MOMENT WITH MIKE: Zip your lip and show me what you got

0 May 15, 2017, 12:21 p.m.

Main Photo: MOMENT WITH MIKE: Zip your lip and show me what you got

By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com

Whether you are into racing R/C cars, dirt bikes, or racing sleds down a hill, everyone would like to think that they are the best. Confidence is a key point to any type of racing, and for many racers is the reason they have become so successful. There is a major difference, however, between confidence and arrogant bragging.

The number one thing at any race track that really burns my biscuits is listening to racers, or the parents of young racers, who spend 99% of their time at the track bragging, telling everyone how great they are, and/or making constant excuses as to why they “were the absolute fastest, and would have easily won the race, but [insert lame excuse here].”

Nearly ten years ago I put together my first R/C racing resume, and applied for my first ever R/C sponsorship. Since that time, I have applied for a list of sponsorships, however, the first sponsorship I applied for continues to stand out over all of the others. It doesn’t stand out because I received the sponsorship, but rather because I didn’t receive the sponsorship.

After applying I received a letter in the mail. The letter was short and sweet, and simply said, “When you are ready for our team, we’ll find you. Let your racing speak for itself.” Naturally I was furious and insulted at first glance, but after stewing on it, it changed how I viewed not only sponsorships, but my personal racing goals in general. From that point forward I set out to make it my goal to be “found” as a team driver. Two years later, that same company reached out and offered me a position on their team following an exciting year of racing, and I have been a part of it ever since. Looking back, knowing that sponsorship evolved naturally, as opposed to bragging my way into it, makes it all that more satisfying.

There are a lot of great racers out there which deserve to be recognized for either their outstanding representation in the hobby, their outstanding results, or both. The thing about it is, those drivers don’t have to tell you how great they are, they will simply show you instead.

As a fellow racer, small business owner, and someone who has played the role multiple times as a team manager in the industry, there is no bigger turn-off for me than an arrogant driver’s mouth (or parent’s mouth). I grew up in the state of Missouri, also known as the “Show-Me state”. Regardless of how great you may be, the more you tell me how great you are, the less great you become in my eyes. If you are fast, then go be fast – show that you’re fast, show that you’re an outstanding representative, and show that you don’t need to constantly run your mouth to convince everyone that you’re something great.

With that being said, by no means am I saying that racers should not be proud of their accomplishments and success. It’s okay to be proud of what you’ve done, it’s okay to tell someone about a great race you’ve had, and it’s even okay to tell someone from time to time how fast you were driving. The point of this article is to remind racers that when you go to the R/C track, you are going there to race your R/C car. If you spend more time talking about yourself than you do driving your R/C car, you missed your calling as a used car salesman at the dealership down the street.

Moral of the story here is whether you are great at racing, or just great at life in general - zip your lip, and show me what you got.