Terry Vance, 14-time national champion motorcycle drag racer, title-winning team owner, and co-founder of eponymous aftermarket powerhouse Vance & Hines, donated $1 million to the B.R.A.K.E.S. youth program. The drag racing legend made the donation to multi-time Top Fuel drag racing champion, Doug Herbert who founded B.R.A.K.E.S. in 2008 after the tragic loss of his sons Jon and James in a car crash.
“As a parent, every time your kid goes out the door, especially if they’re getting into a car, you want to know that you’ve done everything in your power to help them get back home safe,” said Vance in a special ceremony at the NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals. “B.R.A.K.E.S. training gives teens the skills and knowledge that we all know they’ll need on the street, and it stresses the importance of making good decisions to avoid trouble in the first place.”
B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives by training teens and their parents to be safer on the road. “Terry and I have been friends for years, and we have a lot in common,” said Herbert. “Besides loving racing, driving and riding, we’re also parents, and we both recognize that protecting our kids and setting them up for success in life is the single greatest accomplishment you can ever aspire to. Thanks to Terry’s generosity, the charity that I founded to honor my sons is going to help a lot more teens and parents nationwide. ”
Vance, who recently attended B.R.A.K.E.S. intensive half-day defensive driver training program with both of his own sons, added, “I think every teen should go through B.R.A.K.E.S. That’s why my wife and I are making this donation to help Doug’s program keep expanding and saving lives, and we hope to inspire others to do the same.”