the TRIOOMPH Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging students to pursue their dreams and persevere in their efforts to achieve academic success, held its first annual benefit event at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, collecting over $50,000. The event gave racing enthusiasts the opportunity to purchase an exclusive co-pilot package and ride shotgun with one of nine professional drivers who generously gave of their time, namely:
- Marc-André Bergeron, defenceman with the Tampa Bay Lightning and CTCC driver
- Patrice Brisebois, Montreal Canadiens player development coach and racecar driver
- Ryan Dalziel, Scottish racecar driver and winner of the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans (with Enzo Potolicchio)
- Bertrand Godin, racecar driver and automotive columnist
- Enzo Potolicchio, Venezuelan racecar driver and winner of the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans (with Ryan Dalziel)
- Gianmarco Raimondo, Ontario racecar driver, Formula BMW and F3 Euro Series
- Andrew Ranger, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series driver since 2008
- Richard Spénard, racecar driver and instructor inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2001
- Jacques Villeneuve, 1997 Formula 1 World Champion and NASCAR driver since 2007
“Our sincere thanks go out to François Dumontier and Octane Management for letting us on the track only a few minutes before the start of the NASCAR race. This was a first – access to the track is usually restricted prior to a racing event,” said Francyne Charette, Executive Director of the TRIOOMPH Foundation. “I would also like to thank all the drivers who generously agreed to come support us. Without them, none of this would have been possible. We are also grateful to all those who purchased a co-pilot package. Your contribution will help us help our youths to persevere in everything they do!”
“We wholeheartedly embrace the work the TRIOOMPH Foundation is doing, and we were delighted to make the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve available to them, on this first day of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge,” said François Dumontier, President and CEO of Octane Management Inc. “Using motorsports to foster school success is a highly original idea, and I personally congratulate the organization’s founders for this wonderful initiative.”
The proceeds from the benefit event will be added to the $20,000 raised as part of Operation 3 Hours a Day to Succeed and used to help the Foundation carry out its mission in 2012-2013, which is designed to make the most of young people’s passion for high-performance cars.
Launched in October 2011, the TRIOOMPH Foundation’s 2011-2012 “Driving Your Success” program brought together 33 mentor-drivers (professionals, entrepreneurs and CEOs) – all of whom are certified semi-pro racecar drivers – and 3,300 students aged 13 to 20 for whom academic achievement is a challenge. At the end of the year, in addition to handing out certificates to all the program participants who completed their school year, the Foundation presented 384 deserving youths with a PRIX TRIOOMPH for outstanding achievement and treated them to an unforgettable day on the racetrack with their mentor-driver.
The public is invited to support this initiative and inspire youths to persevere in their studies by making an online donation to the TRIOOMPH Foundation (http://www.trioomph.com/online-donation.html).
The TRIOOMPH Foundation thanks its partners: Telesystem (main partner), Porsche Prestige, CN, Michelin Canada, Pneus Bélisle and Pneus Supérieurs, and Vortex Solution.
Source: Canada Newswire / TRIOOMPH
