As an automotive journalist, one of the most frequent questions I get is, “how can I get a job like yours?” On the surface, it does indeed look like a dream job: each and every week, I get a new four-wheeled toy to play with, complete with a full tank of gas. I work from a very comfortable office with a fifteen-second commute (twenty, if I stop for coffee on the way up the stairs), and occasionally manufacturers fly me to exotic places to drive their latest wares. They force me to eat good food and drink free beer, too, so the job does have its downfalls.
When people ask me my dream job, now I have an answer: I want to be stunt driver Greg Tracy. When someone tosses me the keys to a press fleet car, the unwritten rule is “don’t stack it, and don’t shred the tires/brakes/clutch.” They don’t pay me to drive it either, but Tracy gets paid to both drive and use up things like tires, brakes and clutches.
Here’s the newest video from Mercedes-Benz, filmed at the request of a fan and featuring Greg Tracy. It stars two C63 AMG Sedans, which are really used as the world’s most expensive traffic cones. It also features a C63 AMG Coupe, driven by Tracy, who drifts figure-eights around the sedans. There’s no dialogue and no plot, but there’s lots of tire smoke and the sense that the coupe was driven right to the tire shop for a set of new rear skins after filming.
Next time someone asks me how to get a job as an automotive journalist, I’m going to look them straight in the eye and say, “Get me a job like stunt driver Greg Tracy, and I’ll trade you.”
Source: YouTube, Via MotorAuthority
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.
