12 year old/red bull driver search winner

[Don K]

So how do these three 13 year old Red Bull drivers compare?


Navy, are you talking about Edwards, Bianchi or Stevens?

[JJ Jet Plane]

Stevens isn't on the Red Bull books. Read the story properly and it says he's being backed personally by Mark Gallagher, the Red Bull Racing commercial director.

[navy]

I was talking about Edwards. I do believe that because he was young that it would have helped in getting the Red Bull aid.

[Dr Venom]

sorry i mis-understood the line "red bull seem to be sponsoring everything in motor racing at the moment"

[Fiorentina 1]

Edwards was testing this week kin Sebring in an F.Renault and was quite quick.

[ems]

Originally Posted by Fiorentina 1

Edwards was testing this week kin Sebring in an F.Renault and was quite quick.

This is John Edwards. I was actually testing the F-BMW. Billy Johnson tested the Renault one day, then the BMW the next. No one else tested the Renault.

Navy, your question about why I was picked over Summerton: Summerton had tested the F3 car after Red Bull said not to, and he was overdriving the car before any of us had a lot of seat time in the first session. Red Bull also told me I was 'coachable.'

I am currently in Austria at the Red Bull training center: I leave from here to Italy.

-John Edwards

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Elton Julian

Considering how insurance works here in the US, I am amazed that he got in the car. Like they say "smoke 'em if you got them"

Indeed


I think 15 or 16 is the age to start racing in cars. Race cars are not toys.

[FormulaReporter]

Originally Posted by ems

This is John Edwards. I was actually testing the F-BMW.
-John Edwards

My friend who was at Sebring test told me that Gelles’s cars was a bit slower than Team AIM’s car. Team AIM did a few laps in low 2.11s and the fastest Gelles’s car was +2s off.

Question for Red Bull's John Edwards: Was it the car’s setup? Isn’t Gelles supposed to be the best team (according to his F-BMW press release)?

[mrinvader]

LOL, Gelles is more talk than anything... they did good in Renault but thats because no one was in it. AIM and Polevision will probably be the two best teams.

[racingdad]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Indeed


I think 15 or 16 is the age to start racing in cars. Race cars are not toys.

agreed

[Gelles Racing]

John Edwards is extremely mature as a driver. After testing him many days I understand what Red Bull sees in him. John is very coachable, listens to directions but more importantly follows instructions very well. He is in excellent condition and drove over 700 miles in the FBMW car in three days at Sebring on a demanding course, he has a bright future. For those of you who do not know him, the desire is within John, he is doing what he enjoys.

At Sebring, on the 12-hour course, Richard Philippe had the fastest time just cracking into the high 11's, second was John Edwards only 4/10ths behind. However, Gelles Racing was only there evaluating and preparing drivers for the Valencia shoot-out, not working on set up nor changing the cars. All the cars only had a base line set up not searching for ultimate speed. Richard Philippe was the only driver with his team (Autotecnica) and they were looking to improve each session and utilized new sets of tires over three days. Robert Bunker was driving for Aim Autosport and I never timed him any faster than than mid-pack of the ten drivers that were at Sebring, but I don't know what their strategy was either.

There will be many strong teams in Formula BMW USA and come September, 2005 we will find out which team is truly the best. I have the utmost respect for my rival teams and intend to build many more friendships over the next year in Motorsport.

Formula Renault in North America has produced very strong competition and most of the front running drivers can run at the front in any series, it was not soft.

[Dr Venom]

but can the yank's cut the mustard in europe, when they are out in the real world of motorsport, imo some can swim but most just about tred water

[AndyUK]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Indeed


I think 15 or 16 is the age to start racing in cars. Race cars are not toys.

Indeed, Fire. This is the case in the UK, 15 for BMW and 16 for Renault 2000 Formula Ford and F 3 , but in your domestic championship namely the Renault 1600 series in Belgium, if you don’t mind me linking you to your neighboring country, the age limit was up until this year 14 yrs old. They have changed it this year to 15 for insurance reasons. My son Stephen took part in the last race of last years series at only 14 I can say lack of experience got the better of him and he trashed the car but what an experience, don’t tell me you didn’t want to drive racing cars at 14! As for karting, well the amount of cheating, appalling driving and damage that goes on, i don’t know why anyone who runs straight even bothers doing it. Is he too young ? well who knows, all i know is the younger you learn the more likely you are to succeed, and we all want success for our kids don’t we? Karting just teaches them bad habits and that cheating and bad sportsmanship equals success. Nobody is suggesting that race cars are toys infact the kids have grate respect for these machines. You only have to look at Thomas Dillmann the French driver in Formula Renault Belgium, he im reliably informed is 15 though he looks no older that 12 ( sorry Tom ) but what a superb driver.

[AndyUK]

Originally Posted by racingdad

what else can you do with a 13 year old kid??? FBMW in Europe doesn't accept anyone younder than 15 (I think) so, unless he stays in the USA, he doesn't have much choice. IMO 12 / 13 is way too young to be racing single seaters anyway - I actually believe that FBMW shouldn't be taking anyone younger than 16. I didn't let my son into a kart until he was 16, just to be sure that it was his desire rather than mine.

I understand the ''his desire rather than yours'' i've ask that question to myself every time my son goes out of sight on the race track, but dont 90% of us blokes want to be racing drivers? I know i did as a teenager and i know instinctively i could have been a competitive driver, don’t ask me how i know, i just know. but the opportunity was not there, now i give the opportunities to my kids, after all its me in the driving seat, of at least a little bit of me!

[Alliturken]

Hi all. Interesting thread.

I have to say, I don't understand all the questions here about a thirteen year old racing open wheelcars. Obviously they are not toys, but it's not like he is in an F1 car at this point. In most any other sport, anywhere in the world, kids start very young if they are going to get anywhere, it's always been like that, motorsports should be no different. It's only in the last 40 years or so that the world's lawmakers decided that teenagers should not be able to do anything an adult can. Prior to that, it was normal for a 13 year old to work on a farm or elsewhere, hunt with a gun, etc. It's only acquired modern psychology that leads us to believe otherwise. I often see 10 year olds on motocross bikes out in the desert hotspots pulling off things I cannot even believe I'm seeing.

As far as this kid goes, I take my hat off to him for wanting something this bad, to go to Europe, and give up a normal childhood to get it. Europe does not see many US kids in Karting, (what is the real incentive to go anyway?), here they kart just for fun, rather than building careers in motorsports. Few kids are out there trying to be the next MS. The "yank" kids you do see there, with the rare exception, are the ones whose parents can afford it, not necessarily the best. Redbull is changing some of that. Hopefully Edwards turns out to be one of the best, although I'm sure he is going to have some tough knocks along the way. Anyway, it's a courageous thing to do, and I wish him the best. Whatever happens, he'll have some very interesting stories to tell by the time he is 18. Damn the torpedos, kid. Have a blast.

[Kicking-back]

Big feature on John in Autosport today

[racingdad]

Originally Posted by Alliturken

Hi all. Interesting thread.

I have to say, I don't understand all the questions here about a thirteen year old racing open wheelcars.

How many 13 year old kids really understand the danger? how many adults do you personally know who have ever driven a car of any sort at 120mph?

And, more importantly, while obviously he likes it (what kid wouldn't), how do we know that he isn't living his father's dream?

[mrinvader]

Alliturken-you make it sound as if he made the choice to go to Europe like hes doing something out of the norm. There are plenty of young drivers who would go to europe, but it costs a lot of money....something he has plenty of especially with Red Bull backing him.

[Boro]

Originally Posted by mrinvader

Alliturken-you make it sound as if he made the choice to go to Europe like hes doing something out of the norm. There are plenty of young drivers who would go to europe, but it costs a lot of money....something he has plenty of especially with Red Bull backing him.

The backing won't hurt.

But being the son of a surgical oncologist who's also the Chair of Surgery at the med school in university of arkansas probably doesn't hurt either.

Hope to see him learn a lot and get good results too. Hard for me to not root for a North American (tho admittedly I cheer louder for Canadians )

[Alliturken]

Originally Posted by mrinvader

Alliturken-you make it sound as if he made the choice to go to Europe like hes doing something out of the norm. There are plenty of young drivers who would go to europe, but it costs a lot of money....something he has plenty of especially with Red Bull backing him.

Well, it very much IS out of the norm, quite an anomoly, actually. There may be plenty of US kids who WOULD go to Europe to race Karts, and possibly give up the chance at another profession or sport, (although honestly I do question how many), but they don't. It costs too much for most parents to do, just for the one-in-a-million chance you'll make it to the show, and for the same money you can run a season of 1/4 midgets or OW or whatever, if it's fun you want. This kid wants much more than fun obviously, and is lucky, his parents could help, and Red Bull is kicking in for him too. But give him some credit, it's a big decision, a big risk he's taking, for possibly no payout at all.

As for the danger? I think you are being a bit soft. 12 year olds are out there doing back flips 20 ft in the air on motocross bikes every day. I think If it were my kid I recommend car racing over that.

[mrinvader]

The kid is giving up nothing.....its not a risk when you have backing like he does.

[Alliturken]

Originally Posted by mrinvader

The kid is giving up nothing.....its not a risk when you have backing like he does.

That is an incredibly jaded view.

[mrinvader]

Seeing that I am an american driver and went to europe to race, I do not think it is that jaded.....ahhh yup..Oh and I had zero backing...now thats a risk.

[Alliturken]

Originally Posted by mrinvader

Seeing that I am an american driver and went to europe to race, I do not think it is that jaded.....ahhh yup..Oh and I had zero backing...now thats a risk.

Yes, I agree 100% it was a risk for you. And my hat is off to you for doing it. But you are one. There are not too many of you. In any case, your experience, good or bad, does not detract from his. You seem angry/jaded about it because he has some backing now, (although I am quite sure that the Redbull backing is not as big as most think). I'd think you'd be pulling for one of your own to do well. Did it not go well for you?

[mrinvader]

I am cheering for the two real hopes for Americans Scott and Colin. I know exactly what the red bull backing is and yes people people think its more than what it is, but still a lot. My experience in Europe was awesome. If I would have had more funding I know I would have done better, but I could only do 2 races and no testing. A flat tire in qualifying doesnt help either.