[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 and 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 started it for a very simple reason.
I kept hearing the same questions time and time again, both from drivers, aspiring drivers, their families and advisors. And they would always ask me, who can I trust?
Now, many have struggled 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. A quality drivers often tell me is really hard to find.
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 my free white paper, the Three Essentials for Motorsport Business Owners. It shares simple ways to strengthen relationships, attract the right clients and grow your motorsport business. Naturally, you can find it in the show notes
[email protected] so let's get started.
My guest today is Robert Burgess. In 2013, Robert bought the rights to the Radical Motorsport brand for Canada.
Since acquiring the brand, Robert has sold over 100 radical race cars and established a radical Canada Cup.
Robert has successfully created a radical community across Canada and it's evident from all the smiles in the paddock, he's also an accomplished racing driver and racing car enthusiast and has amassed a number of victories in both sprint and endurance car races.
Welcome to the Motorsport Prospects podcast, Robert. Thanks a lot for taking the time out and chatting with me.
[00:02:23] Robert Burgess: Yeah, thanks for having me, Mark. This is great. Very excited to finally do this with you. We've known each other for a while, so I'm glad we're able to, to do this.
[00:02:32] Mark Boudreau: Yeah, we've, we've chatted quite a bit on LinkedIn and social media. Finally ran into you at the Toronto Indy where you were racing in the, in the support race with Radical and it's funny because I remember we were supposed to meet and I'm looking at your, your picture on LinkedIn and it's you with a race helmet on and I'm Thinking, I have no idea what this guy looks like.
So I walked up to somebody and said, do you know who Robert Burgess is? Like, what he looks like? Can you point him out? She goes, well, sure I can. He's my husband.
And that's how it started. We finally got a chance to meet. So I'm really happy to have you on the.
So the podcast is pretty simple in that I have one question. I ask, so, Robert, 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?
[00:03:30] Robert Burgess: Yeah, it's a difficult question mark. It's hard to narrow it down to just one. And I hope my answer isn't a cop out. But I would say to young drivers to be the whole package. You know, try to make yourself as, as well rounded as possible.
And so what I mean by that is having an excellent understanding of the, the business side of racing and obviously sponsorship is a big part of that, but also understanding PR and media and, and obviously social media, you know, understanding the, the car from a mechanical standpoint, you know, how does the suspension work, how do all the systems kind of in the car work, you know, and then obviously the driving element, you know, understanding all different elements of driving the car and just trying to make yourself as, well, rounded as possible and just having a good understanding of all the different elements that kind of come into it.
[00:04:26] Mark Boudreau: So that's an, that's a good point actually, because a lot of people assume that being fast is the end all and be all of being a race driver.
And I don't think they quite understand the work involved in all those other aspects. Like you said, you know, it's, it's, it's the business part of racing that's, that's so important and being able to represent your sponsors properly, which again, a lot of people don't really understand. Like some, I find it what amazes me. And some people don't even understand what their sponsors actually do.
[00:05:01] Robert Burgess: Yeah. Or what their sponsors are trying to get out of. This is another important thing for them to understand. And it begs an interesting question, what's more important to the young driver? The business side of racing or the driving side?
And it's an interesting balance because one doesn't happen without the other.
But I would argue the business side and the financial side is ultimately more important because that's what keeps you in racing, that's what allows your career to develop and you know, you just constantly need to be on, on that side of it.
You know, hopefully working with a lot of these fast drivers. You know, they're, they're, you know, the speed comes fairly naturally to them.
They're pretty fast drivers. You know, they'll kind of always be quick in anything you put them in.
But developing those, those business relationships and the sponsors in order to kind of keep moving forward is almost the more challenging part of all this.
Right.
[00:05:55] Mark Boudreau: And, and so how does, so you're obviously involved in radical motorsport.
How does Radical and Radical Canada, the Radical kind of cup and the North American, because radical, if people aren't aware, basically race almost everywhere in the world. I mean, from the Caribbean to the Middle east to Canada and the U.S. and Europe. So how does Radical fit in with either, even young drivers, you know, so called gentlemen drivers. How does Radical fit in into that kind of the ecosystem of motorsport?
[00:06:30] Robert Burgess: Yeah, well, I mean, one of the interesting thing about radicals, as you mentioned is, you know, we are on a ladder system for young drivers, so, you know, helping drivers kind of move up in motorsport. But we're also a destination for gentlemen drivers. And we'll have two different classes within the Radical cup championships. One class for young drivers and then a different class for gentlemen drivers.
And you know, the beauty of radical racing is it offers a lot of value. You know, so the cars are very fast, very fun to drive, but they're also relatively affordable both to buy and to run.
So, you know, the reason that radical racing is so popular globally is because of the value that it offers. You know, it's certainly not the cheapest, you know, because the cars are very fast and very sophisticated, you know, in the series, are very professional. But it is by no means, you know, the most expensive option for a young driver.
You know, the car itself, you know, although it's a sports prototype, it's a, it's an LMP car.
You know, you can kind of think of it as a formula car with a body on it. So a lot of people when they're young drivers, you know, they think of these small formula cars.
Well, a Radical is kind of like that, but with bodywork on it. So, you know, lap time wise, a Radical is actually a little bit quicker than a USF2000 car. It's a little bit faster than an F4 car, but it makes it's lap time in a very similar way. It has a very similar feel. So a lot of the things that you would learn in those junior formula series you can learn in the radical series, but at a much lower cost, you know, so that, that's really the reason why radical racing is so popular. And we've had a lot of drivers go from radical racing and, and go on to race, you know, in sports cars at Le Mans and at Daytona and at Sebring. But we've also had young drivers move through Radical and then go on to F4 or USF or Indy Lights. Beyond that.
[00:08:31] Mark Boudreau: Oh, that's good to know. And there's the Radical World Championship, which I know you've competed in it. So tell us a little bit about how that works.
[00:08:41] Robert Burgess: Yeah. So the Radical World Finals is an event that happens every fall after all of the Radical cup series globally have finished. And the top drivers from all the different Radical Cups are invited to come race at the World Finals. And I've been very fortunate to compete in it several times and had the opportunity to race at Portimao in Portugal and at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.
And I just got back from Vir that hosted the Radical World Finals this year. And it's good because it gives yourself an opportunity to see how you stack up against other radical drivers.
And you know, in this year, Team Canada was represented by myself, but also Brady Clapham who is the North American 1340 champion.
And, and he was super, super competitive against, you know, all the competition that came up there. So it does just gives you some more people to kind of measure yourself against and. Okay. And yeah, it's, it's just a fabulous race, really great event.
[00:09:46] Mark Boudreau: So if somebody wants to get involved in radicals now, there are radical dealers all around the world.
You're obviously the radical dealer for Canada.
How do they get a hold of you? How do they find out more about racing radicals? And if I'm not mistaken, you also, you're a dealer, but you also sell new and used radicals.
[00:10:08] Robert Burgess: That's correct. So as the radical dealer, I always have an inventory of brand new cars for sale. I also have pre owned cars for sale. We also rent out cars, you know, so a lot of young drivers, their preference is to rent a car for the season as opposed to have to buy their own car.
So we offer these arrive and drive rentals for young drivers.
You know, in Canada, we're very fortunate to work with FEL Motorsports to put on our championship. And FEL does a fantastic job organizing the championship, putting on the events.
You know, they really are a first class organization to work with. So I always encourage people, you know, if they're interested in racing Radicals reach out to FEL Motorsports. You know, they put together all of the events for the Radical Canada Cup. And then in addition to myself, there's a number of excellent racing teams in Canada that have decided to compete in Radical Cup. So, you know, Tooth Autosport and Auto Eclectic and Lima Racing, there's, you know, other teams out there that are competing with us, and oftentimes those teams will offer arrive and drive services as well.
So, you know.
[00:11:15] Mark Boudreau: Okay.
[00:11:15] Robert Burgess: Within the Canadian racing landscape, you know, the Radical Series has kind of grown in stature a fair bit, and, you know, it's the fastest racing series in Canada, and I would say at this point, one of the most prestigious as well.
[00:11:31] Mark Boudreau: Yeah, absolutely. And you guys have supported IndyCar in the past. I believe you're sporting IndyCar in 2026, and I know that I just read that Radical North American cup will be supporting the WEC race in 2026 at.
CODA. So there's. There's definitely. And all of those things. I always say the same thing. You know, networking is so important. So if you're racing Radical, for example, and you're on, you know, you're a race weekend at IndyCar or WEC or whatever it might be, it's a great opportunity for you to go and introduce yourself to people and just kind of get your name out there.
[00:12:12] Robert Burgess: Yeah, very definitely. You know, I mean, if you are a young driver who's looking to move up, you need to be racing on the big events, you know, because firstly, that gives you a lot of spectators, you know, so we race at Toronto indy, you know, 75, 000 people there.
You know, we race exclusively at these kind of bigger events. And so that gives you a lot of exposure for yourself, but also for all of your sponsors as well on the race weekend. But to your point, you also get to do some networking with some of the other racing teams that are there. So, you know, again, at Toronto Indy, we race with IndyCar. And as you mentioned, Radical Cup North America is running with the World Endurance Championship this year.
So, yeah, for young drivers, it's important to be at those big weekends. You know that.
[00:12:57] Mark Boudreau: Right.
[00:12:57] Robert Burgess: And I would say if you're thinking about what series to run in, you know, look at the schedule for the championship and look at the size of the events they're competing at, you know, because if you're competing in a series which is mostly just doing club racing, there's nobody there. You know, there's. There's no spectators watching you. There's no other series, there's no other teams. So you're much better served being at those big events.
[00:13:22] Mark Boudreau: Okay, okay. So people, I'm Assuming you have a website people want to get a hold of you, find out more. Where do they go?
[00:13:30] Robert Burgess: Yeah, RadicalCanada CA is our website. Lots of great, great information on there. And then obviously on social media, as you mentioned, we're on LinkedIn and on Facebook and on Instagram at Radical Canada.
But then also check out, you know, FEL Motorsports and you know, FEL Motorsports does a phenomenal job for us. A lot of our races are live streamed and then broadcast on Rev tv. So those TV broadcasts of all the Radical Canada Cup Canada races are on the FEL Motorsports YouTube channel.
So if you go to YouTube.
[00:14:03] Mark Boudreau: Okay.
[00:14:04] Robert Burgess: Motorsports, you can go back and watch a lot of our races from the last few years.
So and then also we do a lot of events in the off season. So we'll have a Radical at the Toronto Auto show this year. Historically we do that. We'll also be at the, the Motorama show as well.
And then you know, in, in April when the tracks start opening up. We have a lot of testing opportunities for young drivers who are interested in trying Radical.
[00:14:30] Mark Boudreau: Oh, very cool. And not to be minimized but Radicals are very cool looking race cars.
[00:14:37] Robert Burgess: Yeah, definitely. I mean they are an open top LMP car and so they, they, you know, the styling on them is beautiful. They're obviously purpose built racing cars and so yeah, the, the, you know, they are great looking cars.
You know I cut my teeth Racing Formula 1600. That's kind of where I got my start.
And Formula 600 cars are fun to drive and I really enjoyed competing in that championship. But they're kind of funny looking, you know, they're not really a beautiful race car like, like what a Radical is.
[00:15:11] Mark Boudreau: Yeah, they, I've always found there, they kind of remind me a little bit of the old can am cars.
[00:15:16] Robert Burgess: They do, yeah, very much so.
[00:15:18] Mark Boudreau: Yeah. Yeah, no it's, it's, it's a really cool. I featured quite a bit of, you know, quite a bit of information on motorsport prospects on, on news racers can use about racing Radicals, different things that are happening, details on the cars. So I will put all the links to Radical Canada and FEL Motorsports in the show notes. So if people want to connect with you, they can do that through there.
Really appreciate you having having you on the show, Robert. It's. Yeah, it's been a long time coming and hopefully I'll see you at the track and we can. And like I said, it might be a kind of a cool idea to follow up in a couple of months to just see how. Because you Race. I mean, let's not forget Robert is, you know, he. He also races radicals quite successfully, so it might be interesting to talk to you as the driver as opposed to the business owner.
[00:16:15] Robert Burgess: Yeah, actually, you know, I'm. I'm heading to. To Europe this winter to do some racing.
And so there's a brand new racetrack in Portugal called Circuit de Soul, and they're having their first ever car race in January.
And so I'm very excited to go over and compete at that. It's always fun to compete at a brand new track, so. So I'm looking at doing that. And then in March will be the first round of the Radical Cup North America Championship, and that'll be at Sebring. And Sebring's one of my favorite racetracks, so I'm looking forward to competing in that as well.
[00:16:48] Mark Boudreau: Very cool. Very cool. Well, thanks so much, Robert, for being on the show. Really appreciate your time.
One last question before I let you go. What is your favorite, favorite racetrack? Current or historical?
[00:17:02] Robert Burgess: I mean, I have to say my. My favorite racetrack is the Circuit de Sarth at. At Le Mans. You know, I have not. My goal is to get to Le Mans. You know, I've been there to watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It's an incredible race.
You know, my father raced at Le Mans and had some success over there. So it's always, you know, the track that I'm. I'm kind of trying to get to in the event that I most want to be a part of and looking at different opportunities to get there.
So I'm really hoping that I can get to Le Mans. But that. That. That's my favorite track. That's the kind of. To me, that's the granddaddy of them all. And really hoping I get the chance to race there one day.
[00:17:44] Mark Boudreau: Well, then, yeah. And when you do, we'll have to have a chat after that to let us know how it all went.
Thanks so much, Robert, for being on the show. 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 motorsportprospects.com.
