Race Car Driver Debbie Palermo Shifts Into High Gear to Benefit Make-A-Wish®

SAN FRANCISCO - Aug. 9, 2018 - PRLog -- Racetrack superstar Debbie Palermo loves to drive – fast. But daredevil maneuvers in her new Ferrari 488 Spider will not be on the agenda when she hits the highway for the 8^th Annual FOG Charity Rally on September 7. Fifty Ferraris of all models and vintages will participate in the weekend drive which begins at Murray Circle in Cavallo Point, Sausalito, and takes a thrilling route through Isleton, Walnut Grove, Fiddletown, and two national forests before reaching the Hyatt Lake Tahoe.

Over the last four years, the Rally and pre-drive Gala have raised over $1 million to benefit Make-A-Wish® Greater Bay Area, helping to grant wishes for more than 100 Northern California kids with life-threatening medical conditions. The Ferrari Owner's Charitable Foundation, the 501 (c)(3) Rally organizer, aims to make an impressive start on its second million-dollar donation with this year's event.

"It's exhilarating to go out on the road with so many others who love driving as much as I do," Deb explains. "And for anyone who hasn't heard of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, all of these gorgeous cars covered in sponsors' names that pass them on the road or go through their towns will bring it to their attention. And that's what it's all about."

On the evening of September 5, a cavalcade of rally cars will be on public view in front of the Fairmont Hotel before the FOG Gala that night.

Debbie's love of cars developed early in life on Sunday drives with her dad. When she got a Camaro for her 16^th birthday, she thought she'd hit the jackpot. "I loved the adrenaline rush of driving really fast, and that was the car to do it in," she recalls. Somehow, her dad never found out about his daughter's need for speed, or if he did, never said a word to discourage her.

That craving for super-charged cars took a back seat to marriage, children, and a career in hotel sales until 2013 when Debbie and her husband Geoff bought their first Ferrari 360 Spider at an auction. Soon after, they purchased a 458 Spider and joined the Ferrari Owner's Group (FOG) for its bi-weekly drives where Debbie proved she could easily keep up with the four fastest cars. As word of the duos' driving skills spread, both she and Geoff were invited to enter the Ferrari Challenge, a series of one-make track races held in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America. In 2016, her first year of racing, Debbie ranked in the top ten cars in six races and brought home three big, beautiful trophies.

This year, however, Debbie's not racing, instead spending time with her daughter who's finishing up her senior year of high school and driving oh-so conservatively to keep her driving record spotless. But next year, when she's back on the track in her Ferrari 488 Challenge Car? Anything goes – and very fast.

A limited number of spaces are still available for the FOG Rally.

For information on the Rally and Gala, visit www.fogrally.com.