I was kindly asked by SRO America to take down my social media posts from Sunday and consider revising my message to be more clear about the events from this past weekend at VIR. As I like to consider myself an ally and an enthusiastic supporter of all of the series I compete in I was happy to remove my post from all platforms and post again, with a more clear message.
However I’d like to apologize to all of you who commented on my post and contributed to the conversation, as your input has also been removed. Please feel free to comment again, but let’s keep in mind we are in the middle of a situation that many parties are unhappy with and are evaluating all the options available to make improvements and make things right. So, please be kind with your words. They are more powerful than you may think.
Leaving out any perspective or speculation from SRO, as I cannot speak on their behalf, I feel the driving standards of many of the drivers in the series lately have been lacking strategy, skill and respect for their fellow competitors. The moves that are being made on track, both on the offensive and the defensive, in my opinion, are desperate and dangerous. Regardless of my opinion, the end result is fact - the races have been marred with massive crashes, severe damage to both the cars and the race tracks, and run under lengthy caution periods or interrupted by red flags. Thankfully no drivers have been hurt as of yet, but in my opinion, it is only a matter of time before things get worse.
No one can deny the quality of racing is not what any of us would like it to be. Therefore, we are at a crossroads and it’s up to all of us to improve going forward. We all have to take responsibility and we have to work collectively to make this a better environment - on many levels - for all involved.
SRO cannot push the pedals or turn the wheel for any of us drivers. We are the ones who have to make the change.
The biggest aspect that I feel is lacking? PERSPECTIVE.
For those of you who are either gentleman drivers, semi-pro or newcomers to the sport, mistakes happen and you have to learn somewhere. We all understand that. But if you are continually accident-prone or making mistakes that greatly and negativity affect your competitors, perhaps you should step back and practice your craft elsewhere so when you enter a super-competitive environment, you are up for the task and able to perform at the level that this kind of racing requires.
But for all of you “Pro Drivers” or those who consider themselves pro-level drivers, we need to have a real chat. I could go on for days about the lack of skill, strategy or respect that is continually displayed in the races, which we should all be ashamed of - but the biggest thing I’d like to point out is the lack of PERSPECTIVE.
Many of us, if not all of us, are only racing in this series because someone else brought us here. Our teammates, our clients, our gentleman drivers, and who I sure hope we’d all consider our friends. We should be here to help enhance their experience at the track; learning their craft, enjoying their cars, enjoying the competition and heck, maybe even having some fun.
When WE are behind the wheel, we should be setting the example. We should be conducting ourselves like professional racing drivers and showing everyone how this should be done. Clean, crafty, strategic, skilled and with RESPECT for each other. But most of all, with PERSPECTIVE.
When you have contact with another pro driver, you are also banging up or crashing HIS TEAMMATES car. Who is his teammate? Probably the guy paying all of the bills and employing that driver. Why is that guy at the track? To have fun, to learn and to RACE. That can’t happen when you crash his car.
I don’t care what you think of me or how hard you feel the need to race me, door me, bump me or block me. What you need to remember is that YOU are racing someone else’s car, on someone else’s behalf, and so am I. I am racing someone else’s car and my decisions on track NEED to involve and protect my drivers best interest. WE need to protect and preserve that golden opportunity we’ve been given and do right by the people who brought us to the track with them - so they want to keep coming back and therefore allow us all to do what we love.
If you disagree with me and this entire post so far, you are part of the problem.
Yes, we can race hard. Yes, contact happens. Yes, crashes happen. It is racing, it is competitive, it is not easy, and we’ve all been a part of it on both sides - myself included.
But if part of your plan to overtake someone involves a high probability of even slight contact because you ‘stuffed it in there’ and you may need a little help to keep yourself on the track by bouncing off of the car you’re overtaking, you are failing as a driver.
If your ego is taking over and you’re strategizing to bump or hit someone that you can’t seem to pass, you are failing as a driver.
If you have to block relentlessly to preserve a position and you wind up getting hit by that driver who got tired of your B.S., you’re failing as a driver.
(And here’s one I never thought I’d actually have to say) If you think you can win these races in the first corner or the first lap, you’re failing as a driver. (Seriously, guys?)
You MUST remember we aren’t racing for ourselves (at least most of us of aren’t) - we are racing for someone else. For many of us, this is our job and livelihood. But for our teammates, it may not be, and they are here for other reasons.
WE MUST live to race another day. We must live to race another race later in that same day (or weekend). Heck, we must also live to race another lap or imagine this, even another corner.
If you can’t realize that, then personally, I think you’re doing it wrong and you shouldn’t be doing it at all.
But I know many of you CAN do it right. It’s a choice, and might require a little more, or better, perspective.
I hope you’ll all join me. Sorry to drop the bomb like this, but someone has to and I’m embarrassed to see what’s been happening lately. And I really don’t want to see anyone get hurt - and lately we’ve only been lucky with that. So I figured I’d speak up.
I know we can do this. Please join me.
Guy.