The Squire Program

Round Table Youth Program

At Camelot (the race shop) we know that bringing young blood into the sport is what it's going to take to keep the sport alive, so when we were asked if there was a youth component to the race program, it didn't take very long to make the decision that we needed to support the future of the sport. 

We decided that it should be a fully immersive program and it should cover all aspects of the race world.  We don't know where these bright young stars will end up in life so we are going to help them practice everything. Our thought is that we will give them as many tools as we can to ensure they have success on the track and in their future adventures in life.

We've designed the program to work on many different areas; these are a few of the main topics and areas we cover:

• Mechanics

  • We feel that every driver should have more than just a basic understanding of cars. With that in mind, we encourage all of our drivers to be involved in all the building and repairs of the cars they drive: right from final track checks, to steering and suspension set up in the race shop, even into building and rebuilding of the engines that push their cars around the track. 

• Track etiquette

  • Let's face it, if you've never been on the race paddock or in the pits, it can be pretty intimidating to step in there. We will guide the new drivers and their crews on the ins and outs of what to do and when to do it; what the flags mean and when you need to react to them and how. There can be some really intense moments in the pits before and after races, especially when there are championships on the line or if there was a bang up or wreck and emotions can run high. We will coach both the drivers and pit crews for each racer on how and when to address issues with other teams or other drivers and how to get the best outcome for both sides. This isn't just about winning at all costs -- we have a code that we race by and we expect everyone to adhere to that as closely as possible.

• Public speaking

  • Have you stood in front of a crowd, or even just  a few people and had to speak publicly to them for all to hear? Now picture yourself in front of 1000+ screaming fans after one of the most intense adrenaline rushes you've ever experienced..... Try to string together a few words clear enough for everyone to understand and enjoy, all the while attempting to remember all your sponsors and everyone that you want to thank. That, my friend, is the pressure that every driver experiences after finding themselves on the podium after a top 3 finish. That experience is what everyone is chasing and it can be pretty terrifying to actually stand in those shoes once you get there. We will be coaching all the drivers on how to speak clearly and confidently in front of the screaming crowd. It's no different than driving -- it takes practice and we want our drivers to be comfortable doing both!

• Winning and losing 

  • Let's be real here: nobody goes out to race with the plan to come in last place, no one. We are all striving to do our best, place as high as we possibly can, and continuously improve. Winning is an emotional and exciting accomplishment but no one likes an in-your-face, gloating, pompous winner, no different than a crybaby sore loser. We will coach the drivers on how to handle both situations with grace and honour, how to celebrate a win without being one of the winners that no one likes, and how to handle defeat with pride and not be one of the sore losers.

• Real world racing

  • Racing is a sport comprised of heart, bravery, smarts, and a crazy amount of tactics; it's not just turning left as fast as you can. You don't really realize that until you get into the seat and get going. We coach our drivers on how and when you should make a move, when to be patient and when to get aggressive and dive into that open spot that is there for just a second. There are head games you need to play with your opposition and that will be played with you just the same. You'll need to be aware of that and be willing to play back to be successful on the track, and our drivers will be well-versed in all the games to play out there.

• Team building and business of racing

  • Ultimately racing is about the family that you form in the pits and on the track, and it's not just with the other drivers that are running under the same flag as yours -- it's about everyone out there. We are all there doing the same thing, competing in the same sport, and that leads to forming some lifelong friendships along the way. We will foster all of our drivers to chase those relationships as best as they can to make sure their racing experience is as rich and fruitful as it can possibly be.