FRP Season Concluded

[Jonathan Lee]

Hey everyone,

This field is incredibly strong, the top 10 drivers are excellent, these guys could actually make it- given the right opportunity and enough time on every level of the ladder.

It's the small details that make the real difference, and you have to be fully committed to this sport to podium regularly outside of luck.

I'm truly grateful to be able to race with these guys, believe it or not I feel at home at the track, I've never fit in with the normal world.

I worked 7 days a week between school and shop work and the amount of sacrifice that I put into go racing: no going out with friends, no parties, no weekends to do normal stuff like go to the beach - etc... This was me for the last 6 years of my life - I was committed and often burnt out.

I seriously thought at 14 years old, that at age 20 I would of been in Formula 1 and winning races. I knew from long ago that I had the talent, but as a kid I never took into account the amount of finances that it would take to keep practicing and participating in each level, to move up the ladder.

So here I am, 20 years old, less naive and still at the bottom of the ladder. The education that I have received this year from racing in F1600 is something that you can't learn from school.

This is a cruel sport, and will break the even the toughest people.

We couldn't have done it without the support of everyone who has helped us out this year, I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Everyone in our little racing family is so special, we all might not agree on certain topics all of the time, but you guys are still family- the people at the track are some of the nicest people that I've met in my life.

It's all rumors, but I hear that most of the drivers from the front of the field are coming back next year, everyone is now well up to speed. 2022 will probably be the most competitive year in F1600 history.

[car7316]

Johnathan,

Keep digging, you never know. You are a good peddler and bringing your own car and running up front is tough to do. I enjoy racing with you!

I hope you will be there next season, I'm planning on doing the whole series myself so I want to see the best drivers out there.

I'm sure than Danderson's cash grab F4 series will pull some young guys away from F1600, but they won't get the same bang for the buck, and the list of former and current IndyCar drivers that have spent time in an F1600 car far outweighs the ones that haven't. Colton spent time in one and he's the best we have to offer right now in Indycar. As long as there is a "scholarship", ie, spend $250k to win $200k, kids and their parents are going to be talked into these nonsense series. That's for another thread...

Looking forward to 2022!

BP

[FVRacer21]

"It took me 20 years to figure out why I'm miserable most of the time, I thought it was because I didn't take enough breaks, often working 7 days a week between school and shop work and the amount of sacrifice that I put into go racing: no going out with friends, no parties, no weekends to do normal people stuff like go to the beach - etc etc... This was me for the last 6 years of my life - I was committed and often burnt out."

That is the last 6 years for me - and I am 66!

I know Bob might not want to hear this but if you have to skip a race to recover - do it. When you are tired, exhausted and generally beat - you make mistakes, mechanically and driving. This is an intense sport - not a casual hobby. You have a great bunch of people around you - never turn down any help, and recruit quality friends to assist - even if it doing non-racing things to give you more time.

Don't forget to enjoy the ride.

ChrisZ

[swiftdrivr]

Jon,

Not to hurt anyone’s feelings, but racing, as much as I love it, is still a recreational activity. We drive toy cars, in a rough approximation of a circle, ending up exactly where we started. The really good drivers can do it a few seconds a lap faster than hacks like me, and those few seconds changes nothing of great importance in the universe either.

There are only 2 reasons to race.

The first is to make money. Almost no one does.

The second is to have fun. Almost everyone does.

However, if you aren’t having fun, unless you are realistically talented enough AND rich enough / connected enough / committed enough, and you NEED to race at that point to achieve a milestone to your goal of a pro career, then it sounds to me like time for a break. There is nothing wrong with taking time for decompression. You shouldn’t be miserable because of racing. Even if you think racing is going to be your career, and you feel you have to make this race, skip another. You still need rest, and you still need balance. Being happy and fulfilled is success, not trophies and medals.


They say that attitude is 90% of everything, and money is the rest, but a bit of perspective helps too. Cover your responsibilities, live honorably, and then the rest is about enjoying the ride!

[Way too wordy, unsolicited advice from an old guy who isn’t fast, but isn't miserable either]


Jim Lee

[E1pix]

What a wonderful opening post.

Opening up sometimes open doors. Keep trying, and stay real.

[Jonathan Lee]

Jon,

You shouldn’t be miserable because of racing.

Racing is a recreational activity.


Jim Lee

Hi Jim and fvracer,

I appreciate your response and advice but I think you misinterpreted my message, I was never miserable because of racing, I was out of place, as I always wanted to race but
certain obstacles stood in my way.

For most people, racing is a recreational activity. To me it is my life, I've sacrificed my entire years as a teenager to make it my life. All of my commitment has been recently paid off, and I've been able to not only drive a lot, but to move my life in the direction that I had envisioned.

I race for a few reasons: to dance with the car on the limit, to compete and hopefully win. I don't go to the track for anything else, I don't care about any of the glory that comes with winning or becoming a professional. I just want to drive to the best of my abilities and compete.

I am thankful to be able to race F1600 cars in the FRP Series.

[swiftdrivr]

Hi Jim and fvracer,

The F1 dream died long ago, my new dream is just to be the best driver in whatever series that I'm driving, on the day that I will be driving.

There was a guy named Gilles who would appreciate that concept!

Last piece of unsolicited advice; Most people pay to play. Put your paying job [education] first, and choose something you can enjoy. You will spend a lot more of your life there than at the track, and without the job, you don't get to race.

Okay, second "last piece of advice"; I've met you. and you aren't as socially dysfunctional as you make yourself sound. EVERYBODY feels out of place between 13 and 20 [or at least I did too] Don't let it bother you too much. The world has a way of settling in around you. Enjoy your racing, and the time with your dad, realize what a gift that is, behave like a gentleman, and the rest will fall into place. If you growl at the world, it will growl back, but the inverse is also true. Just as yellows beget yellows, smiles beget smiles. See you at the track one day [soon, I hope]

Jim