Burke first got involved in racing, as crew member for a sprint car team, during high school, in his home town of Burlington Iowa. Burke began professional work in the automotive industry in 1980 as a mechanical engineer and developed as a test driver in the world wide automobile manufacturing environment. Since 1996, Burke has been a trainer for car control skills, tire and vehicle testing skills, as well as a student of vehicle dynamics. He believes strongly in the value of continuous training, education and improvement.
"The BRAKES experience was fantastic! I thought the training was superb and that the entire experience was fantastic. I really enjoyed speaking with Doug and Matt - both great guys. The rain made for even better training for Connor! I told Doug that I really want to help promote other Orlando BRAKES events. I have a great deal of experience organizing large events and am certain that I can pack the classes. I also spoke to the ladies from Mannheim's and they were excited about future events too. I am not sure how many kids I was able to get to the classes in the short notice, but I know it was at least 5. Thanks again for the help and I look forward to working with you in the future!"
-Christopher R. Townsend
"Thank you for forwarding Emma's letter to me. It looked like she wrote straight from her heart and that is what is most important !!!........her handwriting is another story :-O Very honestly, I was immensely impressed by the amount of thought and effort that everyone at BRAKES put into the course. When we first arrived, just seeing the untold number of cones set up along the course routes was an eye opener. At age 55, I would have approached each of the exercises with real trepidation. I can only imagine what was going through the students minds when they were asked to hop in the drivers seat and hit the pedal !! In the end, what said it all, though, were the smiles on the student's faces as they completed their respective sections of the course. If you gave them the option to keep driving for another three hours, I don't believe you would have had any of the students turn down your offer. Again, please thank everyone at BRAKES for a job well done and for bringing the program to Ocoee. "
-Brian K
