Andy McElrea is a name often associated with Porsche racing, but he hopes with the support of his friends he’ll have a lasting impact on young lives.
‘No Second Chance’ is an initiative led by McElrea Racing and Porsche Cars Australia, designed to save lives by educating young Year 11 and Year 12 students.
The program sees McElrea and a support team travel to high schools around the country with a ‘no bullshit’ graphic approach to road safety and life choices.
“Life is so precious, yet so fragile,” said McElera.
“Having greater respect for your friends and other road users is an essential start and N2C addresses this.”
Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia competitor and multiple Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 podium finisher Warren Luff is part of the ensemble telling their stories.
Former motorcycle racer Matt Speakman, Paul Stanley, and Kay Stanley all have their own story to tell.
Speakman was 26 when he was hit by a drunk driver while riding his motorcycle in 1993, having only just signed a deal to race in the Australian 600 Super Sport Championship.
His girlfriend died and Speakman suffered multiple broken bones and a spinal cord injury making him a paraplegic.
Matthew Stanley, son of Paul and Kay, was ‘king hit’ at a party, he died a day later at just 15 years old.
The Matthew Stanley Foundation was subsequently launched to raise awareness and curb youth violence.
Luff, a full-time stunt driver at Movie World, speaks about making smart decisions to fulfil life ambitions.
McElrea said the stories told by Speakman, Stanley, and Luff resonate with the teenagers.
“It’s a strange way to put it, but we’re kind of in the business of making kids cry.
“Because if we’ve moved them to tears, then we know they’ve really listened to the messages because we want them to make smart decisions and go on to live their dreams.
“This is our eighth year now. There have been a lot of times along the way where I’ve wondered what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.
“But you see some of the feedback you get from the kids after the presentations, how they react, how they get to meet Matt, Paul, and Warren after the presentations at the schools, it makes you realise that we can’t stop. It’s too valuable.”
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