Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Intro.
[00:00:06] Mark Boudreau: You're listening to the Motorsport Prospects podcast.
Hey, it's 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.
Now, I've often been asked why I started Motorsport Prospects. And I founded Motorsport Prospects in the Verified by Motorsport Prospects designation after hearing the same question time and again from drivers, aspiring drivers, their families and advisors. And that question was always, who can I trust?
Many of them struggle to find reliable guidance, so I created Motorsport Prospects to help them make informed decisions. The professionals I feature on this podcast represent that trust.
These people are truly motorsport professionals. So if you work with drivers or racing teams, building trust is one of the most important things you can do. Over the years, I found that being clear about what you offer, following through on your promises, and genuinely caring about your clients goals makes all the difference. So I've put together some practical advice in a free white paper called the Three Essentials for Motorsport Business Owners, which share simple ways to strengthen relationships, attract the right clients and grow your motorsport business. Naturally, you can find it in the show notes of this week's podcast or@motorsport prospects.com so with that said, let's get started.
My guest today is Dominic Cicero. Dominic is a former race driver and driving coach who has developed a comprehensive suite of services that encompass preparation, coaching and marketing.
Welcome to the Most Work Prospects podcast. Dominic, thanks so much for taking time to talk with me.
[00:02:05] Dominic Cicero: Oh my God, thanks for having me. It's great to be on.
[00:02:09] Mark Boudreau: Great. Now, the podcast is pretty simple. There's one question. Well, actually there's two, but that one will be at the end. So the main question is, 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?
[00:02:34] Dominic Cicero: Great question.
I love this because there's, you know, a lot of books and a lot of things like this is how you drive and the fundamentals, and those are obviously learned. But the hard part for me to teach and to shape a driver, young, old, because we create them all, is the creativity. And that's really the hard part to teach somebody. I can get them within a second of the fastest person out there with training and technology and everything, but the creativity too. And you see it in a lot of amazing drivers. You Know, in interviews with them or their coaches, I just watched one with Mazda and one of the coaches in that driver selection program, they do, they're talking about Zillich and how he, in the selection program wasn't the quickest in the last run, but he was making a car that wasn't perfect, just as fast or maybe 210 off of the fastest car. Right.
So that creativity to search and find and to have that awareness and manipulate the car to do what you want it to do, and all those, you know, amazing drivers that we read about in history and up and coming ones, they have that talent and that's pretty unique when I, when I stumble upon that or when I see that creativity to happen.
[00:03:54] Mark Boudreau: So creativity, is that something you're born with? Is that something you develop? And how would you. If. So if you recognize somebody who is creative on the track, how do you, how do you, how do you coach with that? How do you enhance that or how do you showcase that?
[00:04:13] Dominic Cicero: Well, I think when I find it, it's really. I try not to tamp it out because I think through coaching and through the process of learning that it gets stamped out into the structure of like break.
Now I turn and they're very like clinical about it.
[00:04:31] Mark Boudreau: Right.
[00:04:31] Dominic Cicero: Um, but then they get stuck in little mistakes and then maybe that little mistake they made in turn one stays with them for the rest of that lap. Right. But I guess it's kind of, kind of just a thing I've learned in life too. Um, but I've learned it in racing is like you kind of roll the punches like in life, right. Things are going to knock you down, things are going to get in your way, but maybe you step aside and you, you keep on moving forward. Same thing in that lap, right, where you've, you've made a little mistake. The cars, you've lost two tenths or something in predictive, but now you've, now you have to try to get it back. But the people that are stuck in this, this kind of computer program, if. And then, you know, kind of programming.
[00:05:12] Mark Boudreau: Yep.
[00:05:13] Dominic Cicero: They struggle to then find that next step of time, you know, to, to move on from that mistake and to search for time.
[00:05:22] Mark Boudreau: And is that where that creativity comes in?
[00:05:25] Dominic Cicero: It is, yeah. Because they're now searching for that next step, maybe pushing a little quicker in a section that they're comfortable in.
But it's always very methodical. It's never like a, like a Hail Mary, if you will, but it is.
Yeah, it's, it's a. I don't Know how else to describe it other than they, they find the time searching for it and it's not, they're, they're always evolving as a, as a lap, as a driver, there's never this like, well, this is, this is my lap, this is what I do. And maybe that's good. In an endurance platform, you know, there's a switch that needs to happen.
Maybe an endurance side of things where you're like, okay, I need to do. Because your engineering is telling you I need to do a 1:42 lap. And you kind of set it on this, you know, cruise control almost.
But otherwise we need that kind of searching. You see Verstappen do it, you see Senna, all these amazing drivers.
And I, you know, I push myself to try to find that, never to settle. Even when I'm driving or a data lap, when I'm out there or when I'm racing with a, you know, a customer these days.
[00:06:33] Mark Boudreau: You know, right now you, you, you mentioned customers.
What is, so tell me a little bit about your, your organization, what you do and how that all works.
[00:06:47] Dominic Cicero: Well, you know, in coaching, particularly in the States, I saw a, a lack of structure, a lot like what you're trying to put in place for motorsports in I guess sharing this knowledge too. Of all the things I was lucky enough to be around with the factory teams I raced with, I raced at Renault as a factory driver, Falken Tire, some amazing engineering market, public speaking, just some unique people from training, mental coaches. So we try to integrate that into our drivers. Some of them, you know, go all in. Other ones think it's a little too, some of it's a little too woo woo, you know, like a little too mental exercise. But it's, you look at the highest level of motorsports or any sport is that's what everybody's doing, you know. And it's weird in the States particularly that it's, it's not focused on as much, you know, the structure of that. A lot of teams just try to do the coaching themselves.
We really try to assist in that.
Not compete with the team, but be a tool with the team, feeding information to their engineering, helping with even some small things, you know, like booking hotels or reservations for their guests or getting tickets for their guests so our drivers can focus on the job at hand. Right. And that, you know, sometimes it's just a bucket list. Right. They're racing at Montreal Grand Prix, for instance, in challenge, and they just want to have a great experience, get on the podium. Right. Cause you're on the same Podium as Formula one, but in other drivers are trying to go to, you know, indie next or IndyCar F1, different things. So.
But really all the things that we got a chance to be around and all my coaches, same thing, are that level of coaches that have had that experience. So when we're talking about, for instance, we're talking with one of our drivers this season for the Radical Cup, North Cup, North American Championship, and just sponsorship placement, he was like, you know, I'm putting this on the car or that. And I'm like, you know, is that a sponsorship or is that like, you just think it looks cool? And he had never really looked at that placement on the car. He's, you know, that's marketable. He's selling it. So the placement on his suit, his car, it was a different perspective for him. You know, he's just a young driver. He's first time running a big car program. So I'm trying to give him some of these. Sounds like very basic information, but overlooked, I think, at the, at the starting and even at the high levels of motorsports in a lot of ways, you know.
[00:09:32] Mark Boudreau: Yeah, and I think that's actually a really good point about why you should be building your team of advisors, of professionals, is perspective. That's exactly the point is that, you know, they're so focused on driving that they might not be thinking about where to put that logo, what they should be eating on race day, things like that, which I think is key. You know, certainly that's what motorsport Prospects is all about, is connecting drivers with these type of people. But yeah, you often. What is that saying? You don't see the, you don't see the forest for the trees. You know, you're so laser focused on, you know, setting a fast lap that you don't see the big picture.
If people want to get ahold of you, if they want to find out more about what you do, where would they go?
[00:10:23] Dominic Cicero: Well, I mean, the easiest is Our website is dcisro.com or feanow.com is the technology side of things that we. All the tools that we use from Sims to live coaching. But DCISRO.com can connect you everywhere. There and then on Instagram, just Dominic Cicero on Instagram or D. Cicero.
[00:10:45] Mark Boudreau: Okay, perfect. And of course, I will be putting all these links up in the show notes. So anybody listening who wants to get a hold of Dominic, you know, you'll have all that information, information there.
Now here's a fun question.
What is your favorite racetrack? Current or historical?
[00:11:06] Dominic Cicero: My favorite racetrack.
Do we have to have driven on it.
[00:11:10] Mark Boudreau: Nope, nope.
[00:11:12] Dominic Cicero: Got it.
Well, I always wanted to race on riverside. That looked amazing.
I've never driven on it. I've driven on it virtually.
Um, my favorite racetrack I've ever raced on tested on with Spa. Um, it was, it has a little bit of everything and I think a lot of racetracks could learn from that design, maybe making it somewhat safer. But it's, it's old school and it's.
Yeah, it's got the rhythm change in it is always unique to me. In tracks. Coda has a good chance of that. You know, where you're like high speed, flowy to some titan technical. But spies.
Yeah, that is my premier race on some amazing places. Monaco to Magna Core. I mean, you name it, but it's.
Yeah, that's my number one.
[00:11:58] Mark Boudreau: Love it. Yeah, I mean, you gotta love Spa. It is, it is old school.
So, yeah, I, I can't, I can't argue against that.
Dominic, it's been great to have you on the podcast.
Like I said, I will post all the connections, all the links for, for everybody to get ahold of you.
Really great to take some time out and speak with me.
That's it for this week. 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 Motorsport Prospects.com.
