Today's interview is with driver, Nathan Usher.
Left: Aaron Usher Right: Nathan Usher
(photo credit: Matt Bushore)
Berry Favorite Things: Welcome, Nathan. Tell us a little about yourself.
Nathan Usher: "I got my start in 2008 doing SCCA Rallycross. I bought a used rally car in 2010 and raced that in Group 2 for a couple years before building the Subaru that I'm now racing in Open Light. My brother, Aaron co-drives for me, but we haven't come up with a team name yet; we should probably do that at some point. We have different people crewing for us just about every rally, usually new guys who want to get into competing in rally, or spectators who want to see a rally from another perspective."
Berry Favorite Things: Who or what was your biggest inspiration in motorsports?
Nathan Usher: "Growing up, playing the Colin McRae rally games and seeing him race on TV was my first taste of rally. At that point, I already knew it was something I wanted to do, but I didn't have the time and money to get started until after I finished school."
BFT: What is your favorite thing about rally?
NU: "As a driver, my favorite thing is that you only drive each road once or twice on a rally, so you never really know what's coming up after the next curve. At events where I'm not driving, my favorite thing is how close you can get to the action. I especially like to watch the services, where teams are able to do major repairs to cars in just 20-30 minutes."
BFT: What is one thing you wish you could change about rally?
NU: "There really isn't a lot I would like to change about rally, which is why I started doing it in the first place. My biggest issue being a self funded driver is the initial cost to get started (mostly safety gear) and per event cost. Event organizers are doing their best to keep event costs down, so I've just been doing my best to keep my costs low at each event."
(photo credit: Pete Kuncis)
BFT: What advice would you offer to someone who was interested in getting started in rally? Maybe something you wish you had known earlier.
NU: "The best way to get started would be to volunteer to work controls/tech/etc. at some rallies. You'll learn a lot of things that aren't obvious otherwise, and probably save yourself some time penalties at your first few events. Also, since most of the workers are current and former competitors, you'll meet people who can give you a lot of great advice on getting started."
BFT: With Rally America teaming up with NBC Sports, GRC (Global Rallycross) growing in popularity, and big names like Travis Pastrana back in stage rally, do you think more attention will be beneficial to the sport in America? Or do you think it could have adverse effects?
NU: "I think it can definitely be beneficial to the sport. I think a big problem is that even in areas close to rallies, a lot of people don't know anything about them. If more people see the event coverage showing upcoming events, it could increase spectator and volunteer turnout in the short term, which could eventually lead to more new competitors. I first learned about rally from watching TV coverage and that is what pushed me to competing."
BFT: Name 5 items on your motorsport bucket list.
NU: "I don't really have a bucket list, more like a list of long term plans/race car projects that I think would be fun to build and race. I work as an electrical engineer, doing mostly embedded control projects. I enjoy doing that sort of thing as you can see from the following list. Even if they end up not being competitive, I think they would all be interesting projects. Electric Lotus 7 replica - I built a Westfield SEi and autocrossed it for a few years, and I think it would be a lot of fun to build another one, but with a custom motor controller. Rally car traction/stability control - It should be a lot cheaper than buying fancy differentials, since most rally guys throw away all the necessary hardware when building their car. I'd just need to replace the terrible Subaru ABS "brain" with something custom. CVT rallycross/rally car: with a good transmission control algorithm it would never be in the wrong gear, and would leave my right hand free for steering and hand braking."
(photo credit: Stan Spruce)
BFT: What is your favorite rally event you've done and why?
NU: "That's a tough call, since I've liked all the rallies I've competed in. I would say my favorite is STPR (Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally) the main thing that sets it apart from the others is the Super Special stage they have. It's set up similar to a lot of the WRC (World Rally Championship) events with two cars running side by side, and it's also the only stage I've been to where drivers get to watch their competitors. STPR was the first event where we trophied in a field with a lot of competition, and we moved into the trophy position during the Super Special."
BFT: If you had to describe rally in 3 words, what would they be?
NU: "teamwork, perseverance, crazy"
BFT: What is your proudest auto related moment?
NU: "I don't have anything too great right now, so I'll pick a fun one: I got under 10 minutes around the Nurburgring Nordschleife in a rental Suzuki Swift on a wet track."
Berry Favorite Things: What is your most embarrassing/funny auto related moment?
Nathan Usher: "The time I flipped my WRX onto its roof on the second corner of Sno*Drift. To make things worse, it was the first time competing in a car, so I had just spent a lot of time and money getting it rally ready and I made it less than a quarter mile before having to do major repairs."
Special thanks to Nathan for sharing his insight into the sport.
If you see him at events, I strongly suggest taking a moment to talk to him.
He's a great guy, with a lot of useful knowledge.
No comments:
Post a Comment