It's a Fastlife of Weekend Work
I’m not going to lie and say that this is how every weekend looks for the DeBoer family and thank goodness it’s not, because I’m beat!
We learned on Tuesday that there was a driving event Derek was needed at this weekend. I actually love the work of supporting my husband behind the scenes at the race shop, race events and partner events behind the scenes. I miss kids, though when we have leave them behind. Some of these events aren’t as fun for them — they are filled with lots of networking and business development work. Occasionally, I get to jump in the car and have Derek take me for a fast lap around the track. This is the business side. Like anything else, there is always the unglamorous daily grind involving countess hours, and as Debra Buckler, CFO of The Racer’s Group shared, “Sleep is overrated.”
The team works very hard with an often unpredictable schedule. The perfect current example is the upcoming Lamborghini Super Trofeo race in Valencia, Spain. The car left the shop in Petaluma two weeks ago… the work to get everything done on the business side is still taking place at TRG headquarters and that’s a big part of what we were doing over the weekend. We don’t even have our plane tickets yet. By mid this week, we’ll need to get that done.
Kevin Buckler, CEO of The Racer’s Group, is a fast mover — part of the inspiration for the name Fastlife. Following Kevin and Derek around is a lot like chasing a speeding bullet and it’s quite entertaining.
This week’s episode shows you a bit of the business side and the entertaining side as well. We shot impromptu commercials, per Kevin’s last minute request before the lights went out at the shop Sunday night. Kevin attracts people who are doers, big ideas people; those who think outside of the box. If you aren’t willing to put the time in and work quickly, you probably don’t get to hang around too long! As veteran racer Jack Baldwin shared with us, “Nobody can do what Kevin can do. He runs wide-open all the time.”
Interestingly, even Kevin’s neighbor is amazing. He was part of inventing the Koosh ball and all kinds of other crazy things. We were fortunate enough to get a tour of his immaculate garage, coincidentally adorned with two Aston Martins and an entire display of James Bond 007 collector items. I guess you could say that this is coincidence, but we’ve been with Kevin for two and a half years now and there is no shortage of moments where Derek and I are saying to each other, “Do you believe this experience?” At one point, we were loaned a friend from the team’s McLaren to drive to the beach for a lunch date. Who does that?
All I can say is, this is a full experience; much more than what most probably think a race car driver would be and do. Thus, the inspiration for the Fastlife v-log and web series. If we can make it work through our persistence, diligence and hard work, it really will fulfill both of our bucket lists and then some. The quality of people we meet, the travel, the experiences and the contentment that comes from doing the things you were created to do, all complete our wish list. Derek and I can’t ask for anything else and even this seems like a lot to ask for sometimes.
We hope you enjoy seeing through our eyes.
Brooke
