today we're going to tackle the most popular question that you guys are asking [Music] hi everyone this is enzo welcome to another edition of the race driver coach show and i'm gonna hit something today that has been asked to me it must be over a hundred times over the last two years since i've been doing this show especially since i've been doing this show the emails the messages that people see at the tracks they say Oh Enzo I want to be an f1 driver I'm determined to be an f1 driver it means everything to me but I just didn't wait to start I haven't got the money and they come up with all these hurdles about why they can't go and be an f1 driver which are completely legitimate hurdles if you haven't got the cash you're going to find it difficult if you've never raced then you're probably not gonna have the talent the skill or even the money to actually learn how to get the skill it takes you still takes thousands of hours of driving fees to get good enough to even have a shot f1 so you haven't got these in place but you still want the f1 you still want the Indy car you still want the professional career as being a race driver it's really unlikely it's going to happen I know this is gonna sound difficult to most of you anything can ends oh come on you're supposed to be positive about this but I want to give it to you so straight that hopefully these emails are get about you saying you want the big dream but you just want somebody to trust you somebody to help you I want these emails to slow down I want you to realise the hard work it takes to become a professional driver now you know I've worked with thousands I'm not even exaggerating here since 1998 when I started coaching I've worked with thousands of drivers some have made it big some are international superstars and some never touched a car haven't touched a car in the last decade because they didn't make it they fell out in love with it it hurt them whatever they know do it and so I've seen both sides of the scale right the spectrum I know pretty much and anyone who's worked in Motorsports not just me it's just obvious whether a driver has got what it takes to get to the top you see it very early on and you know it's going to be there potential that's in their wallet the money because you only got the money you're not really gonna get there I'm afraid or at least if someone else hasn't got the money to pay for you you're not gonna get there cuz she's not gonna be able to get in the car and if you don't got the skill that's another thing skill and money now you you know I talked about you need the people skills you need to be able to sell sponsorship and all this where you do but that's accessing the money if you haven't done that yet you're way behind so I don't want more and more emails from everybody who's 16 17 18 and above to say please give me some advice of how to get to f1 okay you need money and you need skill people keep forgetting the skill they think just because they want this goal just because it's all they cared about since they've been young since a kid and their dad and what they watched motorsport with their dad and all this it's think they think it gives them the right to say you know what I will make it because I'm determined well let me just tell you now to have the skill as a race driver is like having the skill as a basketball player as a tennis player or any other sport you need to get the hours in and then hopefully you've also got this thing called natural talent people hate it when they say talent cuz talents are myth and all this but actually there are some people you can train for a thousand hours and they still don't get it they still can't drive as good or to the standard they need to to become pro it's a sport where some people have the right mental ability have the right outlook have the right general skill the feel to be a race driver it's not for everybody if you just think of your parents now they've never raced a car if you gave them ten thousand hours of going around a circuit do you think they could take on Hamilton still no it's not for everybody so don't just presume that you just because you want it and then you email me to say I deserve it because I want it so much and I'll put the work in that that allows you to go get it because this industry is harsh it doesn't care how much you want it it doesn't care how much you've always dreamed about it it's just saying show me show me how good you are and that's your task that is your job you've just got to show the sport the good enough how'd you do that you get the money or you you come up with some kind of deal that get you in a car that allows you to practice and then compete and show people how good you are that's the rules that's it done however you can get into a car or on a bike or whatever is your race in however you can do it you just make sure you do it that's what I want to speak about today because this everybody asking me for the latest tip I can give you tips go out there find money go out there and get quick you might just make it but then your attitude has to be right you know your Fitness has to be good your image has to fit the manufacturer that you're going for you can't be overweight if you want to be signed up by Mercedes on McLaren or or BMW it doesn't fit their image you've got to fit their image you've got to be good you've got to fit their image you've got to be fit you've got to literally treat it like this is a career not a wish so action I need you guys who really want to be a professional race driver because this is solid this is tough man to become a pro everyone thinks okay I won't really go for f1 I'll just want to be a paid driver you think that's easy uh-uh still only probably 10% of drivers that are serious make that so let's just bring it back to the to the bare truth of what's got to be done here you've got to get yourself into a car and you've got to beat the best out there then and only then you might stand a tiny chance just really what that does you should go out there you do Formula Renault or something you'll beat everybody expect the phone to call for it offers it doesn't happen all you get is the phone calling from teams an f3 or higher to say come join us but we want nearly a million dollars please sir so you win in the championship you winning a championship doesn't give you the next level step up normally instead it just gives you a bigger check to find a bigger amounts of money that's motorsport that's what you really are getting into it's nasty it really is it's not there to mould mollycoddle you it's there to just say it's like business you provide value thousands of times I said this right you provide value to the industry and it will pay your back how are you going to do this when you've got no money you live nowhere near the racing industry but you've got big desire well I'm gonna give you a tip I'm gonna give you a tip so I'm gonna tell you how I did it because you remember my story I was just delivering pizzas I didn't really have an education I went did mechanic's College for one year just because it was easy and my mates were doing it so okay I'll do that just something to do after school or delivering pizzas but I had this dream I felt I was better or not better but I didn't need education because I wanted to go and do racing and that's what I was like but yeah I wasn't even racing so I was living this fictitious world about I'm a race driver and I've probably only done the race school at that time I've got my license I did one race and I was telling people I was a race driver that's another thing that gets me when I look at everybody's profiles and it says race driver International race driver and then I look at that driver and I've hardly ever raced you're not a race driver you're a race driver when you're pro or when it's when you are attached attacking it like you're a pro like you're on a junior program or something so it is literally all you do and people are investing in that but if you just want to be a race driver but their time you know you're at college or something you're not really a race driver what you do is you pay to drive a car around a circuit or you enter races you're not really a race driver if you want to wear that label you've got many years of hard work okay drop the ego anybody who's got an ego is not gonna like what I'm gonna say in this video cuz I'm gonna teach you what I did to get into the industry now if you've got no cash you've got no history but you want to get into the sport you want to be a driver then I would say it's gonna be the long game for you you're not going to overnight just find a sponsor because no one really wants to sponsor a race driver as it is even if they're winning but someone who's just fancies going racing you're never gonna find it if you do it won't last very long because you won't be winning straightaway that's for sure no matter how eager you are believe me there's a lot to learn about race about being fast so what I suggest same as what I did I'm gonna give you let's just say ten we're gonna come off the top of my head these are but ten different things that you can do to enter the industry because I tell you what if you're in the industry you're working within motorsport then you've got your finger on the pulse then you're rubbing shoulders with people who could actually open doors you'll be hearing stuff about opportunities so I want you to think about this in a different way I don't want you to just look at motorsport from a distance and just think I'm gonna do that one day I'm gonna do that one day and then not do it how about if you've got the lifestyle for this because you might have a job and bills to pay and everything you know I don't know your situation how about working in the industry first as you figure this stuff out it's exactly what I did I started to race there was in Formula Ford and then I found out that these race schools actually hire drivers to coach normal people or some corporates on all this and actually hire you so you can work as a rep as a racing instructor a race school wow that's amazing how much they get paid not that a really Matt it really mattered to me I was just thinking brilliant and they said so I think it was like 85 pounds this was in the nineties remember 85 pounds for one day that's like a hundred and five euros probably some 100 euros and I was like what I was only earning about 30 pounds delivering pizzas all night from like 4:00 in the afternoon to 1:00 in the morning delivering pizzas for 30 quid and then someone says I can go to a race call in coach and I've already got a bit of racing behind me so I know how to coach sort of general public I don't know how to coach pros obviously but general public if I can do that per 85 pounds I was there like a shot and I went to Silverstone and I just started working gonna go a tiny bit of work to start with but then in year two or the actually the end of the second year or the summer after that because this was October summer after that you get more work and you start to meet other race instructors that say there's different jobs here and it's a bit like being a stunt driver because once you're in it people tell you of other jobs you start it and before you know it I was about eight years later I was started to be the chief coach of Europe for BMW so that was my projects more all my career path in coaching that's how it started and that's why I left racing behind me in the cockpit and I took on coaching because that gave me more than I'm more of a coach than a driver but I started off on the racing driver route but then that was it and as I did that it was opening more and more doors and I was turning drives down people are offering me race drives and I was turn them down for free they were for free not being paid but they were for free and I was turning them down because I wanted to be a coach then I totally left that behind but if like you you have a burning desire in your younger than me maybe I was then and you get these opportunities you're gonna take them why why was it I mean what how did I get off of this was it because I was this amazing driver not really okay I want a British championship but doesn't mean I'm amazing and I didn't deserve like free drivers being thrown at me but it was because I was there because they knew how good I was at driving right but because I was there in their face I was working in the industry again rubbing shoulders with all these people that could offer me opportunities like teams and that line they just give me a call or see me when their drivers let them down or can you jump in the car can you coach our driver and follow him in another car all these kind of opportunities came along because I was working in the industry now if you're shooting for a goal but you completely live in a life that's outside of the arena so let's say you want to be a race driver but you're working in McDonald's there's no link there so what I want you to do is to get that link go into the sport there are so many jobs that you can do within the world of motorsport that will make sure that you're there that will make sure that everybody knows you and your intentions you know want to be a race driver but for now I'm working here it's like when you see in Hollywood people work in actors wannabe actors working as waiters or waitresses because they know all the directors are there and they're going to be talking and handing cards to these directors that could give them a role one day I know it sounds cheesy but this is this works kind of in Hollywood and it does work in motorsport let me just give you 10 things 10 things 10 job roles that you could use to get into Motorsports put you in a position where you closer to the heartbeat you're gonna pick up opportunities the number one coaching now coaching is something that I see work every single year I see fellow coaches good friends of mine they'll be coaching a driver then it could be a gentleman driver that the coaching this gentleman driver is in his 40s 50s doing some GTS and then one day if the relationships really good and you're helping the driver genuinely helping the driver very often that wealthy businessman or you know gentleman driver will say you know what I want you to come and join me as my teammate at the next VLN race and the Norse life are you interested and yachty yes so they get drives and you see this all the time all the time or if they're working for a race team and it's an a team are saying you know what we need someone up the front that's good can you jump in and do a couple of races for us that again happens a lot of times and you become the super sub a next driver of mine aleksander Sims had this you used to get the call very often for f3 and GP 3 we used him when I was working for status called him in can you get the car at the front because we need to prove that the car is good just for everybody's sake they'll jump in you'll put it near the front he actually did front row straightaway I think it was was it polled it's pole will second and the team are like that's amazing and that wouldn't have come if they didn't know him through coaching and through all these other avenues and because he was always there and around the industry he wouldn't got the call and I've seen this happen all the time so coaching if you can get into coach if you've done some racing already get into coaching and this can open a lot of up or create a lot of opportunities number to work for a race team in any single way whether you're the receptionist whether you're there just as a cleaner you're there is there I mean what can you do in a race team you can be a mechanic you can do all these different job roles and assistant if you're working for a race team you really got your finger on the pole this again is something I've done them actually I think I've done all ten of these all ten of them and they all worked they all got me in there they got me out of working in the factory they got me out of delivering pizzas and they put me into the motorsport industry which can then lead you to anywhere so I would see what job opportunities you can provide it or fulfill for a race team again this isn't for everybody coaching isn't for everybody but I'm just gonna touch on all these different areas different job roles because one of them might be a possibility for you number three work for a track-day company again I remember running a track-day company for a race team so I did two and three at the same time fulfilled that so I operated for Alfa Romeo when I was with them doing the Touring Car type stuff and that was a driver for them so I was a driver and I worked but I first I worked for them so this has worked by the way I worked for a race team in stratford-upon-avon that was entering cars and lower formula if you want to call it that with ten tops and then I ran their track days and before you know it I was in the car racing and I did half a season broke lap records that still still stand now and that wouldn't have come if I didn't start to use this and think right what can I do I need to work in the industry it's another example to see how you can even work for a track-day company as their organizer as a coach you know someone who helps out an instructor and actually maybe like Callum lucky he's a next driver who started track days he did exactly this by the way started track days and picked up the contacts got lots of drives maybe you can start your own track day company before work a race circuit again like all these other things there's tons of job roles within a race circuit if you can work there and you can start to sell the hospitality that's there and race tickets or whatever it is you still at the race circuit bookings for testing so you get to know all the race teams and the buses again not bad number five actual I'm going to jump straight into it as a kart circuit again another thing I did I worked at Shellington and all we did was run corporate events corporate events and you're doing entertainment interesting if you've got a really good relationship because you work there with a cart circuit that does corporate events how about using that as part of your pull for sponsors you can put on these events for them plus you meet all the new corporates there and you start to just say you know what I race cars you never know number six working the hospitality within motorsport so you've got all these different race teams and you've got all these circuits and events that have hospitality now if you can work within that arena so again you're rubbing shoulders with all the corporates brilliant and if you can run your own hospitality where's that going to go number seven is selling racing products if you can sell things this is going really left-field now right you just don't think this is anything to do with you racing but again you're in the industry and you're making contacts within the sport so it has got something to do with you if you can't afford to race remember this is what this is all about if you can't afford to race then you're going to go in and get a job than selling products to them and it could be only thing on race seats it could be you know just affiliate of all these different things simulators if you're selling simulators to race teams and you're setting them up and you're teaching them how to use it there's so many products that motorsport use helmets become a supplier for that it doesn't matter all you're doing is you getting a name around and you're in the industry again and then you pick up sponsors through all the different suppliers you make in your making contact with business and all this you know it's there's so much here that I want you to think about and this is just probing prodding all your imagination here selling products is not a bad thing number eight you can work for a motorsport shop so safe there's like a Grand Prix race wear or something like that a shop that sells all these things and you don't have to do it but you're there again and you go to the race circuits and you carry on selling on their behalf that's another thing so other businesses so shops are not just equipment it's other businesses that are within motorsport just keep your eye out for them there's tons of them number nine work for a simulator Center obviously simulators are now becoming eSports is becoming huge it's a new way in a new way to become a pro without having to the money to race these guys around in a lot of money already now the top ones again in hired by people like McLaren other people have got race sim teams which is something we should speak about by the way in a different video in different podcasts but if you're this simulator supplier or you work for somebody who trains drivers and trains drivers for teams at the simulator centre again cracking way in number 10 now this is not something I did actually it's go to motorsport college if you went to college and save you just got out school you don't know what to do and you're 17 you think hang on I'm gonna get some motorsport college because then I can learn it could be the sponsorship side of it but I could actually learn to be a mechanic sports specific motor sport specific mechanic if you do that you can run your own car you can start at low level at club level get the money to buy the car run it yourself and that's just another idea so that's ten things but these are just examples of how you can be within the industry and hopefully one day because of the way you are the way you communicate to people your eagerness and basically your antennas are out your radar is out on anything that will offer opportunity to get you in that car it just might work this is gonna work a damn sight better than if you were to just hope and send out cold calls to people you know letters and emails saying please sponsor me I can put your sticker on the car and all that that's great but it doesn't hardly ever works I've seen more people like Priya Andy Priaulx and JM Jason Plato I worked with them too both at Silverstone and they got opportunities through working there they also got the contacts you know with teams of that lots sorry not the context they got the opportunity to say right I know the owners of the race school now the people that run it I can use this race school at a discounted rate and offer that as a package to companies so then they can start selling corporate days but these two guys they were especially Jason he met a sponsor whilst at the race circuit I think Phil Bennett another touring car driver I think he did as well you hear of it quite often you give them a great day out they love you they know that you want to be a racer or you are a racer if you're an in-store to erase school and you hit it off here's my card you know something my company could do this happens also a lot of the times so you can see drivers doing it be in the industry all this video is telling you is look I know it's difficult I've been there I've wanted this big dream in my head when I had absolutely zero experience or cash but still I made it I made a living from it and actually I'm won a championship by doing this route so it works and I'm seeing all my friends do it as well over the past 20 years I can see the same thing and that current drivers are doing it I just don't want you to miss out I want you to also get in the industry if you can work any job you can this is like going from mailroom to CEO that's also happens happens in every other industry motorsport is no difference work within the industry become a trainer physical trainer for drivers whatever just get in there and opportunities might just come your way but you've got to be in the arena in the arena in order to get these opportunities remember that [Music] you [Music]