Welcome to the Fast Lane | Driving and Commentating with James Hinchcliffe

Getting his start in Motorsports

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#1. What was the first moment that you can remember discovering motorsports?

It goes back to the '95 Indy 500! My dad and I watched racing as far back as I can remember. I went to my first IndyCar Race when I was 18 months old.

I haven't quite... held on to that memory, but I remember watching Jacques Villeneuve win the 500. I remember that being a big deal because it was a Canadian and he had come from two laps down. I didn't understand that part at the time, but just the fact that a Canadian had won this huge race! That's the earliest memory of racing that I can grasp.

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#2. When did you decide that this is where you wanted to build your career?

I still am not entirely sure I could have a career in motorsports - it's a tricky business.  I've been hanging on by a thread, Kaitlin, for a long time now.

That's a tough one to answer because I can't think of a time where I didn't want a career in racing and in motorsports. I acknowledged from an early age that driving was a pie in the sky - a long shot thing.

Even outside of driving, I wanted to be a journalist - for Autosport Magazine - I wanted to talk about racing. I wanted to follow racing. I wanted to just be involved in the sport. So literally as far back as I can remember.

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James' Current Roles

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#3. What was your first role and the first step you took towards driving professionally and eventually commentating?

There are two individual steps for the two different career paths.

Driving

The first step towards driving was getting a go kart. You know, I didn't know that the world of proper go kart racing existed until I was about eight years old. I stumbled across it at a theme park. There was a separate track with these kids dressed in full race suits and full faced helmets and looking professional. That was the first time I saw that world exist, and I got a go kart for my next birthday!

Commentating

It really was a fluke. I got invited up into the booth for the international broadcast on a Champ Car Race back in 2006. It was supposed to be a single segment at the start of the show.

"Just come hang out for a bit!" Finishes Segment "Ok do another one." Finishes Segment " Aaaaand another one... actually stay for the whole race!"

That was inadvertently my first time calling a race, essentially. It definitely lit a fire under me of realizing that I enjoyed it and that it's something you can do post- driving.

So, if I ever had a driving career - which at that point I was still working on - that would be something I'd want to get into after the fact.

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#4. What does a standard day look like for you during the season?

So a standard day starts with getting to the track pretty early. The honest truth is that in between sessions, your job is to walk the paddock, learn, research, and question people - dig for information, try to get a sense of the vibe of the weekend. Who's feeling good? Who's not? It's a lot of time walking around the paddock, just having casual conversations. There's a bit of research and prep work that usually goes into it in the morning or in the evening.

There's usually a production meeting before everything kicks off. Go up to the booth for the sessions. Every time cars are on track, we're broadcasting it. So every session I'm doing something. Then, at the end of the day, you're back at the hotel or office at the track going through press releases, reading what every driver's saying. I have a list on Twitter of driver accounts to monitor, so I filter through that because drivers are a lot more honest on their Twitter than they are in their post session interviews.

A lot of walking. Talking. Research - off in the TV compounds in the middle of nowhere for nobody to see.

Author's note: Hinch is running us through a day calling IndyCar races although there are a lot of elements that do apply to F1.

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#5. What are the most rewarding and the most challenging parts of commentating?‍

Rewarding

It's funny - the most rewarding is honestly when you have a REALLY good broadcast and there's a good race - everybody played their part. Everybody contributed in a good way and it ends in an exciting fashion. You look around the room and it's a round of high fives almost like YOU had a good race. That's also reflected in positive feedback from fans - as much as we try to avoid reading comments. We want them to think:

"I've been watching IndyCar for 10 years and I never knew that." or "Oh, it's really fascinating to hear what the driver's thinking in this situation."

That's, that's my job.

Challenging

Rain Delays.

#6. What are the top 3 qualities that have helped you create such a long/ storied career in motorsports (driving and commentating)?

Persistence

This is not an easy business in any position. It doesn't matter what job you have in motorsports - it's a grind. It is not glamorous. People have this certain view of what working in racing is like versus what it actually is. Being persistent and creating those opportunities when they come is huge.

Genuine Passion for the Sport

You have to REALLY love it. It's, again, not an easy world to live in. It's not a job - it's a lifestyle.... which is cliche, but true.

If you have a genuine passion for it, you're excited to go to work at 4 AM and stay at the track till 2 AM if that's what's required. Well... not excited, but not ready to quit over it.

Otherwise you'll do your two to four years and probably go find a "real job.

Building and Maintaining Relationships

Motorsports, like many industries and many businesses, is really just about people. Being able to build and maintain relationships has been huge.

I, literally an hour ago, was on the phone with somebody that I met back in 2007. We loosely stayed in touch and now we've reconnected and are working on a fairly big, fairly cool deal in motorsports. If you had told us 20 years ago, we'd be working together on this, it wouldn't even make sense.

You build these relationships and treat people well - that helps create more opportunities down the road.

Author's Note: No, he wouldn't tell me what the 'cool deal' was. Thanks, Hinch.

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James' Advice

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#7. If you could go back and change anything about your path to where you are today, what would that be?

It's corny and it's cliche, but I really don't think I would change much. I mean, look at what I get to do now. Look what I got to do for 11 years as an IndyCar Driver. Even before that, the opportunities that I've had... I've been so lucky.

Yeah, I've made some mistakes, and I've had some bad days in there, but I do think that everything happens for a reason. Everything that's happened has led you to where you are today, and I don't hate where I am today.... So

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#8. If you could give one piece of advice (or 3 in Hinch's case) to someone looking to follow in your footsteps what would that be?

Take more pictures.

Write stuff down.

I've been able to do so many things and I don't remember half of them. Seriously - journal. If I could actually go back and tell like 19 year old James something, I'd be like:

Write shit down, man.

You have to remember this stuff because it's been such a fun ride.

Be good to people

I think being true to yourself is really important. I don't ever recommend anybody tries to be something that they're not. Relationships are everything in this world. The old saying is a key:

It's not what you know, it's who you know.  

You never know how somebody could be connected to an opportunity, so treat everybody well. Be a good person and those opportunities are going to come back to you.

I remember hearing a story about a driver who was complaining about something that happened on a weekend IN THE AIRPORT flying home, not knowing that two people in front of them in line was the partner of the CEO of the sponsor who he was slagging off.

You should just be a good person, right? I think that gets you far.

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Hinch's Favorites

#9. What is your favorite race/ event/ moment that you’ve had in your career thus-far?

First IndyCar win, still one of the best. Everything that it takes to get to that level, all the sacrifice, all the miserable days, everything that your family had to do, all the begging, borrowing, and stealing money to keep on the racetrack and get that opportunity.

There was no crime. I'm not admitting to any crime.

It's so difficult to get to that point. It takes so much sacrifice from so many people and so much support from so many people. Getting to that level is one thing, right? But then you want to prove that you belong at that level. So winning that first race was this incredible feeling of validation, right?

Everything we had been through as a family was worth it and were right, you know! We made the right call and my parents were there and my sister was there. My brother wasn't there, unfortunately, but it was just a cool moment to get to share with everybody. A feeling of relief in many ways.

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#10. Pitch IndyCar in 30 seconds

Imagine a formula one race where everybody had a chance to win. The strategies are far more in depth - which helps in making wins more likely. Everybody's got a shot to win.

The wheel to wheel racing is better because the cars are more even.  

If you ever wanted to actually go to one, the access to cars, drivers, and activities is exponentially better for a fraction of the cost.

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