WHAT IT’S LIKE TO TRY TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL RACE CAR DRIVER

I love to see all the racing driver development programs that have come to light over the last few decades, especially now that some of them are focusing on female racers. Becoming a race car driver, regardless of age, gender, race, or financial resources, is a very difficult thing to accomplish. Much of the time it begins with family involvement, meaning either one or more family members are into racing, or at the very least the family starts attending races as fans and one or more of the family members gets the bug to go racing. But once someone decides to pursue racing, whether as a hobby or a vocation, learning how to be successful is a challenge because everyone is pretty much on their own to figure it out.

Most sports provide a structure for teaching, practice, educational programs, coaches, trainers, etc. While there are many motorsports racing schools, in most cases that is generally an entry level experience and one you can use to secure a racing license. Then there are clubs, such as the Sports Car Club of America, various types of go karting tracks, and local racetracks that offer membership programs, but again, those are mostly how to get started. Then the real learning challenge begins. And depending on what type of racing you pursue, and what part of the country you live in, and how competitive the type of racing you do, you really don’t know how you stack up in the pecking order of talent and potential success. And all along, it is costing you lots of money.

Another change in our sport is how young racers are allowed to start. It used to be you needed a drivers’ license, which in most of the country meant 16 years of age. Now with all the youth programs (karting, quarter midgets, Jr. dragsters, etc.) many can start at the age of five years old. And many of the higher levels on the ladder have lowered the age requirements to around 13-14 years of age. All of this bodes well for providing opportunities for young talent to potentially have a career. But it is a very steep ladder, with more talent seeking the few opportunities. This may sound a bit bleak, but once you have raced and competed successfully, it is in your blood, and you want it more than anything else in the world!

In 1992 when I successfully competed in the Indianapolis 500 (winning rookie of the year honors) and continued to race in Indycars for nine more years, I received so much fan mail and people didn’t want just an autograph, many also were asking for advice. I was fortunate enough to have met tennis legend/culture icon Billie Jean King, who taught all of us athletes that we were the most powerful while we were competing, and that it was our responsibility to carry it forward to the next generation. After trying to figure out how I could make a difference for women in racing, I decided to create a driver development program to provide the knowledge of all those things that it seemed to take me years to learn and share it sooner than later in their racing careers. It is that old saying, “wish I had known that sooner.” It was an invitation only (meaning I scoured race results and fan mail I was getting). With the help of funds from my sponsor, JC Penney, and some volunteers and experts in the industry, in November of 1994, we launched the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation Driver Development Program. Here is what it included:

Driver Development Program

Under the direction of 30-year racing veteran and icon Lyn St. James, this driver development training program will invite a limited number of young racers who aspire to be champions in the professional ranks of racing, whether it is NASCAR, NHRA, Indycar, or F1. There is a fee of $500 for this 4-day program. You need to cover all costs of travel, transportation, hotel accommodation.

Curriculum Overview:

Physical & Mental Preparation

• Physical Fitness Assessment for racing
• Physical Fitness training protocols and personalized program for racing, including cardio-respiratory fitness and stamina, muscular strength and endurance, body composition, and flexibility.
• Nutrition Seminar and Program to include hydration, jet lag, etc.
• Mental skills training, negative thought stopping tools, rules of the mental road, imagery, emotional management, and personal log book monitoring tools.
• Personal coaching for achieving maximum competitive performance.
• Personal ACT profile developed to identify championship performance.

Media & Business Skill Training

• Media Training – broadcast interview training
• Development of professional bio and press kit materials
• Speaking experience
• Social and communication skills
• Image assessment and individual brand development
• Social media consultation
• Sponsorship proposal writing
• The Business of Motorsports-understanding sanctioning bodies, etc.

On-Track Experience & Technical Seminars

• GoKart Assessment
• Open wheel/closed wheel road racing assessment/training
• Open wheel/closed wheel oval track racing assessment/training
• Preparation for adaptability to provide experience for next steps on the racing ladder
• Technical training on suspension, aerodynamics, tires, engines, and other components to achieve the knowledge required to first identify/feel, and communicate technical information quickly, accurately, and effectively.

Over a 20-year period, we helped over 230 female racers, from 28 states and seven countries, including some stand-out drivers: Danica Patrick, Sarah Fisher, Melanie Troxel, Erin Crocker Evernham, Courtney Crone, Erica Enders, Ashley Freiberg, Sarah Montgomery, Brie Hershey, Liz Halliday, Sondi Eden, Renee Dupuis, Sara Senske, and many others.

We were a bit ahead of the times. Now it seems there are so many driver development programs in place, which is a good thing. With the advancement of technology available, such as simulators, it is much easier to train and assess. I’m particularly pleased to see how much attention is being paid to encourage more women to pursue the sport, whether as a driver, engineer, or quite frankly in any role where they have the passion and are prepared to help a team or an organization be better, and to win!

I applaud the F1 Academy and More Than Equal for how they have really stepped up the assessment and training parts of their programs. While they are focused on finding the next female driver to compete in F1, at least the knowledge and experience these drivers are getting will benefit them wherever they race next!!!