Let’s be honest with one another for a minute: every one of us grew up wanting to be a race car driver. We all sketched cars and engines as kids, and we all racked up a sizable collection of Hot Wheels cars. Chances are we went through the slot car and RC car phase, too, but somewhere along the line our lives took a different track. Most of us never made the jump to racing karts (and getting really, really good at it), so a future in formula car racing wasn’t meant to be. The few of us who were really lucky got to race or autocross cars for a hobby, until the financial reality of the sport set in. Like the saying goes, speed costs money, so how fast do you want to spend?
This short BBC video, found on Autoblog, gives us a taste of what life may have been like if we’d focused on driving and racing, instead of foolish pursuits like college and a career. It’s chock full of glamour, which really is a small fraction of a pro driver’s life, but ti does give an idea of how much drivers spend in physical training each day. What’s missing are the countless hours of travel, downtime and sponsorship obligations that form the backbone of a pro racer’s life these days. Being able to turn in fast laps is only part of the equation, since sponsorship means selling a lot of widgets for the brand on the side of your car, too.
If only we’d taken up karting instead of soccer in elementary school, perhaps things would have turned out different for us. Then again, probably not.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
