Few decisions are more difficult for sports people than that to retire.
Sometimes the decision is forced on them by injury, sometimes by opportunity and sometimes because it’s time.
In my case, my recent announcement that I am going to stop full-time Supercar Championship driving at the end of this
Fact is, I love what I do, and I don’t want to stop doing it … but at the same
I’ve seen too many drivers hang around for too long because they can’t let go, even though they are no longer truly competitive, and then everyone forgets what great drivers they once were.
Much as it pained me to make the decision I’ve made to stop, I really didn’t want to be one of the drivers who hung on too long, I wanted instead to finish on a high while I was still competitive and capable of wins and podiums.
Although the mainstream media
Supercars has also given me a job on the Broadcast team for 2019, which I have always wanted to do, and I know that it’s going to require lots of work to learn the skills I’ll need to do it well.
Another benefit of my decision is that I can now pursue some items that are on my bucket list. Until now, the Supercar calendar has kept me largely tied to Australia, unable to contest some of the major overseas events that I’ve always wanted to do.
It’s no secret that the Le Mans 24 Hours race tops that list, so I will investigate doing that. And maybe some other overseas sports car races too, like Daytona and Sebring, maybe the Spa 24 hours again?
I’d like to squeeze in some more GT races too if there’s a good opportunity.
I know I will miss racing full-time in Supercars but at the same time I will be at every event, and probably ridiculously busy, so I don’t think I will have much time to think about it.
Meantime, we have just on half a season to
Keep smiling.
Craig.
