Who is Motorsport Prospects For?
I recently had a reader comment that, while they liked the Weekly Debrief they hoped that I would feature “more stuff about F1 and Indycar.” I figured now was as good a time as any to explain who Motorsport Prospects’ intended audience is.
The mission of Motorsport Prospects continues to be the following:
Our mission is to maximize the race driver’s motorsport potential with access to the resources needed to make the right decisions now
https://www.motorsportprospects.com/about/
The primary audience of Motorsport Prospects are drivers, not spectators. Everything I write and feature on the site and in the directory is aimed at maximizing a drivers’ potential by pointing out resources they may not know exist. That is why the Weekly Debrief always starts out with “Driver Development News, Tips & Techniques” followed by “The Business of Being a Race Driver.” All drivers can benefit from this information regardless of whether they are a club racer, just starting out or the ubiquitous “gentleman driver.” Drivers by the way includes potential drivers, whether they be karters, sim racers or those looking to get involved in motorsport as well as their parents who for the most part fund all young drivers.
The secondary audience are those involved in the business of motorsport be that team management, series officials or professionals servicing the driver market.
Everything the site offers and will offer in the future is based on this singular mission. There are more than enough websites out there aimed at the spectator and I do not intend to add to the already excellent motorsport-related sites you can find with a quick internet search.
So when you are registering on the site (for free of course) and you come to the part about describing your motorsport involvement, this is why it is there.
The Week in Review
I have some great original features coming up for the Monday slot but this week was my now bi-weekly Sustainable Motorsport Round-Up. I love doing this segment because there is so much going on that is technologically fascinating and yet sustainable. One thing I always conclude when I finish my column is that the sport is tackling the sustainability challenge head-on like it does any challenge and coming up with some fascinating and innovative solutions to some very tough problems. It is an important journey that motorsport as a whole is finally fully embracing.
On my regular Wednesday “In the Motorsport Prospects Marketplace” feature is an extraordinary car from the glory days of IMSA GTP, the 1989 Toyota AAR/Toyota Eagle HF90 MKII. As I mention in the piece, this was one of the first racing series that caught my attention outside of Formula 1 and I was just mesmerized by how fast and nimble these beasts were! If you are the one who bought this awesome race car, please let me know so we can do a follow-up after you have shaken it down in anger.
Now on to the week’s race driver news you can use.
Driver Development News, Tips & Techniques
- Motorsport UK’s excellent Revolution magazine has a great guide to what they call “Off-Shelf Racing for All Budgets.” It covers racing in the NankangTyre Citycar Cup Championship, Radical SR1 Cup and the Ginetta GT Academy. By the way, even if you are not from the UK I would recommend subscribing to Motorsport UK’s newsletter as there is a lot of great information that can apply to any driver anywhere.
- Motorsport UK is expanding their search for a FIA Rally Star according to Motorsport UK expands search for FIA Rally Star. Motorsport UK will be continuing its search by opening-up the competition to encompass all of the remaining #RallyAtHome Challenges for competitors aged 17-27. Full details can be found here.
- Safe is Fast have released a new video called How To Win Championships: Lessons from Champions. You can watch the video below:
- Working with a driver coach can make a huge difference in your performance on the track and is highly recommended for those serious about their racecraft. In The Importance of Process for New Coaching Clients driving coach Tom Long explains how the process should work. Once you have read his article you can check out my interview with Tom in The Eyes are the Keys to it All – In Conversation with Professional Race Car Driver and Driver Coach Tom Long.
- I have mentioned numerous times through interviews and features on this blog the importance of mental conditioning for race drivers. To emphasize that fact check out Soma Technologies’ article The Importance Of Mental Capacity Training In Motorsports as they discuss how to safeguard against mental fatigue.
- For more mental conditioning tips, Enzo Mucci explains How To Calm The Mind and be Ready For Battle (Breathing & Mental Technique)
- Proper hydration and keeping cool coupled with peak physical conditioning are keys to better performance in the cockpit. Check out these two products used by professional drivers that helps them do just that.
- Jim Leto of PitFit Training has an excellent newsletter with a lot of great tips for the racing driver. Below is his “Exercise of the Month for July: Let’s Talk Serratus Anterior.” To quote from his newsletter:
- “The serratus anterior is a fan shaped muscle that allows for movement of the scapula. Scapular movement is important in maintaining healthy shoulders. Activating a muscle like the serratus anterior is important in improving shoulder stability to help prevent shoulder injuries that could occur in every day life. A great exercise to activate the serratus anterior is the forearm wall slides. This exercise allows for upward rotation of the scapula. To perform this exercise you will be in a standing position facing the wall. Forearms will be pressed again the wall with elbows at 90 degrees. Keep the wrist over the elbows. From here focus on pressing the elbows and forearms into the wall to expand through the upper back. You should feel your shoulders come forward. Exhale, brace your core, and drive your ribs down to prevent flaring or arching of the back. Slide arms up the wall while maintaining the pressing of the forearms. Once you reach your end range of motion inhale and then return to the starting position. Our own Isaac demonstrates this exercise in the next video. “
- You can read my interview with Jim here for more great information on the importance of driver fitness. Here is the exercise he talks about above.
- The Motorsport Coaching Podcast has a great episode with Luke King called Pay It Forward And Make Every Moment Count. In the podcast they discuss:
- The importance of building – and maintaining relationships and a good network
- How to build a public profile to your strengths
- Some things to avoid when building your public profile
- How sponsorships can come about in the most unexpected circumstances
- An awesome story of a last minute trip to race in China
- And the importance of paying it forward, being a good person and live in the moment, every hour every day!
- You hear it all the time from successful drivers, the key to making a career in racing is perseverance. Patricio O’Ward explains what a crazy journey he has had so far in My career ended five times”: The strange path McLaren’s new star took to the top. The key takeaway is never give up!
- Being Pride Month there have been a lot of LGBTQ+ initiatives both in motorsport and sport in general. Aston Martin explains to The Race what they are doing and why in Aston’s LGBTQ+ initiative goes far beyond logos on its F1 cars.
- Is racing talent in the genes? That’s what this article attempts to answer over at the Goodwood site.
The Business of Being a Race Driver
- I have mentioned before that part of what sponsorship acquisition is all about is understanding what the sponsor needs. Here are two articles that explore that very question and how to answer it. If you are a business considering getting involved in motorsport sponsorship these are good reads as well.
- Media relations are key for any driver whether that be through social media or your more traditional variety. Here are two articles that should help, one on Instagram and the other on how to craft a great press release.
- Authenticity is always key with sponsorship but how do you measure it. Authentic sponsorship and how to measure it has some tips.
- If you are not familiar with the Racing Mentor then you should be. Here is a great testimonial on the effectiveness of their services. Watch it below.
- There has been a lot of Covid-related changes to sponsor hospitality with some intriguing hybrid models featuring digital experiences in place of live, at the track hospitality. That being said, people want to go to the track for a real experience after being stuck at home for so long. In Focus on Real Experiences and the Content Will Follow over at Sport Dimensions they discuss the best approaches you should take with your trackside hospitality.
- Now Seb has spoken out against the costs of racing in Vettel: ‘Wild’ costs of junior categories need to be cut. A bit short on details but look for some articles coming up on the Motorsport Prospects blog that will tackle this very issue with (hopefully) some workable solutions. Or at the very least some constructive criticism.
Series News
- The new LMDh category being introduced by IMSA and the WEC have the potential for a surge in new sportscar teams both run by manufacturers and privateers that promise a new “golden age” of sportscar racing. Here are two articles that look at the potential for a very exciting future.
- There have not been too many junior electric development series around except for the ERA Championship set to launch in 2022 so Formula E intends to change this. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. On the one hand it is yet another junior formula series in an already crowded market. On the other hand it will be tied into the Formula E weekend much like FIA Formula 2 & 3 are with Formula 1. Looking forward to hearing more details.
- Finally Formula 4 is set for a global facelift as the one year delayed new Formula 4 chassis is set to make its debut in the FIA Formula 4 UAE Championship. More details can be found at Tatuus’s next-gen Formula 4 car to make race debut in UAE.
Business of Motorsport
- Kudos to The Women of Paretta Autosport who absolutely demonstrated without a doubt that they not only belong at the track but walked the talk loud and proud. Things are finally changing where women are taking their rightful place in the cockpit, on the pitwall and in the race team executive suite. I could not agree more with the sentiments of this Road & Track article: The Women of Paretta Autosport Are Changing the Indianapolis 500 for the Better.
- Race on Sunday sell on Monday? A new twist to the old adage. How IMSA Races Are Becoming A Key Location For New Consumer Auto Launches.
- Gentlemen, start your accountants! Aston Martin sees financial regulations as new F1 battleground.
- Nascar is increasingly, and by neccessity thinking outside the box. Here is an example: Nascar Finds New Levels Of Creativity With Rocket League Partnership
- Covid was tough on everybody. Here is how one motorsport professional coped: Sepang Racing’s Razlan Razali on why success does not always translate into more revenue
From the Motorsport Prospects Archives
Dan Wells is a very successful driver and driver coach based in Hong Kong. In 2019 I asked him about his career and racing in Asia in Racing in Asia – A Chat with Professional Race Car Driver and Driver Coach Dan Wells. He also builds awesome sim racing rigs!
The Last Lap
There are some interesting and cool things for this week’s Last Lap.
- The first is the new Hagerty Drivers Foundation which champions “car culture, education and innovation” and provides scholarships for students in the automotive field of education, offers financial support for automotive startups and grants for innovative business ideas, and continues to build the National Historic Vehicle Register, which documents the invaluable history of our automotive past. The scholarship might be something young drivers might want to investigate for their Plan B educational efforts.
- Lamborghini is the definition of “exotic.” Find out more in The Life of Ferruccio Lamborghini: The Man, The Legend, The Cars.
- This is a wonderful article on How To Be A Gentleman Driver. Times have changed but the book looks fantastic and most of the advice holds true.
I will be taking some R&R next week so there will be no Weekly Digest or any other content posted to the blog but until I return the week of June 27th, here is a Lap of Paul Ricard in an LMP3 with Tommy Foster. Enjoy!
Stay safe and I will see you at the track.
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.