WHY DO WE RACE?

The draw of racing is the intensity of speed and being able to control the physics of the car knowing that everything we do has an immediate consequence. It operates from the evolutionary part of our brain that hones our instincts.  Like a cat at play mimicking the hunt, racing exercises our instinct to survive.

That alone fuels us, but beyond that comes affirmation – not necessarily public recognition, rather the acknowledgement within us of how well we’re built and how good we are at the sport of racing. And for this, there is purity in racing. Performance is delineated sharply. The speed clock does not lie. There are so many ways that our pursuits in life get clouded by what others and society deem successful. Spinouts and mechanical failure can set us back, but over time there is no debate in the way racing tells us how we’re doing.

Then we grow. We grow from the struggle. We grow from the wins. And as we do, we think beyond our instincts and start to recognize the individuals who are growing alongside us, on and off the track. We’re trained to tune out every other driver and focus on the race. But when we contemplate our involvement in the sport, we recognize the other drivers among us who are living the same pursuit. It’s then that an instinct more powerful than our instinct to survive kicks in. It’s our instinct to connect with others which is the ultimate affirmation for us as humans. And when we do, we see how grand this sport is – how well we honor each other and support each other and celebrate the sport together.

Over time, each one of us who stands in the crowd applauding those who
stand on the podium, we will have our turn. And when we do, we will see that same crowd and see everyone who has been a part of our journey. And the exhilaration of our pride won’t be because we won. It’ll be because we see how blessed we are to be a part of this group of people who have supported us and made racing their dream just like we did.