Why do you motorsport? | Articles

One of the last things my 100-year-old grandmother told me before she passed was that she didn’t understand why people did motorsports. But she quickly added, “It fits you.” What’s that supposed to mean, Grandma?

I’ve thought about this off and on over the years. It came up again as I drove through the middle of the night from middle-of-nowhere Kentucky on my way back home from a dirt track. At the break of dawn, I went to an East10Drift event just a few miles away from where I live. It was a doubleheader day. Not uncommon for me.

Last month, I flew from Tennessee to New York on a Tuesday to revive my mom’s old Caddy. Flew from New York to California on Sunday to drive a Nissan Z NISMO at Sonoma Raceway on Monday. Flew back home on Tuesday. (The only thing that stopped me from another race was that I didn’t want to drive the Caddy 60 miles one way on a Saturday night.)

I should have had enough after that, right? Heck no.

The next weekend was a tad lighter–on travel, that is. ARA Boone Forest Rally parc expose in Kentucky on Friday. The following day I planned to go back to the Bluegrass State for a dirt race, but I stumbled upon the Knoxville Drive Electric Festival at a coffee shop. I had to go. So I did both. Then, ETRSCCA autocross on Sunday at Bristol.

Does the management here require me to do this? Not at all. They’re great with respecting personal time.

Do I want to do this? Yes, absolutely.

But why?

Perhaps you’ve asked yourself this, too, when it’s 2 a.m. in the shop and you’re wrestling with how to fix something on your car.

For a racer, the reason’s clear, right? Okay then, everyone say it on a count of three. One. Two. Three.

Wait, why did I hear a bunch of different answers? Shouldn’t it be about racking up trophies?

You didn’t have that answer? Don’t worry. Motorsport is not all about winning. (Sorry, Ricky Bobby.)

If being first isn’t the answer to the question, then what is? Well, it depends.

Maybe you just love turning wrenches and fixing things. If so, a race car provides plenty of chances to do just that. (Moreso with some cars and drivers–choose wisely.) To give you an idea of my mechanical ability, I once fried a light switch by changing a light bulb. Like I said, choose wisely on who you help.

Do you wish you went to school for engineering instead of business? No worries, motorsport can scratch that itch, too. The sport offers the opportunity to test…