From Zero to Le Mans in 3.5
How to win at Le Mans shortly after learning what Le Mans is
Once upon a time there was a 51-year-old man who had almost no awareness or knowledge of motorsport. Sure, he had marched in his high school band in the pre-event ceremonies at the Indy 500 decades earlier, but beyond that he didn’t know that the drivers in the 500 raced in other events. He had a faint knowledge that Formula One existed, and that NASCAR was a popular sport in the U.S. He didn’t know that IMSA existed, or that there was a Daytona 24-hour race. He’d never heard of Sebring, except maybe as the name of mediocre Chrysler car.
A very successful trial attorney, his passion was NFL football, and especially the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, he attended almost every game the Cowboys played each year, and had a relationship with the team that allowed him to attend practices and stand on the sidelines and talk with players and coaches. He had played football and other stick and ball sports, and obviously had some athletic abilities.
Meet Steven Thomas.
In 2017, Steven bought a Cadillac CTS-V, the “4-door Corvette.” With his purchase came an invitation to attend a performance driving experience, where he was instructed to drive through an autocross course, then given the opportunity to do some laps around the Circuit of The Americas. This triggered something inside Steven; he wanted to do more, so he attended another Cadillac event, this time at Spring Mountain. Someone at this event put the bug in his ear that he could actually go racing, as many gentleman drivers do, so Steven started asking around about how to do this.
His asking around led to an introduction from a friend and acquaintance in common, and I started coaching Steven. Three-and-a-half years later, he was standing on the podium at Le Mans. This is his short but fast story.
