I wanted to bring you along and take
your racing with me tonight for a few
minutes I pursued my passion and the two
things that I loved early on were this
and this but not exactly at the same
time not at the same time not in the
same order
and I decided to start two of the
craziest wildest passion driven
businesses and the joke is how do you
make a small fortune in racing you start
with a big one same thing with the
winery I don’t know why we chose both of
these businesses to get going on but
that was how we started I had an early
chance to sort of push the reset button
27 years ago and decided to jump into
these two businesses and very much enjoy
what I do
and very much enjoyed what we’ve done
along the way and some of the obstacles
as well and some of the things that we
learned which is what I’m talking about
tonight we learned a lot of lessons but
one of the biggest life lessons for me
was what I call the endurance racing
mentality and it goes along with never
quit so many times you’re challenged in
so many ways and you’re saying do I
really want to do this do I really want
to follow my passion is it really worth
it and sometimes you’ll have to take a
real good look but for me it always was
a little nervous but don’t stop never
quit but early on we started looking and
studying how some of these really big
motorsports events were won and it was
my dream to be not only a participant in
the races but to potentially ever have a
chance to win and we did and I call it
the endurance racing mentality and I
think in in all things and especially in
our world in racing people look for that
they look at the stars they look at the
highs they look at can we go any faster
what’s our top speed and who are your
name brand drivers and all the things
that would tempt you into the dark side
and I say you know that’s that’s not
what we should be focusing on and not in
the racing world not to win the 24 hour
aces and even not in life it’s what can
take you down we go to those races and
we study and we look statistically and
how did we how
we lose that race or how did they lose
that race or what wasn’t it’s never on
the top end it’s always on the bottom
and fix the fix the risk first
risk-averse what can take you down
what can take you out and when you get
your basis right then you can go reach
for the stars a little bit we wanted our
lesson both directions
I’d been training and planning for a
year trying to put the endurance racing
mentality to work and I was nervous we
got that very first race my heroes were
on the track
I was watching our local announcers um
Mike Shipman and Marco banya has got
their microphone stuck in the window and
they’re saying how you gonna do how’s it
gonna go and I’m you’re our local guy
and I’m like I just hope I don’t
embarrass myself these are our I’m at my
home race with these guys and it was a
great start for us we won and it was a
really good beginning and like I like to
say we’ve worked really hard on begging
on building that eight legged table and
I say that we’re you know there’s so
many times that the legs can be kicked
out but we still have a table so we’re
always working on a back-up plan
back to the endurance racing mentality
back to the never quit a lot of
obstacles for me personally a lot of
losses early on family friends personal
stuff I had an early both my parents
died tragically when I was young and in
some really weird way I think it really
shaped me and I try to look at her an
adverse situation like that and try to
turn it into a positive but it
definitely gives me a look to be able to
empathize with folks and to understand
what they’re going through and to try to
take that into my world and a little bit
understand how we can make it a little
bit better for everybody all the way
around this picture is interesting one
of the crashes we had in one of our
races but this happens a lot in our
world we raced in NASCAR Sprint Cup for
three years and the the little dance
that we do there on the stage with
NASCAR it goes from perfect order to
total chaos very very quickly I like to
say you know we can operate at a very
very high level of efficiency very high
output as at the same time we’re being
challenged
the entire time and being tempted to
look the wrong way so it’s it’s very
very difficult in some ways I want to
show you how it can go it can go wrong
quickly very big accident
very very big accident always thinking
about what could go wrong what could
happen you know really really quizzing
the crew the drivers everything and like
we said when we opened up here to finish
first you first must finish and that’s a
big part of our world and how we try to
learn to get through everything together
what was about to happen here was crazy
this was at Lamar in 2002 very much
enjoyed going there no idea what was
going to happen we kind of laughed
because we were so unprepared for the
the entire pomp and circumstance we went
there as a little Ratatat group but we
were good we were tough and we were very
good at our racing but we did not expect
what we saw the big semis that had come
the motor homes that were there you know
we felt like a little bit of Rocky
Balboa and the Dirty Dozen went to
France and we were there to try to do
our best but what was about to happen
and really taught us a lesson and it’s
good thing we spent that 10 years
working on that endurance racing
mentality to try to not make those
mistakes not fall into those temptations
and we didn’t and we won it was a big
moment for us me and my two Co drivers
up on the stage and we couldn’t believe
it it was the beginning of a great role
for us and for the company and that’s
from my camera looking out and so
sometimes when I’m at the office if I’m
having a bad day
I’ll go look at the picture and go back
in my office he said say I’m not kidding
actually so things do happen one of the
things I like to point out a little bit
you know that the we live like I was
saying we live in this in this world
were constantly being tempted the whole
a long time to make these easy mistakes
what was coming next was the epitome of
us working hard and studying and
listening and learning about that
endurance racing mentality our big –
endurance races in the world are the 24
hours of the month in the 24 Hours of
Daytona and they both definitely test
our spirit or will I’m not kidding you I
have a joke when I’m at the Daytona 24
and I’m now mentoring and coaching a lot
of the young drivers they’re all looking
at their data and they’re all thinking
about how they’re gonna go faster and
what can they do to improve and I
communed I was like first let’s go back
last year or the year before or the year
before that and let’s think about all
the things that went wrong to keep those
guys from winning that big race and it
wasn’t what you guys are looking at
right now indeed we have to be
competitive but first focused on what
can take you down so if you haven’t been
in a race car this is what I wanted to
show you we are competing here at the
streets of st. Petersburg Florida it’s
an it’s a sprint race and the
interesting thing is this is a
high-definition roof cam and I think
you’ll enjoy it so sit back and enjoy a
short little clip but what it shows you
there are 25 world-class athletes in
each of these cars McLaren Ferrari
Porsche Aston Martin R Aston Martin
double-oh-seven is the blue car here and
they’re all trying to occupy the same
piece of real estate at the same time
trying to take each other out and
there’s concrete walls on both sides so
turn it up and enjoy
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
as all you know legend it’s kind of
kind of kind of like one-on-one at rush
hour but not quite as bad so it’s
actually good to see the perspective
because I get asked a lot if people ask
you know our race car drivers athletes
and and what’s it like and I will tell
you from having been in competitive
sports my whole life that this will this
taxes you more than anything you could
do not only is it physical in the
cockpit with everything you’re doing
with your arms and your legs but the
intensity with your cardio and also
situational awareness which is a premium
in the sport really seeing what’s going
on around you as you can see and also
maybe having a little bit less worries
about the fear factor of what happens in
these types of things but it’s really
exhilarating when you get it right and
when you get it wrong it isn’t so good
but I’m I’m glad I was able to share
that with you guys it was like it was a
cool video I wanted to show you the
companies gone on to do some some great
stuff and I’m happy to be able to share
with you and so maybe if there’s a
chance to inspire anybody about
following your passion understanding a
little bit a little bit about the
endurance racing mentality and never
quit because believe me thought so many
times guys because it’s hard but it’ll
be worth it and it was worth it we led
the Aston Martin program for the last
five years here in North America and
happy to have done this as our going
into our 27 a year like I said and thank
you so much probably appreciate
your racing with me tonight for a few
minutes I pursued my passion and the two
things that I loved early on were this
and this but not exactly at the same
time not at the same time not in the
same order
and I decided to start two of the
craziest wildest passion driven
businesses and the joke is how do you
make a small fortune in racing you start
with a big one same thing with the
winery I don’t know why we chose both of
these businesses to get going on but
that was how we started I had an early
chance to sort of push the reset button
27 years ago and decided to jump into
these two businesses and very much enjoy
what I do
and very much enjoyed what we’ve done
along the way and some of the obstacles
as well and some of the things that we
learned which is what I’m talking about
tonight we learned a lot of lessons but
one of the biggest life lessons for me
was what I call the endurance racing
mentality and it goes along with never
quit so many times you’re challenged in
so many ways and you’re saying do I
really want to do this do I really want
to follow my passion is it really worth
it and sometimes you’ll have to take a
real good look but for me it always was
a little nervous but don’t stop never
quit but early on we started looking and
studying how some of these really big
motorsports events were won and it was
my dream to be not only a participant in
the races but to potentially ever have a
chance to win and we did and I call it
the endurance racing mentality and I
think in in all things and especially in
our world in racing people look for that
they look at the stars they look at the
highs they look at can we go any faster
what’s our top speed and who are your
name brand drivers and all the things
that would tempt you into the dark side
and I say you know that’s that’s not
what we should be focusing on and not in
the racing world not to win the 24 hour
aces and even not in life it’s what can
take you down we go to those races and
we study and we look statistically and
how did we how
we lose that race or how did they lose
that race or what wasn’t it’s never on
the top end it’s always on the bottom
and fix the fix the risk first
risk-averse what can take you down
what can take you out and when you get
your basis right then you can go reach
for the stars a little bit we wanted our
lesson both directions
I’d been training and planning for a
year trying to put the endurance racing
mentality to work and I was nervous we
got that very first race my heroes were
on the track
I was watching our local announcers um
Mike Shipman and Marco banya has got
their microphone stuck in the window and
they’re saying how you gonna do how’s it
gonna go and I’m you’re our local guy
and I’m like I just hope I don’t
embarrass myself these are our I’m at my
home race with these guys and it was a
great start for us we won and it was a
really good beginning and like I like to
say we’ve worked really hard on begging
on building that eight legged table and
I say that we’re you know there’s so
many times that the legs can be kicked
out but we still have a table so we’re
always working on a back-up plan
back to the endurance racing mentality
back to the never quit a lot of
obstacles for me personally a lot of
losses early on family friends personal
stuff I had an early both my parents
died tragically when I was young and in
some really weird way I think it really
shaped me and I try to look at her an
adverse situation like that and try to
turn it into a positive but it
definitely gives me a look to be able to
empathize with folks and to understand
what they’re going through and to try to
take that into my world and a little bit
understand how we can make it a little
bit better for everybody all the way
around this picture is interesting one
of the crashes we had in one of our
races but this happens a lot in our
world we raced in NASCAR Sprint Cup for
three years and the the little dance
that we do there on the stage with
NASCAR it goes from perfect order to
total chaos very very quickly I like to
say you know we can operate at a very
very high level of efficiency very high
output as at the same time we’re being
challenged
the entire time and being tempted to
look the wrong way so it’s it’s very
very difficult in some ways I want to
show you how it can go it can go wrong
quickly very big accident
very very big accident always thinking
about what could go wrong what could
happen you know really really quizzing
the crew the drivers everything and like
we said when we opened up here to finish
first you first must finish and that’s a
big part of our world and how we try to
learn to get through everything together
what was about to happen here was crazy
this was at Lamar in 2002 very much
enjoyed going there no idea what was
going to happen we kind of laughed
because we were so unprepared for the
the entire pomp and circumstance we went
there as a little Ratatat group but we
were good we were tough and we were very
good at our racing but we did not expect
what we saw the big semis that had come
the motor homes that were there you know
we felt like a little bit of Rocky
Balboa and the Dirty Dozen went to
France and we were there to try to do
our best but what was about to happen
and really taught us a lesson and it’s
good thing we spent that 10 years
working on that endurance racing
mentality to try to not make those
mistakes not fall into those temptations
and we didn’t and we won it was a big
moment for us me and my two Co drivers
up on the stage and we couldn’t believe
it it was the beginning of a great role
for us and for the company and that’s
from my camera looking out and so
sometimes when I’m at the office if I’m
having a bad day
I’ll go look at the picture and go back
in my office he said say I’m not kidding
actually so things do happen one of the
things I like to point out a little bit
you know that the we live like I was
saying we live in this in this world
were constantly being tempted the whole
a long time to make these easy mistakes
what was coming next was the epitome of
us working hard and studying and
listening and learning about that
endurance racing mentality our big –
endurance races in the world are the 24
hours of the month in the 24 Hours of
Daytona and they both definitely test
our spirit or will I’m not kidding you I
have a joke when I’m at the Daytona 24
and I’m now mentoring and coaching a lot
of the young drivers they’re all looking
at their data and they’re all thinking
about how they’re gonna go faster and
what can they do to improve and I
communed I was like first let’s go back
last year or the year before or the year
before that and let’s think about all
the things that went wrong to keep those
guys from winning that big race and it
wasn’t what you guys are looking at
right now indeed we have to be
competitive but first focused on what
can take you down so if you haven’t been
in a race car this is what I wanted to
show you we are competing here at the
streets of st. Petersburg Florida it’s
an it’s a sprint race and the
interesting thing is this is a
high-definition roof cam and I think
you’ll enjoy it so sit back and enjoy a
short little clip but what it shows you
there are 25 world-class athletes in
each of these cars McLaren Ferrari
Porsche Aston Martin R Aston Martin
double-oh-seven is the blue car here and
they’re all trying to occupy the same
piece of real estate at the same time
trying to take each other out and
there’s concrete walls on both sides so
turn it up and enjoy
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
as all you know legend it’s kind of
kind of kind of like one-on-one at rush
hour but not quite as bad so it’s
actually good to see the perspective
because I get asked a lot if people ask
you know our race car drivers athletes
and and what’s it like and I will tell
you from having been in competitive
sports my whole life that this will this
taxes you more than anything you could
do not only is it physical in the
cockpit with everything you’re doing
with your arms and your legs but the
intensity with your cardio and also
situational awareness which is a premium
in the sport really seeing what’s going
on around you as you can see and also
maybe having a little bit less worries
about the fear factor of what happens in
these types of things but it’s really
exhilarating when you get it right and
when you get it wrong it isn’t so good
but I’m I’m glad I was able to share
that with you guys it was like it was a
cool video I wanted to show you the
companies gone on to do some some great
stuff and I’m happy to be able to share
with you and so maybe if there’s a
chance to inspire anybody about
following your passion understanding a
little bit a little bit about the
endurance racing mentality and never
quit because believe me thought so many
times guys because it’s hard but it’ll
be worth it and it was worth it we led
the Aston Martin program for the last
five years here in North America and
happy to have done this as our going
into our 27 a year like I said and thank
you so much probably appreciate
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