“… and, I have another life in motorcycle racing.”
👆🏼 for people who don’t know me personally, that last clause in my professional introduction catches them fully off guard. It’s always a conversation starter — most people are unfamiliar with road racing, so the typical response aside from incredulity is usually
“Like, motocross?”
And that’s the point where my goal becomes to make it through the conversation without hearing the term “crotch rocket.”
And even people who are familiar with road racing picture their favorite MotoGP rider, or that documentary Brad Pitt narrated — the sport is all about the riders.
And I ride, but I don’t race, so I get that it’s hard to understand where someone like me fits in the sport.
My husband (and crew chief) shared this with me and this is it — this is the sport of motorcycle racing as I know it.
Back-breaking work by a double-digit number of people to prep a machine to carry one rider around the track as fast as possible. A mechanical setback. A rider with enough professionalism and grit to bring the bike back — even if they have to push it. Other teams jumping in to help push (because we are all in it together). The spontaneous order of the team executing their repair attempt as quickly and efficiently as possible. The dedication of the mechanics working to bring the bike back to life, despite all odds and long past the point where most onlookers would call the code.
The utter heartbreak of it all.
That is my life in professional motorcycle racing.
There are, of course, staccato moments of elation, and drumbeats of progress. But there are also equal parts disappointment, and luckily rarely, moments of abject grief. Much as the series try, even the behind the scenes that makes the broadcast is only a glimpse of the actual story behind the story.
And, my life in motorsports is where I started to learn about the science of human performance and mental game (which has since become inextricably entwined with my professional life, in intrinsic motivation and goal achievement). It’s also where I encountered professional coaching for the first time (again, which led to my own journey into coaching). And, it’s where I started learning about the autonomous nervous system — ironic, now years later, that I’m on own journey with ANS dysfunction.
So when I watched this clip, I wanted to share it, because this is motorcycle racing, to me. And no matter how much easier my life could be without it, once you’re a part of it, it’s really hard to find anything else that fills the gap racing leaves behind.
https://lnkd.in/gMmxtauq
Chief Commercial Officer- Juncos Hollinger Racing | IndyCar | F1 | Sponsorship & B Dev Specialist | Creating Partnerships that Build Business, Generate Revenue, & Increase Brand Recognition | Expert Facilitator
3wWhy didn't I get my own emoji bullet stating how grateful you are to work with me? HA! JK, so happy with your success!