The Cult of Cars, Racing and Everything That Moves You.
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Can Any Geek Off The Street Be A Real Racer?

No, not really, but if you have some natural talent and you're more than a little obsessive, then maybe you can

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An emotional man sits in a racing car as he prepares for his first race.
Screenshot: Donut Media via YouTube

Having a dream is a good thing. Having a goal that focuses single-mindedly on making that dream actually happen is even better. Following through on that goal? That’s where most people fall down, I think, but Jeremiah Burton from Donut Media isn’t one of those people.

Jerry wanted to be a race car driver (hold your Primus jokes until the end of the presentation, please), but rather than just talk about it to his friends or going out and pretending to be one on Angeles Crest, he found a way to make it happen for real. How’d he do that?

I Joined a Professional Racing Team

To start he found he had a natural aptitude for driving. Then he went to racing school at Skip Barber where I’m sure Terry Earwood busted his chops and gave him some real racecraft to build on. Then he practiced on sims, worked out and, most importantly, hustled and schemed (I mean this in a good way) his way into finding sponsors to pay the approximately $250,000 bill for a season of racing.

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Watching him go through the process is fun, but watching him catch a case of those feelings as he’s sitting in the car waiting to grid up for his first race is not only a little heartwarming, it’s super relatable.

We’ve all been there where something we never thought would be possible has happened and the moment just hits you. For me, it was getting my first Lamborghini press car — a bright orange Huracan Evo RWD Spyder — and realizing that someone trusted me enough to just let me have this car for a weekend to do whatever with (as long as I wrote about the experience).

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What was that moment for you? Let me know in the comments.