Toby Trice talks about achieving his dream, foodie road trips, and more!
Plus he talks about his support for the charity Fertility Network UK
Welcome to the latest edition of Behind the Wheel. Today we’re talking road trips, race cars, and fertility with Ginetta Driver Toby Trice.
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Toby Trice is a racing driver with an interesting story that’s been told across the national press as well as on TV.
He started racing go-karts to help him cope as he went through a tough time during and after fertility treatment with his partner, Katie. Toby has managed to turn a sad part of their lives into a beacon of light for others going through a similar situation. He uses his racing to bring awareness of male infertility and encourage others to talk about what they’ve been through.
You've had quite an exciting journey going from a normal guy with a dream to a fully-fledged racing driver in a Ginetta. How did that journey happen for you?
Toby: It all happened in a mad six month period, really. I was karting at Buckmore Park to let some steam off while dealing with infertility and going through that process. And it turns out, I was quick! I got invited by a sponsor to go and have a go in a race car at Brands Hatch, and it was around this time I met you, Jess, and read your book, Get Paid to Race.
Everything else grew from there and I did your six weeks course. And bang, I became a racing driver, literally, in the space of about a month or two.
What was your first season like?
T: Epic. That's the best way to describe it. It was a dream come true. I know now I’ve got to do this as my career.
Considering it was my first season, it went amazingly. I had a lot to get used to as a driving a tin top is very different from karting. But I’m really pleased that I was able to pick up a pole position and three consecutive podiums. Two years ago, I would’ve had no idea I’d be saying that today!
I know your 2020 plans have been put on hold like most racing drivers. But what are your plans going forward?
T: I'm working on the plan at the moment to join the TOCA paddock. I can't yet announce exactly what championship I'll be in, but I’m working with SVG Motorsport towards a really, really big campaign. We're aiming to work through the TOCA paddock and then see where we go from there. But Le Mans is the dream. That's the ultimate goal.
Let’s talk about your cause and support of Fertility Network UK. I know you went through a tough time and used karting to help you through that, but how are you supporting others now?
T: When I’m racing, I can control my emotions and use them in a positive way. So when I decided to go racing, I thought, why can't I help others through that?
I use my race car now like an icebreaker to talk about the topic of male fertility. In the paddock, we have the Fertility Network UK logo on the car, and I actively campaign in the media to tell my story and help others dealing with infertility.
During the first season, we had various different guys and couples that came down and started chatting to me. And we just generally just chatted about fertility and what they've gone through. This helps them feel more normal. Going through fertility treatment can be quite isolating so I want to get more people talking about it.
Just recently, I hosted an online male support group and we had 31 guests there. We just talked to all about different fertility treatments and problems, as well as situations that are difficult for us.
Is it fulfilling you to know that your struggles are now turning around and helping other people?
T: I mean, as much as I'm here to help others, this has actually helped me because it's allowed me to be more open about my situation. Knowing there are many others that are going through this unfortunate thing just helps.
If you’re going through something similar and need support, take a look at Fertility Network UK.
So let's talk about cars. What is the best car you've ever driven?
T: Oh, that's tricky. If it's a race car, the best car I've ever driven is the Ginetta G55 SuperCup car. It’s phenomenal, everything you expect to race car to be.
Like me, you love to travel. So I'd like to know if you could go on a road trip anywhere, with any car. What would you be driving and where would you be going?
T: I think on the basis of the little taste I've had, it would be a road trip in America because the geography of that country is so vast and varied. I love South American foods and most of my travels relate to food so I’d like to explore different cultures through America.
As for the car, for me, it has to be fitting with that country. So in America, its got to be a V8.
Are there any standout places you've been that you just feel that you have to recommend to everyone?
T: Katie and I did a really cool road trip around Italy. We landed in Milan, and we travelled all the way down the west coast of Italy. We ended up in Sorrento and went down into the Amalfi Coast, all in a little Fiat 500.
We avoided toll roads and motorways and followed the coast down, exploring little towns and villages to see Italy for what it really is.
We did do some typical landmarks but it was more about where can we have the local foods. There's lots of regions with incredible local dishes. So we kind of did it around that, from beautiful fish dishes to family dinners. There were these restaurants where the Nonna was cooking. There were three or four tables total and we just chucked 10 euros down and ate with the family. It was just amazing.
Do you think your experience as a racing driver makes you more skilled on the road?
T: Yeah, I'm more aware. If you can start being calmer in a fast-paced race situation, road driving seems so much easier. I do feel that on the roads these days, people are less aware of their surroundings — they're less spatially aware. I think having that track experience, it gives you almost a sixth sense you can kind of see things happening before they do.
Sponsorship is a tricky business, what successes have you had in the last few months?
T: So just recently, we've just announced three brand new partnerships. The first announcement was with Purple Tasche, they're a branding marketing design agency. They’ve given my branding a whole fresh look. Lucy and Amy there are amazing and have done an incredible job.
We've then also teamed up with Momentum Social. They’re working with me to document my journey through motorsport across different media. Alex and his team have created my new YouTube intro, for example, with b-roll from Scruffy Bear.
The last one is with 9Line, a web design company. He's created a really slick new website that’s very easy to use. It’ll allow me to document some more of the behind-the-scenes stuff of motorsport that doesn’t always get covered.
The whole goal of this is to look more professional and slick so that when we approach the bigger sponsors I'm currently talking to, I can show more value. This is really important in these times where most drivers are struggling because they're not racing.
Filming with the BBC
What I've done in the last couple of months is I've managed to give so much exposure to my sponsors, and I've not raced, I haven't even got a car. But you can still provide that value. And that's a testament to you, Jess, because you've allowed me to understand how to tap into that market and how to actually show you that you can still give value to a sponsor off the track.
So far this year, through my niche and my story, I’ve reached just over four million people, which is a huge return for my sponsors.
Final question, in your local area, what are some of the best driving roads?
T: There’s a mixture of roads down here. I live right down the southeast coast and there are so many country lanes that go between towns that are hilly with some really cool technical corners. They're a hoot to drive.
You can find Toby’s website here. He’s also on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Behind the Wheel is written by Jess Shanahan. It shares stories of people and their cars from all over the world. Please subscribe if you’d like to receive the next interview straight to your inbox. Or, feel free to reply to this email if you’d like to put your story forward for consideration.
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