Ford’s Dan Davis says he’s always on the lookout for new, young driving talent. So he’s signed up Matt Martin, Mark’s nine-year-old son. ‘He’ll get this nice blue Ford oval for his helmet,’ the Ford racing boss said with a laugh. But of course it’s not really a joke — it’s good business. The younger Martin becomes part of a Ford marketing program aimed at other pre-teens. And Matt has been racing quite a while already. ‘You’ve got kids who start racing when they’re five years old, and by the time they’re 20, they’ve got 15 years of experience, and they’re very good, very skilled,’ Davis said. ‘I think it’s great. One example is a Canadian girl who’s shown some promise. She’s 13, and she’s shown a lot of promise, beating the 15- and 16-year old guys. And we’re going to have her do a full-blown test to get an assessment of her skills. If that’s a positive experience, we’ll have to put a program together and move her through the various levels.'( Winston Salem Journal )(5-26-2003)
