[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
You're listening to the Motorsport Prospects podcast.
Hi, I'm Mark from Motorsport Prospects and welcome to the Motorsport Prospects podcast. This is where we dive into the world of motorsport with the people who live and breathe it. From driver coaches and sponsorship experts to team owners, pro drivers and more. You'll hear real stories, practical advice and insights you can actually use, whether you're just starting out or already chasing success on the track.
Thanks for joining me. So, let's get started.
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So my guest today on the podcast is Ross Bentley of Speed Secrets fame.
Ross has a passion for helping individuals, groups and organizations perform better, making him a true performance geek. His words, not mine. He works with performance and race drivers, HPD instructors, business owners and leaders, and clubs and organizations by providing coaching services, racecraft information both online and through books, newsletters, videos, webinars and seminars.
Welcome to the Motorsport Prospects Podcast. Ross. Thanks so much for taking the time to speak to me.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Thanks. Mark this, it's fun. Thanks for having me on the show.
[00:02:02] Speaker A: Great. Now I should mention I was a guest on Ross's podcast. He's, he's also a podcaster. Been out at it a lot longer than I have.
But yeah, no, it's great, really great having you on the, on the show, basically. I ask one question to all the guests.
Based on your experience and expertise as a motorsport professional, what would be the one most important piece of advice you could offer a current or aspiring race driver?
[00:02:32] Speaker B: Wow.
Just one thing.
[00:02:34] Speaker A: Well, we can start with one.
[00:02:36] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, my, as a, as a driver coach and as somebody who know, had to work my way up through the ranks from having nothing and, you know, all that kind of stuff.
The thing that, you know, comes first in mind actually is getting help from other people and having that burning desire to learn and improve, you know, and I see the very, very best drivers in, in the world.
One thing that separates them from everybody else, I think, is just how much they want to learn. So having, you know, that attitude of there's always More, I can always learn more how, like, be hungry, be like starving for more information and learning and, you know, all of that kind of stuff.
But as I say that, I'm going, you know, the, the thing that made the biggest difference for me was realizing that it has more to do with the people that are around you and sort of the team you build around yourself that makes the biggest difference. And, you know, for many years I thought it was all about, you know, I gotta find a sponsor. I gotta find a sponsor. I gotta find a sponsor to help me move up the ranks, improve myself.
And I spent a lot of time, you know, working in and thinking around motorsport, marketing and that whole thing. And I'm not saying you don't need to learn about that and, and spend time there. If you're, unless you have a very large bank account yourself, you're going to need to spend time there. But there was a point where I started to realize that, that, that when I got the right people around me, in fact, there was a point in time where I got a group of people in a, in one room. It was like a conference table in a, in a meeting room. And there was like half a dozen people that I'd met through the sport who had varying levels of success in their own life, business and other things. And they got in the room and we just started talking and I'm like, this is my story.
And all of a sudden they're all going, well, I'd like to help.
And I started thinking about that and going, you know, I think when you have the right people around you and you can inspire them, motivate them with your passion for the sport and you're, you know, you're a decent person.
[00:05:02] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:03] Speaker B: People will go out of their way to help you. And I, I started thinking about that in terms of, like, in some ways I think that's more important than putting the ultimate sponsorship package together. You know, it's. At the end of the day, I remember reading this one time, it's, somebody said something like, like, around business and products and things, people don't buy, don't buy what you, what you do, they buy who you are.
[00:05:30] Speaker A: Right.
[00:05:30] Speaker B: And if you're the right kind of person and you inspire people around, they will go out of their way to help you. And I've also, I hate to say this, but I've, I've, I've met some drivers through the years who were, had incredible talent, ability, they were fast, they were all the right stuff in the car, but out of the car they Were.
They weren't doing the right job.
[00:05:56] Speaker A: Right.
[00:05:57] Speaker B: They, they.
What's the right. I don't know if there's a demotivate or de. Inspire somebody, you know, uninspire some people around them, but they kind of made people not want to help them.
[00:06:10] Speaker A: Right.
[00:06:11] Speaker B: And, and, and I think, you know, I'm gonna say it was a big shame. It's a big shame to see that because they had the ability to go places.
And then, you know, you see some drivers who, I think it's how they deal with people that get some to the top to where they want to be. So I'm going to say if there was just one thing, it would be get the right people around you and think about it as it's a team. It's.
And you're the team leader.
[00:06:42] Speaker A: Right.
[00:06:43] Speaker B: That doesn't mean that you need to be, you know, rah, rah, rah. But when, when your passion comes through, your enthusiasm, your commitment, your desire, all of that comes through, it can't help but motivate people to want to help you.
[00:07:01] Speaker A: Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think also related to that is when you talk about, you know, drivers with a lot of talent that maybe, you know, demotivate people.
One of the kind of related issues I see is people don't know often how to approach people in real life.
You know, I don't know how many times at a track I'll see. And it is, you know, kind of.
I don't want to tar everybody with the same brush, but it's the, you know, the younger generation who grow up with their phones.
And I'll see a driver, you know, who's not debriefing, who's not getting ready, not meeting with sponsors and, and they're on their phone and I always say, zip up, zip up your driver suit. Put your phone down. You are most often on a support series for, you know, other series. Go and introduce yourself to people.
People love to talk about motorsport. If they're in racing, they know you're in racing, they, they absolutely love to talk. And you don't know what will come out of that, but you need to be able to walk up to somebody, look them in the eye, shake their hands and say, hi, my name is, you know, Mark Boudreau. I race and, you know, I'm in the Formula Ford, you know, race that, you know, is at the beginning of the, of the card here. And, you know, I just like to say hi and, you know, curious what you're up to and, you know, how the Season's going and, you know, just having that conversation, you know, and, and I know of plenty of drivers that actually have taken that approach and in a, in a polite, respectful way. And those contacts have actually turned into something more concrete. It's not the way that, not the reason they did it, but it kind of is.
But you, you just don't know who you're going to meet.
[00:08:52] Speaker B: That reminds me of two things. One, one is you're talking about being on the phone and, you know, today, for a driver, yes. You have to have a social media presence for sure.
And, you know, I'm, I, I think there are drivers who have gotten the nod over another driver because they have more followers on Instagram or whatever. Right. So I'm not saying that's unimportant, but at the end of the day, it's that human connection that makes the biggest difference. And I know some drivers who have, you know, lots of Instagram followers, but they can't have a conversation with another person. So I agree that they. That part of it. And you mentioned being polite there. And there was a time when I was looking for sponsorship and I had connected with a company that I thought would be a good fit for what I was doing. And I remember pitching them on a sponsorship and, you know, the marketing person saying, no, just know we're. It's not right for us now.
And, and I said, do you mind if I come back and talk to you again in the future? And he's like, yeah, no problem. So, you know, like six months later, I just check in with him, and then six months later I check in with him again. And then six months later I check in with again. And that time he says, come on in, let's have a conversation. And he said, now's the time. And it. They ended up sponsoring me. And he said, the reason we're sponsoring you is, is because you are politely persistent.
You weren't impolite, you weren't being a pain in the butt, but you also didn't give up the first time you. I said no to you.
[00:10:27] Speaker A: Right.
[00:10:28] Speaker B: And I always, that, that politely persistent thing is something I've always passed along to young drivers is, yeah, don't be a pain in the butt. But don't just go, well, that was. No, I'll move on.
[00:10:39] Speaker A: Like, I like that term.
[00:10:41] Speaker B: If you think, if you, if, if you think there's a connection there and you think that there's a possibility, be politely persistent.
[00:10:48] Speaker A: Absolutely. Actually, that's a, That's a great.
That's kind of that's a great slogan.
And you know, I mean, nobody wants to be rejected.
Look, I mean nobody. And, and you know what? That advice goes in life, not just to in motorsport, being politely persistent. But yeah, nobody wants to be rejected.
And yeah, it is sometimes a kick to the ego, but it's part of a process. And I think somebody said you will be rejected more than not, but that's part of the process and just keep at it and eventually like, like you just demonstrated there will be.
The opportunity will come up and then the key thing is to take advantage of it.
No, that's, that's really good advice.
Now I know that you do a whole bunch of webinars, you have books, you have newsletters for those that are listening, that want to connect with Speed Secrets, with all that you offer. I've posted almost every week on Racecraft, my Racecraft column. There's a, there's a link to one of your. Either one of your blog posts or one of your master classes that's coming up. So how would people find out more about what Ross Bentley and Speed Secrets are all about and how they can, you know, attend a webinar, attend a seminar, read, do whatever they. It is that they want to do with all that valuable information you have?
[00:12:19] Speaker B: Everything'
[email protected] and you know, if you really want to stand to know and everything, there's a place there where you can just put your name and email address in. And don't worry, I don't spam people. In fact, I've been accused of not staying more in touch with people because I'm so hyper sensitive to getting too many emails.
So anyways, you know, put your name and email address in there and I will tell you and I have a master class or something coming up, so that's the best way just. And everything's
[email protected] yeah, and I can.
[00:12:54] Speaker A: Absolutely attest that I do subscribe to Ross's newsletter. And yeah, there's no spam involved, but no, Ross, I really appreciate you being on the show and like I said, you were, you were somebody that I, I was on your podcast. I've always appreciated your, your candor. But also, you know, what I like to say is the people that I have on the podcast are people that know what they're talking about. Unfortunately, sometimes in motorsport, not everybody does, but you definitely do. So I really appreciate you taking the time to appear on the podcast.
[00:13:34] Speaker B: Well, again, thank you. And you know, don't want this to be the mutual pat on the back kind of thing but it's the stuff that you've been doing for years that it's the resources that are out there. And I think, you know, as a young driver or an older driver, it doesn't matter if you're trying to do something in motorsport there are a lot of resources out there and yeah, some of those resources and some of those people sort of come and go but when you've been in the sport as long as we have, I'd like to think that we must be doing something right. Maybe, I don't know, I hope so. But it seems like that. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:14:15] Speaker A: Okay. Well great. That's it for this week. Thanks a lot, Ross. This is Mark from Motorsport Prospects reminding you to stay fast, stay focused and keep chasing that checkered flag.
Thanks for listening to the Motorsport Prospects podcast. For insights, advice and the latest news racers can use, visit motorsportprospects.com.
