Rapid Response

2019 • 99 minutes

About this movie

Rapid Response is a fast-paced documentary that tells the story of medical and safety professionals who refused to accept the high mortality rate among American race car drivers, fundamentally altering the history of motorsports. In the 1960s racing accidents were commonplace... so were fatalities. Safety was barely an afterthought. Drivers accepted this as part of the job and continued to take to the track, eager to please fans, make money, and prove that they had what it took to survive. Rapid Response is the story of medical student and racing fan Stephen Olvey who didn't think the risk was acceptable. As a volunteer at the Indianapolis 500, he witnessed gruesome fatal accidents and an appalling lack of medical care. He knew something had to change. After becoming a doctor, Olvey embarked on a 30 year journey to revolutionize motorsports and the associated medical care along with a team of gifted safety and medical professionals. Rapid Response is their story. Featuring interviews with medical and safety professionals Dr. Stephen Olvey, Dr. Terry Trammell and Steve Edwards as well as drivers Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Parnelli Jones, Chip Ganassi, Hélio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan and Rick Mears, Rapid Response highlights the most deadly era of racing and the innovations that led the sport out of the dark ages.