Track Chic’s Woman behind the Wheels, Natalie Zimmerman, is the incredible Event Organizer for the popular Fireball Run Transcontinental Rally Series & The Race to Recover America’s Missing Children .
Sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC), Natalie is the first female organizer of a nationally sanctioned racing series. Best described as “Amazing Race meets Motorsports”, The Fireball Run is an action packed 75 team, 8 day, 3500 mile brand-interactive road adventure and considered to be America’s most challenging motoring event. Teams use more brain power than horse power to solve clues and accomplish missions needed in order to score points and reach their final destination!
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Natalie at the starting line in Jackson, MS as the green flag was waived to release teams to the next stop- Tuscaloosa, AL!
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| At the JETC Training Center outside of Baton Rouge, LA rounding up teams to prepare for our first track challenge- the Louisiana State Troopers vs. Fireballers. |
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| A very emotional evening for all, the father of one of our assigned missing children showed up unexpectedly at the Bentley St. Louis dealership during our evening reception. Team 16 was assigned to his daughter, Chloe, and he had flown in from oversees to personally thank them and the rest of the Fireballers for what we were doing for his daughter and the rest of the children. |
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Natalie (in red) posing with the winning team- Team 7 “Organic Racing” winners Kevin Boulton and Doc Harmony. Along with the scoring team is Peter Wengert and Ricardo Aguilar of Biotraits.
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| Group photo at the 2008 official starting line in Baton Rouge, LA with Mayor Kip Holden and Secretary of State, Jay Dardenne. Natalie is pictured in the yellow and black racing suit. |
The Rally’s namesake, Edward Glenn “Fireball” Roberts, is a racing legend who epitomizes the strength of character it takes to tame the track. The Fireball Run "looks like" an auto rally on the outside, but on the inside it’s a powerful engine of rolling leadership with nearly 300 key decision leaders, celebrities and $5 million dollars worth of vehicles rolling from one side of America to the other!
The Fireball Run Adventurally elicits star power and media power to bring focus to the Race to Recover America’s Missing Children - the country’s largest and longest “active recovery effort” for missing and abducted children - an awareness campaign in support of the Klaas Kids Foundation for Children.
Each Fireball Run team represents a missing child from their home region. The mission: distribute 1000 posters over the 18 city, 3500 mile adventure in an effort to aid in the recovery of that missing child. Annually, Fireball Run distributes nearly 75,000 posters which to date has aided in the recovery effort of an unprecedented 32 missing children.
The journey starts SEPTEMBER 23rd in HENDERSON-LAKE LAS VEGAS Nevada and finishes 8 days, 18 cities, and 3500 miles later OCTOBER 2nd at the luxurious resort community of GALENA, ILLINOIS! It’s Bentley vs. Lamborghini, Charger vs. Camaro, and Motor Home vs. Movie Car in several motorsport competitions. Each day ends with an exciting city-wide celebration.
Headquartered at Universal Studios Florida, the “Fireball Run” Event Organizer, Natalie Zimmerman, works non-stop behind the scenes for Adrenaline Partnership LLC and 2010 Event LLC to keep the rally running like a well-tuned engine.
No easy task considering the size, scope, distances, teams, media and numerous personalities involved! Imagine the logistics of organizing eight signature events in eight different cities in eight consecutive days … all wtih a rolling entourage of media, management, coordinators, staff, hospitality, crew and competitors! But with a degree in Marketing and extensive project planning experience, Natalie handles the most interactive adventure event in the country like clockwork.
Winner of a National Telly award, the “Metropolitan Who's Who” award, and the “Successful Under 30” award, Natalie Zimmerman is respected by her peers for her work in the entertainment and live event industry.
Track Chic talks with Natalie for a behind the scenes look at The Fireball Run Rally and this “Super-Woman Organizer” pulling it all together!
You have had an impressive career as Event Coordinator for the Offshore Super Series Powerboat Racing, VP of Xoom Entertainment and Executive Producer for Dept 13 Films. Tell us a little about your career path, how you found your niche and “need for speed”, and how those experiences fortify you for the responsibilities organizing the Fireball Run.
I finished college with a degree in Marketing, and after a year at an international advertising agency I was asked by their contracted production company, Dept 13 Films, to come on board as their Executive Producer. My first production earned the company its first national Telly Award and it was then that my career path began taking shape. The Offshore Super Series Powerboat Racing Association (OSS), was my first official introduction to the world of national event planning mixed with quite a large dose of adrenaline. The experience obviously stuck with me despite reverting back to my production roots for a few years.
Each opportunity required a delicate juggling of millions of minute details and was the ultimate in preparation for the Fireball Run. The game itself operates off of an 80-page script and is similar to a 9-day motion picture on wheels.
Coordinating the logistics for this 3,500 mile, 75 team, 18 city, 9 day Fireball Run competition must be enormous! How long is your “To do” list and how do you manage to organize the zillions of details involved for this event?
It may sound old-fashioned with the technology that exists today, but I am addicted to spiral bound notebooks! My notebook is as attached to my hip as my cell phone. As to-do list items come into play, I have a 500 sheet, front and back, on-going list which allows for easy reference and portability. Each year I burn through at least a couple of notebooks. But I do have to hand it to technology for making the art of mass communication more efficient. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and social media have cut hours out of my schedule, which is now dedicated to script research, coordinating with local and federal governments, and planning logistics within my host municipalities.
You are the first female organizer for a nationally sanctioned racing series, the United States Auto Club (USAC). That is quite impressive! Why is USAC’s support so critical to Fireball Run and what qualifications do the drivers need to compete?
The Fireball Run Adventurally is obviously not your typical auto rally, and one of the main reasons is largely to do with our sanctioning body. Our sanctioning body adds a much higher level of safety and standardization to the mix. USAC allows us to add the adrenaline back into the rally.
To participate in the event, competitors have to be USAC certified; defensive driver course to improve road skills and a 2-day certified racing course for competitors wishing to compete on the track. My goal is to protect the general public while we are on the road and to protect the participant while on the track.
The Fireball Run Adventurally has been described as the “Cannonball Run” movie mixed with the “Amazing Race". Can you tell us more about this “part rally, part game, part race” competition?
The “Cannonball Run” movie had a group of zany characters rallying together across America. Although we are the legal adaptation of the movie, our characters are just as zany, but we all start on one end and finish on the other together – this is the “part rally” portion.
“Part Game” refers to the “Amazing Race” style competition in between each host municipality. From the moment the green flag drops in Henderson, Nevada, teams are issued missions and clues. Each team has to figure out where they are going and then accomplish a mission when they get there. Each successfully executed mission will earn the team points as they work their way toward the daily finish line. Teams also receive points for their position in line as well as bonus missions along the way.
In addition to regular game play, track challenges make up the “part race” aspect, since we forbid gross negligence on the open road. Each year, several types of track challenges are introduced at various locations, and the fastest time around the track earns the most points. There will be challenging road courses, a drag strip, an autocross, a wet skid competition, and even a surprise challenge that is guaranteed to be a first for competitors and make international headlines!
What can spectators expect to see as Fireball Run makes its way through the most scenic parts of America, beginning in Henderson Lake Las Vegas on September 23rd to the final event 3,500 miles away in Galena, Illinois on October 2nd?
Another unique feature about the Fireball Run is that the annual event is never duplicated. Even with returning municipalities, new missions are created, new activities are planned, and new areas are highlighted, giving players the opportunity to see America like never before.
Out of all of our years creating this adventure, the 2010 route will go down in history as the most scenic rally ever created. Not just a few, but ALL of our host cities are rolling out the red carpet to create a one-of-a-kind experience for our teams and fans.
We will start out at the gorgeous Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort where over 30,000 fans will welcome competitors to the starting line. Our first track challenge will take place on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Then as local, state, and federal leaders gather to waive the green flag along with media and fans, our teams will set off on a 3500-mile journey through the most historical, geographical, and cultural parts of America.
Our first stop will be at the gateway to the Grand Canyon, Williams, Arizona, where the entire town is preparing to transport us back in time to the days of the Wild West. After our chuck wagon dinner and cowboy corral, it's off to see the Indians in Gallup, New Mexico. Players will feast on authentic Indian cuisine while native Indian dancers perform. Then it's off to Lubbock, Texas where the city has prepared a celebration of epic proportions while players wine and dine on the flavors of local wineries and restaurants. Next we travel back to a city that has carefully preserved their Wild West heritage in such a unique way that it has to be seen to be believed. Dodge City, Kansas is the fifth stop on our journey and this hidden gem is nothing short of amazing! From there we make our way to Chesterfield, Missouri, where we will be hosted by St. Louis Motorsports, for an evening reception drenched in elegance. The second to last stop will be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa where the festivities can be seen from space- literally; an actual 10-acre cornfield will be harvested in the shape of the Fireball Run logo! Then we’re off to the Mid-west World Drag Racing Championships in Cordova, Illinois where our teams will be the featured performance on the track. Finally, teams will roll into Galena, Illinois for a grand finale so huge, future finish line cities will have a tough time trying to top it. After 9 days of total heart-pumping excitement, teams will be able to unwind in their own private two-story resort condo at the Eagle Ridge Resort.
Needless to say, it will be one amazing adventure, and this is only part of the experience!
The 2010 Fireball Run Adventurally is also known as “The Race to Recover America’s Missing Children.” Tell us about your association with the Klaas Kids Foundation and the efforts of the teams.
The Fireball Run’s “Race to Recover America’s Missing Children” is the largest recovery effort in existence for missing kids. To-date, our events have aided in the recovery of 32 children!
As the event continued to grow in popularity, I needed a national foundation who could maximize the fantastic opportunities that result from the Fireball Run. My decision to work with the Klaas Kids Foundation was easy!
The Klaas Kids Foundation for Children was created by Marc Klaas, in memory of his daughter Polly. In 1993, 12-year old Polly Hannah Klaas was abducted during a slumber party at her home in Petaluma, California. This was one of the first cases where the entire country banded together in search of this little girl. Unfortunately, her body was found weeks later after her abuser and killer confessed to the crime. However, out of an unspeakable tragedy came a glimmer of hope for future children and parents as her father. Marc, made it his life’s mission to educate families, change legislation, and raise awareness for missing children. He is a frequent commentator on CNN and Nancy Grace and has been instrumental in the passing of Megan’s Law and the Amber Alert system.
Each Fireball Run team is assigned a missing child from their home region. The child’s stats are posted on their vehicles, creating a rolling milk carton across the country. Although this mission is not part of the scoring process, each team is responsible for handing out 1000 fliers of their child across 3500 miles. As fans and media come out to celebrate with the teams and check out the cars, each child is seen by thousands of people ... and it only takes one to find them.
Fireball Run competitors include high profile Business Owners, C-Class Executives, Celebrities, Elected Officials and other leaders. Can you share a list of “Who’s who” competing this year?
In addition to an amazing experience, 2010 will make history again! This year, the legendary test driver from Automobili Lamborghini, Valentino Balboni, will be joining us for his first EVER cross-country rally. Flying in from Italy, Valentino has never spent more than a few days with any particular group of people in his life and will be riding along side teams for the entire 9-day journey. You can listen to his radio interview with international radio personality, Ron Seggi (also joining us for the event) at www.fireballrun.com/valentino.php
Major industry leaders like the CEO of Luxury Lifestyle, the founders of the internationally recognized event “GayDays” (which commands over a half billion dollars in spending over 7 days annually), an all female team of Disney executives, a father/son team from a major Budweiser distribution hub, even Doc Brown and his Back to the Future Time Machine will be competing. CNN Commentator, Marc Klass, founder of the Klaas Kids Foundation, and his brother will also be joining the pack as well as the President of United States Auto Club (USAC) Racing’s, Kevin Miller.
These are just a few of the teams who are ready to roll in September! Every team in the event has someone of influence on board, and whether it’s a small or large business, the most important thing is that every team that joins, gives one more missing child, and their families, a bit of hope.
What is the most challenging aspect of pulling all this together for a successful event?
Mastering the art of multi-tasking. There are so many facets that have to come together perfectly in order to have a successful event. On a daily basis, I’m coordinating with local and federal governments, 18 municipalities all with intricate mission locations, public ceremonies, and gala parties, state and local law enforcement, local and national media, and participating leadership teams. Add on top of that a long list of sponsors, affiliates, vendors, and corporate partners, and you finally have an event like the Fireball Run- then I still have a game to create!
Finally, what do you plan to do on October 3rd?
On October 3rd, I will wake up in Galena, Illinois with a big smile on my face- after of course smacking the alarm clock and catching a few extra minutes of sleep! But, an Organizer’s work is never done- so its on to 2011 as we plan for the East Coast!
Learn more about how you can get involved in The FIreball Run and the amazing woman pulling it all together!
It's not too late to ENTER YOUR TEAM and JOIN THE FUN!
Special thanks to:
Natalie Zimmerman
JJ Sanchez
2010 Event LLC
Adrenaline Partnership LLC
Images and logos courtesy ot Adrenaline Partnership LLC.
Fireball Run Transcontinental Rally Series and The Race to Recover America's Missing Children
are legally trademarked entities and used with permission of their owners.
