When I wrote Lap 1, I discussed a long-time dream finally being realized. Since then, I have participated in a Test & Tune and ran two 10-lap Heat races and two 30-lap feature races. I have spun the car around several times and missed a shift or two, and I couldn’t be happier!
Part of my apprehension about getting started in racing was that I didn’t know much about the mechanical workings of a race car, how a suspension works, or how to adjust it. I also had gotten a strange idea that all racers were Type-A, that Dog-Eat-Dog type people and would look down on a Rookie trying to join their “Good Old Boy Club.” I am happy to say that I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I have learned that the racing community is like a huge family. Of course, like any family, there is sibling rivalry in the form of trash-talking and a true competitive spirit on the track. But there is also something else that I honestly didn’t expect: a real caring for fellow racers and the willingness to jump in and help when help is needed, just like family.
Years ago, when I was just getting started in Autocross, a friend laughed at me because I told him I was a big NASCAR fan. He told me anyone could drive a car in circles; only “real” racers turned left and right. Let me tell you that I have come to find out that that is NOT true! I never understood the concentration level required to drive a car around in circles until now.
Imagine, if you will, driving as fast as you can, braking hard into a left turn, getting off the brakes and onto the accelerator, then speeding out of the turn to the straight, all while trying to find the very best line so you don’t push or spin-out through the turn. All your senses are on high alert: the sound of the engine, the feel of the brakes, the feel of the suspension, and vision. Holy cow! So you are watching the car in front of you while watching the car beside you, while watching the car behind you, looking ahead for trouble, trying to find the best line to run, and occasionally glancing at your gauges; get the idea? I have to admit there are times I am on sensory overload.
I have also learned that if you want to race, you better have a good team, and to quote an old saying from my military days, “There is no “I” in TEAM.” If it were not for Kim Generous, my wife, and my son Stuart Generous helping me at the track — I might as well sell the car and find something else. This is a case in point; last weekend, during the 30-lap feature warm-up laps, my fuel cap came off and went skidding across the track. The Safety Crew retrieved it and gave it back to me, and I then proceeded back to the pits. If it weren’t for my team and a member of another racer (remember that big family), I would have never gotten the cap back on and back on track before the start of the race. Thanks, Will DeRivera, Stu, and Kim!
As I continue chasing my dream of being a race car driver, I wonder why I hadn’t done it sooner. In a short time, I have made new friends, spent more quality time with my son than I ever have, and grown closer to Kim. It doesn’t seem like a day goes by that I am not learning something new about the race car or racing in general. In circle track racing, you always hear about finding the right groove to make your car go faster.
Our lives are very much the same way. We have to find what makes us happiest, not just for ourselves but for our family and friends. Chasing my dream has been a long time coming, but I think I have finally “found the groove.”
Brad Generous, Velocity Motorsports #63