May 2008
Life of a Professional Racer Episode 1
Sean Edwards is the up and coming driver in the world of motorsports. In this exciting Article Series, you are let into exclusive insights as the GT3 Champion reveals tips on how to improve your driving skills and how to give yourself the best chance to make it big. Follow us to track the life of Sean Edwards and see how he deals with the many issues of life and racing!
“Always follow your dreams and aspirations and don’t let anyone tell you how you should lead your life. You only live once so make sure you do what you really want to do.” – Sean Edwards
Exclusive Interview with FIA GT Champion Sean Edwards
1) Hi Sean, can you tell us a bit more about who you are and what do you do?
Well I am racing in the Porsche Supercup, FIA GT and VLN this year and I also do private coaching for track day drivers and racing drivers in between. I started karting when I was about 3 years old because my dad used to take me to the track very often. When I was about 10, I was racing competitively in international karting and I got pretty decent results, 4th in my Rookie Season and 3rd in my second season. So after that I made my way up to formula racing and finished 3rd in BRDC FFord and then spent 1 year doing Formula Renault but due to the lack of budget and my A level exams, I decided to take a 7 months break.
But after that I climbed into a GT car and started racing again, with an immediate victory in the British GT championship. Then I went onto winning the inaugural European GT3 Championship in 2006. Subsequently, I stepped up to FIA GT2 with the Porsche 997 RSR and finished 3rd in my first 24 hour race, at Spa Francorchamps, alongside factory Porsche driver Sascha Maassen. And here I am!
In terms of my coaching services, I started doing the corporate/experience events with Silverstone Circuit and have become a grade A ARDS instructor there. I did that for a couple of years before branching out on my own about 3 years ago and business has been treating me very well so far, with so much great feedback too. I do it both for financial reasons and also to share what I’ve learnt with other drivers, along with the fact that I enjoy teaching.
It gives me a lot of pleasure being around Motorsports, so that’s why I do it. I can’t imagine life without it!
2) So can you tell us a bit on a typical day for Sean Edwards?
Currently I’m in the Porsche Supercup, so a lot of my time is spent traveling. And other than that, I will be out on track giving private tuition to drivers. We usually spend the day going through things they can improve on and generally helping them understand how the car works and different techniques to get the best out of it and themselves. So basically my day gets spent either traveling, racing or coaching, with very little time off.
3) Is the Porsche Supercup also filled with its own gossips and scandals like in Formula 1?
(Laughs) I wouldn’t say that it is as much as it is in Formula 1 right now with everything that is going on. But we have our own share of the gossip. Nothing too major though. I mean every where you go, there will definitely be drivers that are not going to agree with you and thus friction is something that is not avoidable. Drama is a sure thing.
Though it doesn’t have as much as in Formula 1, we have our own share of the pie in one way or another. We’ll see how it goes this year as the season only just started so I can’t say much now.
4) Can you name some of the difficulties that you faced while trying to gain success in your Racing Career?
Sponsorship. Hands down that has to be the toughest thing I had to face in the early stages of my racing career. It is so hard to get sponsorship these days because it is no longer about being able to set good times and have an immense talent for racing. You need to be able to sell yourself and market your “product” to potential buyers. So financial sponsorship has been the biggest challenge.
Lucky for me, I had my dad to help me out a lot on that as he is very good at helping me market myself. He taught me a lot over the years and I wouldn’t have made it here without him.
5) Then how did you overcome them?
My Dad helped me with it. He was always out there looking for opportunities and ways to help me find more budget to race with and teach me how its done. He has been very supportive of my racing and I’m very lucky to have that kind of support.
6) What are some of the Mistakes that you made during your racing?
(Hmm..) That’s a Tough one. But I’ll have to say that my biggest Mistake thus far was going to Formula Renault. Many people that aspire to go to Formula 1 one don’t know that just trying to reach there will probably cost £4 million itself, but that alone does not secure you a Formula 1 place. I was one of them that went through the route of trying out Formula Racing but luckily enough, realized early on that the budget along that way is a big problem. So after 1 season, I stopped Formula Renault and went to GT Cars, where I have had a huge amount of success.
Moreover Formula 1 wasn’t for me too. The under steer and many of the car’s characteristics didn’t suit my driving style. It was a waste of my time and also a waste of my sponsorship money. That would have to be my biggest mistake to date.
7) If you were not a Professional Racer, What would you be now?
Wow. I never really thought of myself without Motorsports in my life. Ask any driver and I’m sure that you will not be able to get a solid answer. But I guess if I really had to think about it, I will have to say that I will probably be doing a high adrenaline form of work. I am not the type of person to be spending 9 hours a day behind an office desk pushing papers and doing admin work.
I’m just not that kind of person. I want to be doing something active and dangerous. That is what keeps me going.
8 ) What are your plans for the next 5 years?
Right now my plan is to do well in the Porsche Supercup. I’ll probably stay there for another 2 – 3 years and work to become a Porsche Factory Driver. That will be my main target. And once I get there, it is really up to them on what series they want to put me in. But as long as I can achieve that, I am happy.
9) What would you say to aspiring drivers that want to have a successful professional racing career?
Like any other ambitions of aspiration, there is simply no substitute for good old hard work.
Even if you are the next Racing prodigy or if you want to be the next Formula 1 Champion, you have to work very hard to get there.
Things like finding sponsorship and not giving up easily are just some of the fundamental issues that you have to work through if you ever want to race professionally. Remember that without money from sponsorship, your talent will be as good as nothing.
So always follow your dreams and aspirations and don’t let anyone tell you how you should lead your life. You only live once so make sure you do what you really want to do.
10) Your Next Race is in Istanbul, Turkey, how do you feel about it? Confident of winning?
Of course I am very confident that I can achieve a good result in Istanbul.
The last race in Barcelona, I just didn’t get the most out of the car in qualifying and although I had the 4th fastest race lap, once you start mid pack, it’s so difficult to make it back to the front in a one make series. It’s going to be tough as I have never been on the track before but as always I’ll be putting 110% into it.
Hopefully, I’ll qualify well and get a good result at the end of the weekend. I’ll be looking to place within the Top 10 for this race!
We wish you luck!
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