Today we’d like to introduce you to Alec Udell.
Alec, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started racing go-karts when I was 5 years old, after my Grandfather bought me a kart. From there I spent my childhood racing on a national level, worked in a kart shop and later race car team as I made the jump into racing cars. In 2011 I became the youngest, at the time, pro driver in north america, racing in the Pirelli World Challenge, now SRO America racing series. Since then I’ve gone on to win 2 Professional Championships in both Europe and the US. I have created a nice racing career for myself, currently racing with a team based in North Carolina, racing a Corvette Z06 GT3R in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, the highest level of sportscar racing in North America
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been entirely winding. In motorsport, it’s not about if more about when you’ll have incidents. It’s part of the learning process and it’s something that I now help guide people through as they’re looking to learn what it takes to compete at the highest levels in the sport. For me a big challenge through the past few years has been getting more “at bats” in the seat. Meaning more opportunities to drive, more races, more tests to show what I can do. Motorsport is one of the most expensive sports and the funding has to come from some place, it’s not all about prize money. So the most tumultuous part of the career over the past 5 years has been having a great opportunity not pan out for one reason or another, and being left without the ability to keep showing what you can do inside the car. This is still an ongoing struggle in the career which I am each year learning how to be ahead and work toward more ways to demonstrate the talent, speed, and intelligence behind the wheel in what I do.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a professional racing driver. I race in Sports Car endurance racing, meaning we have 2-24h long races with multiple drivers that pass off the car to each other in pit stops like a baton in a relay race. Most recently I’m known for racing a Corvette Z06 GT3R with DXDT Racing. Last year myself and my co-driver Tommy Milner set a series record in GT World Challenge America competition for the most wins in a row, with 8 wins. My technical ability, stemming from a background with a Mechanical Engineering degree sets me apart from others in my sport as I took time to learn and gain a theoretical understanding of the mechanical principles that in practice we deal with day in and day out on the track.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The best thing for me which came out of the Covid-19 pandemic was the ability to focus on what works best for myself. There’s a million different workout regimens, daily life practices, money habits, etc which are thrown at us in every direction. I tried and failed to do everything. This time frame really helped me silence the noise, find the hard working and fun things which really are the difference makers in my life to keep me balanced and full of energy to pursue my dream in racing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alecudellracing.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alecudellracing
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@udellalec
Image Credits
Fred Hardy, Jamey Price, Adam Cosgrove, SRO Motorsports
