Being a driver means being a professional athlete who lives in a very dynamic environment. Here are 5 practical tips to get along in the complex world of motorsport.
Being able to stand out in the motorsport environment is a mix of talent, ambition, luck and also professionalism. The latter one could be the quality that saves you the most, but often is the less considered. Let’s see in detail what could be useful for you…
MORE THAN A sport
First of all motorsport is a show and it is often forgotten, but it is still a business that has in personal relationships its foundation. If you have realized this aspect, you’ll avoid a lot of problems. A lot of drivers ruined their careers because they ruined their personal relationships. It takes more than being fast: you always have to be grateful to who has been important for your career and you have to be able to create a connection, even an emotional one, with the people that could be crucial for your path.
CREATE YOUR OWN team
In his autobiography “Dream. Believe. Achieve” the five-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea tells about how he managed to create his own “Team65”: a group of people who helped him through all the aspects of his career, from logistics to the technical side of it. In the same way Valentino Rossi put together his team starting from his best friend Uccio and they are taking care of all the aspects of his racing career.
To realize your dream of being a professional rider or driver you have to be 110% concentrated on what you’re doing and you don’t have to get distracted from all the things to do that are not strictly related with track activities. Not all the drivers/riders have the sensibility to follow all the commercial and PR activities that sponsors request, so it’s better to have an agency or a group of people that take care of those aspects on your behalf. On the long run, taking care of these relationships, it favors new possibilities and it supports your racing career.
Look after Formula 1 and Moto GP
The temptation to focus too much on the top series with 2 or 4 wheels could be a problem. From one side it’s a positive aspect because it demonstrates your ambition, from the other side remember to take into account any option in other championships/categories since they can give you huge satisfactions and a professional career.
…STUDY!
The academic background is important, whether you become a professional rider/driver or not. Having a good level of education and a “plan B” is not a symptom of failure, anything but that. Many riders and many drivers put their whole selves in their racing career, not bothering about an alternative career. Everything you do off the track strengthens your person and it helps you to ripen as men and women.
Work hard outside the track
Talent is nothing without hard work and a good level of knowledge about what happens outside the racing tracks. Think that a driver/rider could be focused only on track activities it’s a huge mistake: until his/her personal team will be created, he/she must take care of all the aspects related to his career. Who says the opposite is damaging young talents. If you don’t want to rely on a group of professionals that works for you, make it sure that your role within your racing career is all-around.