RGMMC Paddock Magazine

It‘s about learning and developing for the future!
The winning takes care of itself then!
I believe it‘s our job to mentor and guide these young
sports stars. This prepares them for the future, by
giving them the tools and knowledge to understand
and learn how to perform at the highest level – some
people confuse this with telling them what to do!
We don‘t need to spoon feed children and especially
young adults. We need to guide them and help them
choose the right ways and develop the best techniques
to perform on any given platform in any given situation.
Junior karting is NOT always about winning, as much as
we would like it to be.
My responsibility as a team manager in karting is that we establish a common
ground between driver and the real world out there.
Our drivers all have the dream to become the next talent
in car racing. With maybe the Formula 1 as an end goal.
True; nearly all Formula 1 drivers have their roots in
go-karting, and after 16 years as a team manager I get
a smile on my face, when I see a name in car racing that
I once saw as a young junior driver in karting. However,
not all of them will reach their goal. So, my responsibility
is, besides giving them a safe environment to develop
themselves, is to provide them with the best equipment
and support, to the best of our abilities. We also help
them to create an understanding that they are already
fortunate to be able to participate in these championships,
and that not reaching their goal as a professional
race driver does not mean that they have failed.
An even greater reward for me as a team manager is that former race drivers now still are at the track as coaches
and mechanics for the next generation. In our teams we should give them the opportunity to develop themselves
for the next level.
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