Driving, more time waiting than doing!

[Vandas]

I have worked on a racing car for over a year and as a test driver looking to campaign next years series I have steered it around the track twice. There are so many broken promises, so many things that go wrong at the last minute, so much bull**** and politics. I can tell anyone who is trying to get into motor racing, make sure you have so much money behind you that you don't have to put up with all the teams and managers bull****. The car I am testing is a Mazda RX7 with a 13B Bridgeported Rotary engine. It weighs just under 1000 kgs and moves along. It is potentially a championship winning car that I am desperate to get a regular drive of. So if anyone else out there shares my pain please let me know. cause I feel like the only guy in the world being pushed around by the money men. Although I am looking for more major sponsors next year. I have one at the moment but I need more money. lol. then again don't we all

Thanks

Cameron Duncan

[Peter Mallett]

Hi Vandas,

Where are you racing? Which Championship is the car prepared for?

[Vandas]

Peter,
It is the Victorian State Race Series where we compete most. The car is prepared for Club Cars (Improved Production), but also runs in Sports Sedans. We also run at the Nationals every year, and are starting to get very competitive with a much older driver (my Dad), he came second at the last state round but is never going to be quick enough to win it. It was all car that got him to second, now it needs a driver to do it justice. We also have a second car on the drawing board, which is going to become mine hopefully. But I have had to sit out too many practice sessions due to team politics. See my Dad is my major sponsor, Forty Winks (a major bedding retailer in Australia), but I also have another major investor (the guy that prepares the Formula Holden for the national series). So before I get the go ahead to do anything, I have to seek the approval of both of them. Whilst doing a lot of the work myself, and fitting in University and a job to pay for my own living expenses. It gets a bit annoying at times,but I suppose it is worth it in the long run. Other guys never get my opportunity and it is probably beneficial for me to learn as much about the car as possible.

Thanks

Cameron

[DAVID PATERSON]

What on earth are you complaining about, someone else pays for the car and doesn't give you cart blanche to drive it as much as you like. Never forget the golden rule for racing is simply, he who has the gold makes the rules. Or he who pays the piper, calls the tune. If you don't like it, buy your own car and pay for it yourself, that's what the rest of us do.

[Peter Mallett]

Hmm,

Harsh if perfectly true. I'm afraid David is quite right. Most of us have paid for our car's preparation and fuel etc., all our racing lives. However you may think that we pay because we're not good enough, but in my case (as an example) I've won around ten per cent of all my races and held a couple of lap records. Also I've only failed to finish five times. Not a bad record IMHO.

However I still have no sponsor and from the sound of it I'm probably the same age as your father.

If I were you I'd think carefuly about what exactly I want to do. Then if you think you can do better than your father, take your sponsor prepare another car and go do it.

[SNH]

Must be bad to have a dad who's going to be paying for you to race. Glad I pay for my own racing, no money men are going to push me around.
Whoops, forgot, I haven't raced this year cos I'm skint

[Vandas]

Now, what I can say is yes my Dad does pay for me to go racing. Yes I know that I am very lucky, but the frustration is even more because it is like they have the carrot dangling before my eyes, and keep getting me to do tricks and to work, but that carrot moves closer and farther away depending on how this other bloke feels. I have done so much work on it but because he is behind on his work I have to organise to get it out with my Dad's approval. This is hard because the other guys that work on the car can't come out. My engine builder has been employed to help prepare the Formula Holden for the Tasman series, and the other guy has a heap of work on his hands with the GTP car he works on. So I am left here holding a screw driver feeling deserted. But that's alright because I have a plan. If I can win the nationals in the next 2 years. hehehe then I can upgrade sponsors, hopefully. But in the meantime I am after new aponsors, so I can get the second car up and running. But I have a plan to attract major sponsors, not for my car but it will fund my car. Anyway I just wanted to clear up the fact that I know how lucky I am but I wanted you to know how much for frustrating it is when it is all within reach but people keep playing with you.