Keep your eyes on the real prize - the driver!
Keep your eyes on the real prize - the driver!
Forget dumb plastic trophies - focus on the real prize that karting can deliver if done right - a monumentally powerful human!
Hi, welcome to a 💎Free Edition💎 of the Terence Dove On Racing Drivers newsletter. Every week I'm aiming to give you a mix of driving techniques and new perspectives, to keep you fired up in the most worthy pursuit in the world; being a racing driver.
Learn the nuts and bolts of kart driving excellence in my book, then come here for the deeper stuff!
Thus do all things preach the indifferency of circumstances. The man is all.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ok, right off the bat, I have to get something straight. I am not an advocate of everyone at sports day getting a medal for taking part. I’m also not saying that the best reason to go racing is the relationships, friendships and camaraderie etc etc, or anything sweet like that.
Racing is totally badass, to me the ultimate gladiatorial arena encompassing every aspect of what the world can demand of a great human. It’s brutal, ugly and can be very damaging! So it should be.
So don’t get this article mixed up with a ‘kind’ take on racing about taking the positives, or ‘the journey’. It’s more brutal than that.
If you understand it, you may even find it to be cruel. But also inspiring if you are a driver, or a parent, interested in using racing to sculpt a racing driver into a full on titan.
The Real Prize - Not a dumb plastic trophy
Trophies don't mean squat; you or your child—that's the real gold here.
The Emerson quote at the top is saying that ‘you get out of life, what you put in’ which is a net zero really - BUT, it all goes into creating the character of the man, that’s the profit, the human that is produced by the striving is the point!
So in racing, you can put in work, get results that correspond exactly with that…yawn, no big deal. The big deal is what all that effort produces in the creation of a strong and powerful driver.
So all the graft that a driver puts into racing, all the pain, joy, money, defeat and victory equals out. You get what you deserve BUT that’s just not the point.
The driver who is created out of that, is something really special, a unique character. A proper badass that oozes charisma and affects people.
That person is the prize and that’s what I’m saying you need to keep your eyes on. All the hullabaloo that comes with racing, whether it’s glory or bankruptcy is not the story. The driver is!
Are you strong enough to hold on to that long-term vision; of the super human you are building?
I’m trying to give you a vision, a goal that gets you out of a thinking trap that can drag you down, and bring on the end of your racing endeavors. Racing for racing itself is fun, until its not. Then its easy to quit, because you aren’t getting anything out of it.
To quit that way for me is a disaster. You have to look longer term, especially as a parent. Keep in mind at every stage, what are we trying to create, or what destiny we are trying to fulfil, being involved in this daft activity called karting.
Wrong answer - we would like to get some nice results, maybe a podium this year.
Right answer - I want to keep my daughter in this insane pursuit because it’s going to craft her into a work of art, a monster of energy, bulletproof, a warrior, a conqueror and a striver, whatever the hell happens.
Every decision, every turn—aim for what forges the strongest soul.
If you apply this kind of thinking at every single fork in the road, you are going to make the right choice, and you simply cannot go wrong.
Shall we join a team?
This is going to make her learn how to manipulate and cajole others, attract resources, become a leader, inspire.✅
It’s where the fast drivers are, everybody is in a team❌
Shall we do the nationals?
It’s where the team is going, new tracks to learn and it’s higher status ❌
She is chomping at the bit to test herself, she demands to challenge herself against the best, she wants to get beaten and find out what the best drivers have got that she hasn’t, she found a sponsor! ✅
If you make decisions based on the principle - ‘what is going to potentially make her stronger, even if it goes totally wrong’, then you are on the money.
If you get this right, you are going to be tapping into the real wealth that karting has on offer. You’ll avoid taking short-cuts to get advantages by spending silly money, all the focus will be going into fostering the sheer might of your kid.
Don’t adopt these principles in hindsight - start and plan this way and strive forward
Taking the positives out of the weekend….🤮
Looking back on a disaster weekend of racing, and ‘pulling out the positives’ is something people do when they haven’t got their priorities straight, and they are trying to just medicate themselves.
The principle I’m espousing here isn’t something for you to use on the drive home, so you can say ‘well, at least it’s character building’.
No!
On the way to the track, the whole purpose needs to be ‘character building’.
Get it right up front, plan for being challenged and revel in watching your driver getting put through the mangle. Watch a monster being sculpted by the ugly racing world, and glory in it, because you know what the process is creating.
I get more worried when a driver lands a fluke result, and gets a trophy than if they got absolutely smashed to bits.
Everything in karting is disposable junk - chassis, tyres, engines
Tyres last no time, engines die, chassis wear—but the driver? Immortal.
Just to hammer the point home. All the engines, tyres, chassis that everyone stresses about; they all go in the bin. They may cost a fortune, but they come to nothing.
What you do come away with, is the benefits of what gets invested in the driver.
This may even be a money saving tip. If buying a better engine does not directly enhance the growth of the driver and just gives them an easier path, then don’t buy the engine.
If driving at you local track still provides a tremendous challenge, then just keep going there. You don’t have to start trekking around the country, or the continent… you have all the challenge you need.
Did I just save you twenty grand a year - if so, subscribe!! 🤣
Learning karting skills, conquering tracks, race-craft, nailing starts. These are all of secondary importance.
This newsletter is mostly about the skills a driver can learn to excel at their craft. Braking, steering, getting sponsors, subordinating teams members etc etc.
These are all simply the material a driver uses to train themselves, motivated by their passion for racing. But they are only really equivalent to the weights you lift in a gym.
They are not actually important in themselves. Nobody really thinks it is important that a human knows how to brake sideways into a corner.
What is important about racing skills then?
That when you a fortunate enough to be driven by the wonderful activity of racing, to strive for it, then you learn how to strengthen yourself. You learn how to build yourself and strive, mercilessly and without consideration for your own safety, for a goal that sets you alight.
Neither the goal, nor the skills are a big deal at all. What is a big deal is the growth you created in yourself.
Now that may sound like a self-help ‘its the process, not the result’ bit of cheap advice. BUT, in racing, we aren’t talking about getting up at 6am to go for a run - we are talking about risking yourself, going broke and going all in. It’s way more badass.
The big F1 dream is for the young driver - that’s their problem
For a young driver to dream big is totally commendable. If that’s what drives them hard, and they put all of themselves into it, perfect.
But for a parent, you should support it in a performative way. The real deal is to keep them striving, and build themselves.
Whether they become a professional driver or not doesn’t matter then, they get to keep the results of the actual striving process.
They will be physically and mentally in very good shape.
If they also adopt the principles here for themselves, then bang, you’ve got a real beast on your hands. they will become unstoppable. they can switch ambitions whenever they like, and strive upward again.
Everyone else becomes a tool toward building your character.
When you look at every part of racing a way to help create this mighty future human, everything else in racing falls into place.
Every other driver, every moody official, every crash, every impossible catch millionaire.
They all become subordinates and helpers towards your aims. They each become there to challenge you, a convenience to help you build yourself.
They cannot beat you!
Summary
1. Racing isn't about everyone getting a medal—it's brutal, ugly, and demands every ounce of you.
2. Trophies are junk. The transformation you or your child undergoes? That's the gold.
3. It's not about momentary results. It's about forging an unyielding, powerful character through the grind.
4. Aim for the long-term vision: crafting a human titan, not just fleeting track success.
5. Every decision, every challenge in racing should chisel away to forge the strongest soul.
6. Don't adopt a growth mindset after the fact; go to the track hungry for character-building from the get-go.
7. Engines die, tires wear out—everything's disposable. But the driver? They're immortal.
8. Racing skills? They're just tools. The real game? Pushing yourself to your limits and growing stronger because of it.
9. Young racers dream of F1; that's on them. Parents? Focus on making them beasts in life, regardless of the racing outcome.
10. Every rival, every crash—they're all tools, shaping and strengthening your character. They can't beat you.
Done right, racing doesn't just create drivers; it forges unstoppable titans.
At its core, racing is a ruthless crucible that shapes, tests, and refines character. The real prize isn't the accolades achieved on the track, but the indomitable spirit, resilience, and charisma crafted over time. While young racers may chase the dream of professional success, parents and mentors should ensure the spotlight remains on the enduring growth of the individual. For in the grand scheme of life, it's not the temporary triumphs but the permanent transformations that truly matter. In the relentless world of racing, every challenge, every adversity is an opportunity to mold a titan.
Thanks for reading
Terence