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Becoming the B.E.S.T. |||amp;trade; racing driver

Lay people often believe that being a good racing driver is just about having fast reaction times and being prepared to take more risks than anyone else.

As soon as you become actively involved in the sport, you soon realise it is about assembling a multitude of talents and resources. For a driver who wishes to build a career, there are four key areas they need to master. If any are missed it is like a table missing legs, it will inevitably fall over.
The four areas of the B.E.S.T. ™ acronym are:
  1. Business
  2. Entertainment
  3. Sport
  4. Technology

1. Business
Don Bradman may have been able to develop his cricket skills by spending hours hitting a golf ball against the wall with a cricket stump, but it is not that easy in racing. Time in a car costs money. Having access to the best equipment costs money, and it soon adds up. Now a young driver may have an enthusiastic family backing him through karts and the lower formulas, but sooner or later the expenses become painful. It is therefore essential at an early age to develop business acumen. This is a great life skill that will stand a driver in good stead, regardless of whether he fulfils all his driving aspirations.
 
2. Entertainment
When presenting a sponsorship proposal many novices give a statement of how much TV time that their car got and extrapolate it out with the TVC (television commercial) rate. This then equates to some huge mythical amount of money. However, any Marketing Manager or Managing Director will find this comical as a sticker on a car full of stickers, amongst other cars full of stickers, on a track full of signage, isn't equivalent to a dedicated company commercial. So to provide value to a sponsor a driver must be able to make them feel important at the track, to proactively network them with other people they can do business with, and be of sufficient interest to get relevant media coverage.
 
3. Sport
Lay people cannot understand that driving a car could possibly take a significant amount of effort. They do not appreciate the effect of G forces, or adrenaline that doesn't get fully burnt. When elite racing drivers attend the Institute of Sport they constantly surprise with their athleticism. You need to be at a level not just to be able to handle the strains, but to do so with ease so they are not a distraction.
 
4. Technology
There have been many drivers that do well in the lower formulas, but then fail to deliver as they advance. This is due to a lack of technical understanding in order to get the most from the car. The further they progress, the narrower the variance in driver ability and consequently the more critical is the car setup.
 
So question yourself.
  • Which of the four pillars are you best at?
  • Are there any you avoid?
  • Where are the biggest opportunities for improvement?

As you dip below the surface as a motor racing fan you recognise that every driver and team bring a different mix to the table. The competition may not always be equal or "fair", but it is always fascinating. And aren't the best times when  a Senna performs a David and Goliath act by taking a Toleman and humiliating the might of the most established teams?

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