A few good stories after last week's announcement

I got back home to California from Indianapolis last night and I was disappointed to find it raining! At least it's warm here- a solid 40 degrees warmer than Indy. While I try and stay dry, here are links to some great stories from the last few days:

World's Fastest Diabetic

Who the Heck is Charlie Kimball?

Time Magazine talks Twitter, FDA and Charlie Kimball (I like this one because I get called a 'rockstar'! I think I am going to have to get a larger helmet size......:) )

Novo Nordisk Partners with Charlie Kimball and Chip Ganassi Racing

For those of you who missed the press conference yesterday, here are a few highlights!

Chip Ganassi Racing and Novo Nordisk Team Up for 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series Season

Yes, you heard that right! For those that missed it, here is the press release from today regarding the 2011 Season!

Chip Ganassi Racing and Novo Nordisk Team Up for 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series Season

New Team to Feature Driving Talents of Rising American Indy Car Pilot Charlie Kimball

INDIANAPOLIS (December 16, 2010) – Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGR) today announced the formation of Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing, featuring rising American Indy car driver Charlie Kimball. Ganassi’s IZOD IndyCar Series stable continues to expand with the addition of the new team, which will be sponsored by diabetes care world leader Novo Nordisk.

Novo Nordisk has sponsored Kimball since he joined INDYCAR in the 2009 season, and the partnership between Novo Nordisk and CGR makes him the first driver from the 2010 Firestone Indy Lights Series to move up the official “Road to Indy” with a full season sponsorship.

The creation of the new team allows Novo Nordisk to continue as Kimball’s primary sponsor, with naming rights to the car, as well as other branding elements. Kimball will also continue to make appearances for Novo Nordisk throughout the country, with the award-winning Race with Insulin™ campaign and other diabetes programs.

Diagnosed with diabetes in 2007, Kimball monitors his blood sugar before, during and after each race, and uses the Novo Nordisk insulin Levemir^® (insulin detemir [rDNA origin] injection) and NovoLog^® (insulin aspart [rDNA origin] injection) and a pre-filled insulin pen device, called FlexPen® to help manage his diabetes.

Notes of Interest:

About Charlie Kimball: Kimball, 25, began racing go-karts at age nine, and was later accepted into Stanford University and chose to defer admission to follow his dream to become a race car driver. He finished the 2010 Firestone Indy Lights Series season in fourth place with five podium (top-three) finishes, including four second-place finishes. Prior to his diabetes diagnosis in 2007, Kimball shattered the European stereotype that “Americans are not fast” by becoming the first American in 11 years to win a British Formula 3 race. He went on to secure two track records and several F3 victories in both Britain and Europe. Kimball has also raced in the Formula 3 Euroseries and the World Series by Renault. With Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing, he will become the first licensed driver with diabetes in the history of INDYCAR to race at the highest level of the series. Follow Kimball and his work with Novo Nordisk on Twitter @racewithinsulin or www.novonordisk-us.com.

About Novo Nordisk: Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with more than 87 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. The company also has leading positions within hemophilia care, growth hormone therapy and hormone therapy for women. Novo Nordisk's business is driven by the Triple Bottom Line: a commitment to social responsibility to employees and customers, environmental soundness and economic success. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs more than 30,000 employees in 81 countries, and markets its products in 179 countries. Novo Nordisk’s B shares are listed on the stock exchanges in Copenhagen andLondon. Its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NVO). For more information, visit novonordisk-us.com.

About Diabetes: In the United States one in 13, or 23.6 million people, have diabetes^[i], a condition in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, the hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Poorly or untreated diabetes can lead to a long list of health complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, high blood pressure, blindness, nerve problems and amputations^[ii]. Prescribing information for Levemir^® and NovoLog^® is available by contacting Novo Nordisk at 1-800-727-6500 or visiting Levemir-us.com and NovoLog.com.

Chip Ganassi Racing Teams 2010 Recap: Team owner Chip Ganassi had an historic year in 2010. After wrapping up the GRAND-AM Rolex Series Championship, Ganassi claimed his second championship of the season by winning the IZOD IndyCar Series title for the third straight year. In addition, Ganassi became the first owner in history to win what has become known at the Triple Crown of American Racing by winning the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same season. Also, on the weekend of Aug. 6, for the first time in team history Ganassi brought home wins in all three series when Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won the GRAND-AM race in Watkins Glen, Juan Pablo Montoya won the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Watkins Glen and Dario Franchitti won at Mid-Ohio in the IZOD IndyCar Series. In all, Ganassi’s teams shattered a team record with 19 total victories (previously 14) across the three series, and now boast 134 total wins since 1994.

Quote Board:

Charlie Kimball, Driver, Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing: “I am honored to join Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing and excited to be moving up to the IZOD IndyCar Series. This is a dream come true and I am very proud to work with Novo Nordisk and continue to spread the message that diabetes does not have to slow you down.”

Camille Lee, Vice President of Diabetes Marketing, Novo Nordisk: “We have sponsored Charlie for the past two seasons in the Firestone Indy Lights Series and seen his development not only as a race car driver, but also as a role model to thousands of people with diabetes. We are excited to join Chip and the entire Ganassi organization to ensure Charlie’s success not only on the race track, but also with Novo Nordisk to prove that diabetes does not have get in the way of your dreams.”

Chip Ganassi, Owner, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams: “Many don’t realize this, but we have had a relationship with Charlie for a number of years now. I have been keeping close tabs on him and his successes in racing from afar for a while now – whether he was racing in Formula 3 in Europe, or running in the Firestone Indy Lights Series the past few seasons. We’re excited to have the opportunity to turn this longstanding relationship into a reality with Charlie and Novo Nordisk.”

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^[i] 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control Web site. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/estimates07.htm.

^[i] National Institute Health of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases. National Diabetes Education Pro Web site, http://ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/pubs/FS_AsAm_Eng.pdf. Accessed January 2007.