Motorsport As Life, Vol. I - XVII

Simply stated, I believe motorsports and all the it encompasses is a metaphor for life and many lessons can be gleaned from its practice. As you will see, not necessarily a new idea. Nevertheless, here are a collection of quotes over the decades that can be words to live by.

Vol. 1: "Simplify. Then add lightness.", Colin Chapman

Vol. 2: "When I test I never go right to the limit. Only because when you are below the limit you can go at the same speed all day, and that's the only way you can be absolutely sure about what you are testing.", Alain Prost

Vol. 3: "We have always been involved in motorsports. Not because we had to. But because we couldn't have done anything else. Not to achieve fame. But to continuously expand our experience at the limit. Not for self-affirmation. But to continuously challenge ourselves. And not because of prestige. But as a matter of principle.", Porsche

Vol. 4: "It's fine that he made a mistake. Everybody does mistakes like that, but then you have to say, 'Oops, sorry guys.' That's how you earn respect and that's how you show you will actually improve.", Jacques Villeneuve

Vol. 5: "He was always so bloody calm...He was flat out the whole time but you never got that impression. You never saw him rushing.", Derek Bell speaking on the legendary Al Holbert

Vol. 6: "Create a culture that can extract the absolute maximum from these accidents, not one that hides them away and makes sure they don’t happen again.", Andrew Latham, Chief Engineer - Analytics at McLaren Applied Technologies

Vol. 7: "Well, it's kids isn't it? Kids with not enough experience; do a good job then they fuck it all up.", Mark Webber,

Vol. 8: “It is not always possible to be the best, but it is always possible to improve your own performance.”, Sir Jackie Stewart

Vol. 9: "Lotta people go through life doing things badly. Racing's important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.", Michael Delaney, LeMans (1971)

Vol. 10: "Don't talk too much, be focused on the goal and achieve it.”, Niki Lauda

Vol. 11: "You win some, you lose some, you wreck some.", Dale Earnhardt 

Vol. 12: "I have no idols. I admire work, dedication and competence.", Ayrton Senna 

Vol. 13: "I have always challenged myself and it's also important to learn from the rivals. Every rider has his own style, and you have to count on some elements that cannot be changed. On the contrary, the bike or the tires can change and it's important to adapt yourself. It's up to the rider to understand what he can change and how much he can adapt.", Valentino Rossi

Vol. 14: "The though arrives whole in my mind that I have been to visit a place where there is great power to affect human responses, an almost mystical place. I have been taken there by an extraordinarily accomplished practitioner in its arts.", Leon Mandel, riding in a Porsche 959 driven by Al Holbert, Feb. 1988.

Vol. 15: "Formula One is a strange world but if you have clear values, you can maintain the separation between truth and fiction...", Fernando Alonso

 Vol. 16: "I used to say, I normally race with a dark visor because the less you see, the faster you are.", Fernando Alonso.

Vol. 17: "...Let's not cry before there is pain." --Jan Lammers, 24 Hours of LeMans 2018.