What it takes to win: On and Off the track!

Dec 8, 2011 | Articles, Racing

By: Bob Dikman, ALC, CCIM, CRB, SIOR   Chairman & CEO      

For those of you who know me well, you know that in addition to being involved in
the commercial real estate industry, I am also very active in auto racing. It has been a hobby of mine for most of my life. Since my teenage years, I have been involved in automobile racing and I earned my racing license through Skip Barber Racing School after participating in many lapping events and race series.

For the past 30 years, I have been very active with the Porsche Club (PCA) and hold
instructor certificates from PCA, Chin Motorsports and NARRA. Currently I am
the Sponsorship/Vendor Chair for the world’s largest Porsche Club Race, 48
Hours at Sebring. I drive a high performance Porsche 911 and consider Sebring
International Raceway as my home track. So, I guess you could say I have a lifelong  passion for racing!

Due to my involvement in the auto racing industry I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to talk to and get to know many of the drivers. What is interesting is that the same qualities and characteristics you need to be a winning race car driver, you also need to be a winner in life, no matter what occupation you chose.

To be successful both on and off the track, there are 4 characteristics that you must have:

  1. Passion – Whether you are racing cars at speeds of 200 mph around a track or selling and leasing commercial real estate, if you are not passionate about what you do, you need to find another job. Passion is what drives us to get up each morning and tackle the day with a ‘winning’ attitude.
  2. Persistence – You must be committed to your passion. When you are persistent in your quest to greatness, the small challenges and obstacles that you face along the way will no longer matter. You are in it for the long haul!
  3. Determination – Every successful driver I have spoken to or trained has had an immense desire and determination to win! They are motivated and driven to succeed, and losing is not in their vocabulary. Determination creates the drive you need to stay on the top of your game.
  4. Ability to Visualize Success – All successful athletes have the ability to visualize
    their success. They ‘see’ themselves winning the race before the race ever
    starts. It’s an inner confidence that enables them to succeed.

Feb. 2011 – Bob Dikman with Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly, winners of the Rolex 24 last year. Andy drives car #71 for TRG in Nascar and Spencer drives road courses for TRG and Flying Lizard in a Porsche.