Rich driver, poor driver. How to stay the course in the most unfair sport there is.
Don't lose your head because the rich kids get an easy ride.
Hi, welcome to the Terence Dove On Racing Drivers newsletter. Every week I'm aiming to give you a mix of driving technique and perspectives to keep you fired up in the most worthy pursuit in the world.
If you are doing racing and reading this you are probably over-spending. I don't really know any drivers, or racing families, who didn't become severely stretched in order to race.
So when you are right on the edge just managing to compete, there's nothing worse than being absolutely hammered by another driver, whose only advantage over you is the fact they are minted.
It could even be the case that you get continuously beaten by inferior but better funded drivers, race after race. Then things can start to feel impossible…
At some point, we all say ‘what's the point of this stupid bloody sport?, I can’t race against these big spenders!’
I'll tell you, because this is really easy to forget in the heat of battle or depression of ‘defeat’ and continuous struggle…..
The point of this sport (sport is an insufficient description, racing is superior to any sport) is to create yourself, and discover what you can take; what you can overcome.
It is to push yourself to the limit, your breaking point, and get through it. To face fear of injury and to risk yourself for something special.
You are going to suffer like hell, you are going to have glorious moments of personal victory, you will experience tremendous highs from the sheer thrill of speed and battle with other racers feeling the same. You will learn the magic of handing over everything you have to a race.
Then you are going to crash, you are going to destroy all your kit, you are going to be distraught and destitute, but you are going to recover and have another crack. Then you are going to crash again!
You are going to live the life of extremes because you know no other life feels worthwhile.
It is going to be a beautiful existence where you know exactly what you were born to do. You will have the most powerful understanding a person can have - you know what you are willing to die for.
Now, are you going to let some spoiled driver take all that away from you?
The greatest danger of all to racing drivers: Thinking the loaded drivers have it sussed.
If you join their game, and start to believe that racing is a sport for the privileged only, rather than for you to shape yourself into a beast, then you are in deep deep trouble. If you become envious that they have it easy then bitterness grows and quitting altogether follows shortly after.
Instead take some advice from Blade:
Remember rich drivers are there for your convenience, a fun target to chase; a toy. They are there for your motivation.
When another driver passes you because they are running power that they haven't earned, just indulge in a moment of internal reflection and think of something like ‘you can have that mate, you are nurturing your own weakness, good luck [insert your favourite put down here]’.
Don't get jealous, depressed and self -pitying. You are on a completely different and far superior journey, which has got sweet FA to do with them. Now, that doesn’t mean concede defeat. Go after them like your life depends on it! That’s what they are there for, a training aid to get you wound up and force you to stretch yourself.
If you can’t catch them today hit the data, hit the gym, hit your sponsors, chase new ones. (We'll go deep into all those, stay subscribed) You’ll find it incredibly hard, get crushed with refusal after refusal, and keep going finding improvement in yourself. That’s the whole point of being a racing driver - it’s an arena that forces you to become a badass!
Getting everything paid for on an easy path is just being a spoiled little prince, and really all they are is a target for the real deal drivers, canon fodder set up for you to take aim at!
When a driver is looked after and protected with money, they become weak. They are the ones missing out!
The rich drivers are protected from all the struggle and hardship that toughens you up. They get soft, and ridiculous as it seems they get short changed. They don’t get all the juice out of the pain and glory you have experienced, so they remain wet behind the ears.
That’s why so many drivers get to F4, face something they never faced before (like not having an engine 0.5 seconds faster than everyone) and they get lost. They are not equipped to do anything but complain, then they disappear with nothing to show for it - finished.
Let’s sum this up
If you are regularly getting your butt kicked by less skilled drivers with crazy engines etc, remember you are the one with the privilege. They are the ones living in cloud cuckoo land, and one day they’ll get found out. Meanwhile you will be using them as motivation to get faster, get stronger and learn how to pull money out of sponsors.
When the axe falls for them they will have nothing in them to fight with, meanwhile you’ll continue on a steep upward trajectory IF you don’t let them fool you into defining success in their terms.
Most important: In the heat of battle remember how to see them appropriately and laugh at their ignorance and belief they are winning. They are in fact weakening themselves, while you use them to strengthen yourself.
Keep your eyes on the prize - you are investing in yourself, building yourself and toughening yourself - forget the rest.
Until next time
Terence