Originally Posted by
MotorCade
I love this.
I started late with race cars - didn't even bother getting my license until I was 18, because bicycles are also awesome and had me very captivated at the time. I had planned to be a career military officer - did time Army enlisted, somehow got accepted to Canoe U, graduated and did my time in the Navy. Then I broke my foot, (compound fracture of both bones at the ankle, multiple tendons and ligaments severed), at a time when the military was looking for excuses for 'Reduction in Force'. All of a sudden I found myself a civilian with no idea what to do with my life. In the middle of all this, I was also getting a divorce from a woman who had cheated on me (with my college roomie) while deployed. But - I had discovered racing via miatas and autocross while in my last couple of years in the Navy.
I job-hopped for a while, very unhappy and very broke. I was told by multiple people that 'racing is not a career' and have heard the adage about 'making a small fortune in racing' about a million times. I was also 'too old' to race, in my mid-20s. In the meantime, I slept in my truck at the track every weekend, I instructed, I went back to work the next morning. Work was merely a means to keep tires on the car. Track time was the only thing I did that made me feel human. All the ADHD-kid barrage of inputs were finally meaningful, on track.
I had to give up racing for a little while. Partly because I ran out of cash, partly because I started listening to all the people telling me to grow up. I took a steady job, parked the car for a while, and met an awesome woman who I married and began having kids. I became a Christian (not preaching here, just saying one of the things that made a drastic change in me personally). The cars stayed parked. But I didn't stop dreaming, and she believed in me enough to encourage me to get back out. And I made friends with a couple other racers through church. They also pushed me to get back out. Before you know it, I was pushing myself again, like I never had before. And then I started winning. And started believing in myself again. That feeds the motivation in incredible ways.
I quit my dead-end job and took a job with GM, who approached me because they were looking to put 'car-guys' back in the business. It's turned out to be one of the best things I've ever done. Last year I was able to implement a new Limit Handling training and certification program company-wide. I'm writing this from the comfort of my home office, looking out the windows at the trees blowing. I'm encouraged by the bosses to keep working on my side-business. I get to drive the wheels off company cars (and teach others) weekly. I may not have ended up as a pro-racer. But I found something that really fulfills me, and supports my wife, kids, and a great lifestyle.
Do just like Bongo says - throw your heart and soul into it. Just don't get discouraged halfway through like I did. My only regret is that I didn't figure this out sooner, and that I (for a while) listened to those that said my 'pipe-dream' wasn't worth chasing. And surround yourself with people who believe in you. (Be discerning here - don't cut out anyone with constructive criticism - just those that are destructive.)
Go get it. I hope you make it (or find your next best thing that you didn't even know you wanted).
Cheers,
Cade