The 1in8 Foundation,
in association with the 1in8 Motorsports Series is proud to announce the Speedsters Program.
In recent years, breast cancer has been striking a younger and younger population and we believe that
it is never too soon to get proactive about your own health care. As a result, we have created Speedsters,
to reach out to that younger audience.

There are actually two Speedsters programs; one called Junior Speedsters which is targeted at kids 10
to 15 and the second is Speedsters, for the 16 to 30 crowd. The idea for Speedsters originated with
1in8 CEO and President, Ken Vrana’s 16 year old daughter, Caitlin. An avid anime and manga fan, Caiti
felt that creating a team of 4 Speedsters characters, whose mission it would be to fight breast cancer,
might really appeal to her friends. In response, we set out to find an anime artist who might like to
tackle the job. Much to our amazement, within weeks, the entire initiative just seemed to take off.
DeviantArt, one of the top art sites on the internet, immediately stepped up and created an international
Speedsters competition and soon we were receiving submissions from artists, from all over the word
(see below.)

Then “PIQ Magazine,” one of the finest anime and manga publications in the industry, offered to pick up
the challenge and stage their own Speedsters competition, which begins in August of 2008. Caiti has begun
appearing at anime conventions around the US and there is already a group in Australia that wants to grow
the brand there. Our goal is energize and educate young people about the critical importance of early detection
and we hope that over time, our Speedsters characters will appear on clothing, shoes, jewelry, action figures,
plus animals, interactive computer games and recreational products from snow boards to wake boards. If you
are a manufacturer who would like to help us reach out to young people, we'd love to hear from you. We'd also like to hear from anyone interested in helping
us create a Speedster Fan Club or event in their area. If you would like to compete in the "PIQ" Speedsters Competition, simply contact us for more information.

The following 4 artists were selected as finalist in the DeviantArt Speedsters Competition.

First Place – Camila Vielmond – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Second Place - Viva la Viva – Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Third Place – Horacio Santa Cruz – City of Santa Fe, Argentina

Below you will find the other DeviantArt contestants, displaying their amazing talents.

Amanda Hennessey is one of the top female race drivers in the world and we are proud to have Amanda on the 1in8 Speedsters Team.
She is a terrific driver and a wonderful role model for people who believe in honest competition. Amanda will be driving throughout
Europe and America this year and if you’d like to know more about her you can contact her at www.amandahennessy.com.
For more Speedster news, check back often.