Lali (01:37.328)
Perfect. Hola Vincenzo!
Vincenzo (01:40.139)
Lali, buongiorno, how are you? Fantastic, as always, we get to talk to some pretty interesting people. Today, there is no less than the most interesting man in the world. At least that's what I've been referring to him as, to many people.
Lali (01:42.214)
doing well, how are you?
Lali (01:56.806)
He's quite fabulous. He is quite fabulous.
Vincenzo (01:57.198)
I saw your reaction JB. mean listen, can't have, you know we had a guest on last week that said imposter syndrome is not real so it's only, it's in your head.
JB (02:00.876)
Yeah, I'm a little... I have imposter syndrome right now, so...
JB (02:11.2)
Is it with, well, it is obviously only in your head. And I think most people have a, it's obviously not real, but there's definitely a moment that everybody goes in whatever you do goes, did they actually have they worked out yet? I mean, maybe not as cool as they think. I mean, I think about it from, I mean, obviously like Lewis Hamilton, there he is, couldn't be a bigger star in every way.
Vincenzo (02:27.031)
Mmm.
JB (02:35.784)
I watched him getting ready for his own photo shoot at the Wynn. He was in Waitnings Theatre during the Grand Prix week, like on the Wednesday. And I was watching him and I went, now that man, that man is 100 % authentic to himself. There's no, he doesn't need to think about being an imposter at all. But I was just so, it was so amazing to watch him, not in the car, but just.
Controlling that environment, you know, like he is such a megastar. He's so and he's so creative I have no clue what I'm talking about him, but I am NOT him. It's basically what I'm trying to say. I'm just giving you the balance the range
Vincenzo (03:12.429)
It's okay. Well, you, but you have to live up to the initials like JB, James Bond, there's a lot of other Jack Brabham, Jensen Button.
JB (03:20.97)
and you know
Lali (03:22.578)
How do you feel about the the copycat Jensen button stealing your JB? How do you feel about that?
Vincenzo (03:27.841)
Jack Bauer. I gotta think of all the JBs now.
JB (03:30.414)
You know, yeah, think you're good and good. It's funny, Jensen, obviously I know him well, but he, I remember one time we were at Le Mans and I didn't know him that well. And we were just talking about, you're in LA, I'm in LA. And I was interviewing him and I don't know, somehow I gave him my card and it says JBTV. And he went.
Vincenzo (03:34.029)
You
JB (03:52.354)
But that's what I'm JBTV. And I'll say, well, actually, no, you're not. I am. And I'm the one with no Formula One World Championship and without all the money. But I am older than you, so I'm claiming JB. And that is it. Let's go with that. Let's go with that. Lali, you're very good at reinforcing a man's dwindling confidence. Let's go.
Vincenzo (03:54.541)
Okay.
Lali (04:07.718)
You're the OG JB. Let's set the record straight.
Lali (04:18.194)
Well, that's great, because we're going to get into some like hardcore psychology right now. I want to talk to you about something that fascinates me. I'm a writer, so I'm profoundly attracted to origin stories and people's how how they become the people they become. And also, I love motorsports. Another aspect that fascinates me is the sons and daughters of drivers. There is a psychology there, right? And we've had the chance to speak to a few.
JB (04:22.158)
Okay.
JB (04:34.092)
Mmm.
JB (04:43.342)
Peace out.
Lali (04:45.458)
We talked to Connor Daly, Derek Daly's son, and he said, you know what? His dad was not really into pushing him into racing. Quite the opposite. He was like, you show me you are obsessive and that you can't even live or breathe without racing and I'll help you out. Otherwise, no thank you. We spoke to Tom Blomquist, his dad's stick Blomquist, incredible endurance racing, rally career. And then of course your dad, five time Le Mans winner, three time Rolex 24, et cetera.
JB (04:59.5)
Yeah.
JB (05:05.41)
Grammy.
Lali (05:14.236)
How was that growing up in that? Because you didn't take to it as early as, you weren't sat in a cart when you were six years old, exactly. So I'm fascinated by your journey. I wanna hear a little bit about it.
JB (05:25.23)
Yeah, is. And I think it's an interesting one, isn't it? Because I think we all reflect back on our own paths to wherever you are in life. And, you know, you do a little retrospective modification of the story because it just sounds cooler. But I actually don't need to so much. know, my dad was a he's a farmer by trade, you know, so, you know, that's how he got into racing.
on his stepfather's farm near Goodwood, hearing Sterling Marston driving the Mercedes and things up at Goodwood, six miles away. So for him, was a very intuitive, instinctive, like a compelling draw. No one knew at that point what the riches and fame could be at being a driver. I mean, you had Sterling and Fangio, but as a young person, you just wanted to get into it.
And he did. But that's his story. Mine, when you're second generation, it can't be an accident. You can't, you're not living in a vacuum. But you, in your own way, you are, because you are inoculated a little from the...
the roots of the industry, think. I mean, I'll put it simply. I had never been to a small car race. I didn't do karting, I did motocross, because we had a farm and dad was not pushing me. To be honest, I wasn't desperately hungry for it either as an early teens. It just wasn't my environment. But then what happened was,
I went to the Formula Ford Festival with my best friend James and I came back home and was like, Dad, I've just been watching people my age. They're my age racing. They're not your age. I how the hell am I going to do it? And that's when he was like, F, are we going to tell your mom? That's what he said. mean, literally words out of his mouth. But there's a point to it is at the time I was really great friends with, um, I'm not going to glamorize it and say we were dating. It was a failed dating attempt, but
JB (07:33.388)
Chloe Mason whose father's Nick Mason whose drummer for the Pink Floyd very involved in sports car racing Nick is with dad at the time and I remember talking to her she's never been to a pub and watch Nick playing covers of you know ACDC you know he she's only been to Wembley and sat on the edge of the stage for
Lali (07:54.396)
Yeah.
Vincenzo (07:55.259)
Hahaha!
JB (07:57.078)
Madison Square Gardens, right? I'd only ever been to the Nürburgring and Le Mans, you know, I'd only sat on the side of the stage watching the Hennstuck and Jochen and Dad and everybody. So it's, and not saying that sound spoiled, but what it was, that was my exposure to it.
Vincenzo (08:02.913)
Silverstone, yeah.
Lali (08:14.866)
Yeah.
JB (08:15.022)
and rest of the time I was just a kid. And at home dad didn't really talk about cars. So when I suddenly discovered it, Lali, I was like, oh, now this could be me. And it was very eye-opening. in a way when you're with, especially if you have a father who...
sort of compartmentalizes his racing a bit and for that it was very instinctive. He wasn't a, okay Justin you've got to do this and that and then you turn the wheel this much and you do that. He was just like kind of get out there and do it and eventually you go quicker than people and then you, you know, he was, he's just like the difference I remember at the time someone said is.
If you have McEnroe and Lendl who were two of the top tennis players of that era, Lendl was a mathematical tennis player, right? Everything was perfect. could measure McEnroe. It's like you shouldn't be able to hit the ball. He shouldn't really. Now, I'm not saying that was dad, but we were, he just did it. He didn't have to think much about it. So, and I think it was also coincidental with, remember we had Autosport in Europe.
That was the magazine and over here you had moderating news or something and you had it on the weekend. was, motor racing, unless you were into it, was not.
in the public consciousness as much as is now with social media. Now, you know, I think these young kids, they're so exposed, and we can get into that later, but you know, they're so exposed in every way that I think the objective and the prize at the end through that door is so compelling that I'm not always sure you start with the right intentions, you know? So, and that was my story. So I just got going and I...
JB (10:01.728)
I sorely suffered from not having done carting. My first R race was Mika Hakan and Alam Atnish on the grid with me. And they... how many cart...
Vincenzo (10:08.045)
Mmm.
Lali (10:15.708)
Sorry.
JB (10:16.838)
How many? No, that was in Formula Ford. In Formula Ford it wasn't. wasn't them. When I went to Vauxhall Lotus in year two, so I'd done 24 races by then. How many races had Mika done by then? He won three world championships. mean, I think, or two. mean, thousands, thousands of races, you know? And there's me going, this is my 25th race. I'm wondering why I got my ass handed to me.
Lali (10:29.147)
Yeah.
Vincenzo (10:36.257)
Psst.
Vincenzo (10:40.173)
So you started, but you started in motocross, like you were motocross when you were younger? So what made you not wanna follow any sort of motocross path?
JB (10:44.386)
Yeah.
JB (10:48.994)
because I was absolutely, there was a talent gap and a bravery gap. I mean, I remember being at my, the track, I won the championships there. I was feeling pretty good about it. And this team green, Kawasaki little panel van back then, mean, us it looked cool. Now I realize it looks more like a rapist van, but it's like, you know, it's, you know what I mean? The older Conor Line kind of.
Vincenzo (10:52.781)
Mm.
Vincenzo (11:12.365)
Jesus Christ. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
JB (11:16.322)
the windows, but now that was considered flash back then. And he got out and this little kid was like blonde haired, five foot nothing, in all his fancy team green Karazaki outfit. Didn't really say a word, took off from the start.
I mean, I remember going over some jumps and he's in the air above me taking out all of them in one go. And I remember going, may need to rethink of this career in this side of the sport. I'm going to go to four wheels because that's much better. I mean, I think motocross and bike riding and there's been obviously some incredible drivers transfer across to cars. You have a great feeling for traction. You you have a good sense of balance and you also
Vincenzo (11:42.38)
Yeah.
Lali (11:44.434)
Yeah.
JB (12:00.014)
I mean, I was always pretty stunningly good at standing starts because, which unfortunately you don't do in sports cars, but in standing starts, because, you know, when you've got 30 kids, 30 boys in a row going for a gap, six foot wide, the other side of a field, you get pretty sporty on your starts, you know, you've got every incentive to get there fast. I, there were some transferable balance skills and things, but that was it.
Vincenzo (12:13.847)
Yeah
Lali (12:19.675)
Yeah.
Lali (12:26.982)
You just reminded me of when I was a young kid, was Jeremy McGrath. He was like really like the guy. And you just reminded me of him and Jeff Emmig at the starting line and the gates are about to go down and it's like jockeys, right? And you're right. There's this natural funnel and the cream rises because these guys really get to that first corner. I'm getting a little bit of chills. It was such an exciting part of my early childhood. Yeah, that was great.
JB (12:31.498)
yeah.
Vincenzo (12:32.909)
Legends.
JB (12:40.447)
JB (12:50.894)
Yeah, so I used to rely on great starts to make up for my lousy qualifying. You know, I mean, I'd be like, I'm fifth, but I'll be third. You know, I'm sorry, but I'll take the lead. I look like Charles LeClerc in the Ferrari these days, you know, with my little turbo, it worked. But I was good.
Lali (12:55.57)
You
There you go. There you go.
Vincenzo (12:59.201)
haha
Vincenzo (13:06.743)
There you go. So let's go back to the carts or just to four wheels for a second. Because you mentioned Alan and Mika. Did your dad give you any preparation there? I think, I thought maybe I heard you in an episode of something where you said your dad basically said, there's the middle. That's the apex. Go figure it out.
Lali (13:08.571)
eating mushrooms.
JB (13:31.918)
Yeah, it was.
Lali (13:33.383)
You
Vincenzo (13:34.285)
Actually, did he give you any advice or was it, did you just kind of figure it out?
JB (13:36.494)
Yeah, no, of course he did. No, of course he did. But he, it was more on... So...
I did the gym, muscle racing school and he made me work for it on the farm to get the money to do it. And then he kind of matched it. And I went and drove this little former Ford and it was just up and down the straight, changing gears. Not, not that appealing really. I mean, it was exciting, but I'm like, I can see the corner going into the distance. go, well, how am I not doing that? So he then went, well, listen, I, we might as well rent a car, a Formula One Ford and I'll let's go to Brands hatch and it's gotta be better than
I why don't I teach you? But he was like, it was open testing. So you had everything out there, former three cars, I mean, it was just chaos. And I was like, dad, I can't kind of get off the inside line. He was like, just.
you know, go push it and get in the middle of the road and take your line and just focus on it. And eventually people stop overtaking you as quickly. And it's a weird thing because they do, you know, it's like a commitment and then I worked it out. But he had already had me drive him around the Nürburgring in a 911 when I was 14. And that doesn't
Lali (14:51.79)
Vincenzo (14:52.771)
well, that's pretty cool.
JB (14:54.24)
Yeah, that doesn't sound like young, but back now, but then it was kind of young. And that's when he realized I could, I had the raw skills to do this. It was quite funny. He was like, actually, I don't want to tell Justin, but if he wants to do it, he could be pretty good.
Lali (14:58.086)
Fancy Young.
JB (15:12.526)
I wish he'd, at 14, he'd told me that. It might've been a little, given me a three year gap, head start. But his advice, to be honest, has come from how to conduct myself as a racing driver, as a, in the world of racing. And you know, the incredible thing about my father is there is no one anywhere that has ever said a bad thing about him. And he, and in a sport where you are actually mano a mano,
Vincenzo (15:28.204)
Yeah.
JB (15:42.05)
fighting other guys for this to win and you race with these formidable teammates, for that to be your legacy is pretty extraordinary. And so that was more what he instilled in me was the ability to navigate this world.
Lali (16:00.056)
lovely. Yeah, he's been referred to as the most liked driver of his generation, which is spectacular. That's such a beautiful legacy to have.
Vincenzo (16:03.79)
Mm.
JB (16:05.932)
Very. Yeah, yeah, and be successful. It's not like, you know, it's not like you're in an office and you go, we're all high flyers and little Jimmy over there, but he's the nice one. You know, it's all girls dating. You know, we don't normally want to be referred to as the nice guy. We don't really want to be just a nice guy, but he he is he does combine it all. You know, he does.
Lali (16:28.21)
Certainly not.
Vincenzo (16:33.23)
And you guys, so you raced together I think on three different occasions, right? Daytona once in 91, Le Mans in 92, and in 95. Yeah, what, so you guys raced the 96, too, which must have been pretty cool, because that was the last year, I think, right? Or was it last year?
JB (16:41.966)
92 and 95, yeah.
JB (16:52.972)
Yeah, that was my first, that was my first Le Mans.
Lali (16:55.961)
Ooh.
Vincenzo (16:55.979)
Yeah, so how was that for your first Lamont? It's you, your father, and Tiff. Was it Tiff? Yeah. What was that like?
JB (17:00.95)
and yeah. I thought I was looking for a model of the car. was it, it was a bit overwhelming. I'm gonna, I'm gonna lie. I hadn't been racing that long. Again, compared to today, four years in, you know, Oscars in
Vincenzo (17:12.291)
Yeah.
JB (17:22.222)
know, Landos won a championship, in it back then, it just wasn't quite like that, you know, I mean, I went into sports cars for lack of money to stay in single seaters and then the chance to race and it was the end of the era for the 962, but.
That's the car I'd seen my dad have all his success in during the 80s. So it's such an iconic piece of kit. And to drive down out of the pit lane at Le Mans when you're with your dad, you know, in a car at Le Mans where you're used to hearing all the crowd shouting for him and suddenly he's sort of kind of shouting for you a bit. It was overwhelming and it was terrible weather during the night. And I remember saying to him, so listen, mean,
on so far. mean, how do we go down there in this night? He just said, it's still flat out, just, you know, whoever's in front. And I remember definitively this moment where the way that windshield was, and I mean, you're doing well, you know, super in the 220 miles an hour or something. And I remember as you got closer to the car in front.
Vincenzo (18:16.334)
Let's just go.
JB (18:33.334)
The, just imagine turning off your windshield wipers on the, wherever you are, the biggest highway you've got, and you're just getting closer to a truck, and it just, and at night, and it just turns white. It turns like a white.
blanket. So I remember looking out to the left hand side window to see the edge of the grass because I couldn't see straight in front. So you're looking outside and then you see the blue marker board 300 meters and you know where you are. It scared to crap out of myself most of the night, but it was an amazing experience.
Lali (19:06.482)
That have been so lovely. I want to know, because I find that of many professions, drivers have a hard time hanging up the helmet. Like even when they hang it up, they come back and then they're like, well, maybe I'll do this one. When did, when, what was that moment that you're like, you know what, this is it, I'm going to transition. And I want to talk about this transition that you've seamlessly done, but what was the tipping point? When did you decide to hang it up?
JB (19:30.03)
It's such a good question because when you're a superstar driver like a Tom Christensen, when Tom goes from Le Mans, know, eight time winner, when Tom hangs up his helmet, it's a bit of a statement in the sand. You know, I mean, it's like when Audi make a big deal of it. When Jenson, well, Jenson didn't retire, right? He's still...
keeps going, doing things, because he's so young. for most sports car drivers, it's sort of a gradual...
parking in the retirement home parking lot. It just kind of happens, you know, and I mean, I'll be totally candid. you know, racing for Dodge for all the end of the nineties. Then I went to Corvette as a factory driver as well. And then you start racing in for privateers and you start, you you become more of just a paid gun, hired gun. And then your career starts, you're fracturing and you're going,
Vincenzo (20:18.829)
Mmm.
JB (20:36.834)
I'll race this car one weekend and that one the other weekend, but I was also being asked to do TV at the time and it just wasn't I was feeling unfulfilled in my racing yet in my still at that point early 40s going I mean dad won two Le Mans in his you know three Le Mans two world championships in his 40s. I'm thinking well you know I should definitely stick at it but
I knew that my manufacturer days racing, which is the factory drive, the one you want when you get the money and the you know, it's like it's great but.
Vincenzo (21:11.02)
Yeah.
JB (21:15.968)
Racing for a gentleman driver, I wasn't really cut out for it. I mean, think you've got to be a good people person and you've got to be able to work with the driver. And now they're their coaches, effectively, if you're the teammate. And I had some great teammates and I went to Trans Am and that was me on my own and I won races and one rookie of the year. then, I mean, everything I started doing actually started, the series were folding. I went to Trans Am and it folded. I went and did something else. World Champs.
and it folded right when I'm like winning races and I couldn't quite find I was doing it was the cooler in the casino I'm like what is going on but the I'd always had very high ambitions for what I wanted to be in life and they actually or let's just say it was a maturing ambition about what I wanted to be and
Vincenzo (21:48.749)
You
Lali (21:49.916)
You're the rainmaker, those guys in Vegas? Yes.
JB (22:11.87)
Racing to be honest behind the wheel wasn't cutting it. I I thought just I'd done what I'd achieved what I'd achieved and There was a slight dissatisfaction with that in my mind, you know, I was like I wanted more and The TV thing was nibbling at me. Can you can you do more? I'm like I'm racing, you know, I speed channel were like do you want to do more and?
When you are driving and you're getting the opportunity to do something like TV at the same time, especially with speed channel, they know that you're like a drug addict. You're going to promise you're going to be clean and you're going to turn up for the race. But the minute you get, I mean to do TV, the minute you get offered a drive, you're like, what TV? I don't know. I don't even care. You know?
Vincenzo (22:58.254)
I don't know who you are. Yeah.
JB (22:59.606)
Yeah, I know I said I was serious about it, but now I'm to drive a Daytona. So I actually had a wonderful teammate called Roger Schramm, RVO Oil out of, where was it, Midwest. And we were racing Daytona prototypes and he had a massive crash at Daytona.
Lali (22:59.762)
Yep.
JB (23:18.502)
and it only so he had a massive crash skiing and it it just he was a big guy he was never going to drive again that year so he paid me to the end of the year but it meant i went to speed channel and went i'm here i realized it was a tipping point i realized it was a moment to do it and i also had a heart attack at 44
I've never said that on a podcast. So I did. And I'm built like this. I wasn't heavy. Maybe a stressful marriage or two. No, just one. But no, seven. Felt like it. So I'm actually...
Vincenzo (23:44.258)
Wow.
Lali (23:51.378)
Number seven.
JB (23:57.486)
That just was enough for me and I wasn't worried about my physical abilities, but you're on blood thinners and stuff. It's not the best to go racing with. You know, you get a hit on head, you're not going to come out. And timing was just great. And then the sports car TV stuff was getting bigger. So that was my jumping point. That was transition. I, this is the, I guess for me, the, the retrospective part.
Vincenzo (24:07.758)
Mmm.
JB (24:27.412)
I'm the son of one of the most successful sports car drivers. We had very unique personalities. Dad and I are very similar, but I'm a strong personality of my own, right? So I don't suffer from...
you know, oh, my dad's a famous guy. It was like, oh, yeah, so cool. I mean, I remember being asked at daytona, what do you buy this? I just got out of the viper in the middle of the night and he goes, what, what do you, how does it make you feel? I've done two and a half hours in the car. We were leaving. He goes, what does it make you feel that you're not never going to be as good as your dad? And I went.
Lali (24:52.017)
Yeah.
JB (25:10.39)
And I said, there's 200 odd people, drivers in this pit lane that aren't as good as my dad. you know, and then I was polite and then I told him to go do whatever he needed to himself. Never told him again. But the point being, I don't suffer from that. So for me,
Lali (25:15.282)
You
Vincenzo (25:21.166)
You
Lali (25:21.254)
Yep, exactly.
JB (25:28.694)
I've always had a clear head with my own career, but it's undeniable what's dad's done. And my dad was very against nepotism. He really was. He was not the kind of guy to push me ahead of other people, unfortunately to a fault sometimes.
But when it came to me doing TV, I wanted to be Ryan Seacrest. I wanted to be as good as you could be behind the camera. I didn't want to be just an athlete, ex-athlete standing there talking about cars. I wanted to do shows. I wanted to do whatever it could be and maybe my unrequited acting dreams when I was a kid. So I was very keen to start the TV thing.
Vincenzo (26:12.686)
One last thing on the racing career before we go into the broadcast, because I want to hear more about the broadcast and the personality. You're an ambassador with some great brands. I see you wearing a nice Tag Heuer there. I think you're wearing the tag, right? Yeah, OK.
JB (26:28.384)
Yeah, it's just my little everyday one. I love it actually. Yeah, it's actually a much bigger watch than you think. When I got it, I thought it was like a kids watch, but actually it's a great everyday watch. just think.
Vincenzo (26:30.616)
The little Formula One one, is it the little Formula One one? Yeah.
Vincenzo (26:40.734)
so they modeled that after the old one, like from Senna's day, right? And then, and I think that one was smaller than, the new ones. Yeah. but before we go that direction, I want to hear if you had to describe your, the racing portion of your career before the resurgence, the Renaissance, cause I would con I would consider you a Renaissance man. Now that's the way I look at you. would you say it was a series of near misses and it was just held together by stubbornness?
JB (26:43.842)
Yeah.
JB (26:47.276)
Yes it was.
Vincenzo (27:08.982)
Or how would you describe the career, the racing portion?
JB (27:12.716)
You know what, Vincenza, that is a, I've never been asked that. So well done, you. I don't think I will ever feel that I lived up to my full potential as a driver. I was not in my personality, if you knew me as a friend.
you'd know that I'm just a very, I'm a kind of gentle person actually, in a way. I don't like confrontation. It's just not me. I'm just, I was an art student. To be honest, photography is my main passion. was a trust fund kid, I'd take portraits of people around the world and interview them. That's all I'd do. I wouldn't do anything else. So I know now, especially when I look at these young guys.
Vincenzo (27:51.212)
Like Eraser, yeah.
Lali (27:55.922)
you
JB (28:06.166)
and I think about my own skill set at the time and they'll be like, he in Formula Two, he in Formula Three, he was sixth in the championship and now he's test driver for Aston Martin. Okay, but I was second in the championship. Do you know what mean? I mean, I was always right there and I was equal in pace to nearly anyone considering my experience and I just didn't have that killer instinct.
And when I was racing behind the wheel, I was as my killer instinct was equal to anyone's. I didn't have a problem behind the wheel. It was my career. I didn't have a singular obsession with it and at all odds, at all costs. And I actually blame that. I mean, I've read Jensen Button's biography and there was a moment in his life
Lali (28:36.07)
Don't.
JB (29:02.956)
where he had to get a trainer and a mental coach to go, and I'm like, that would have changed my life. You know, just, I know people think, well, you've got your dad, but I didn't, not in that way. Definitely. Yeah, I would have been the guy, and I look at Lando, I'm not comparing myself to Lando, but Lando so easy could be an almost man.
Lali (29:10.617)
Interesting
Vincenzo (29:14.468)
It's different when it's family though. It's so different.
Lali (29:15.396)
It's different.
Vincenzo (29:22.498)
By all means.
JB (29:26.464)
Right? He could so easily without the right guidance have not become Lando Norris because of his motions, because of his, he's a kind, gentle guy. Not when he's driving, but that was a bit like me. So I'm not comparing myself to them, but I know when I watch now what it takes to get a driver to the top, because we have so much information on it, that I would have benefited from that. Whereas Mika.
Vincenzo (29:47.075)
Yeah.
JB (29:52.704)
Mika in the paddock, Mika's riding his unicycle around, Mika just could get his helmet on, just go racing and absolute focus.
Lali (30:01.906)
Yeah.
Vincenzo (30:01.996)
You see that now with drivers, we'll speak specifically to Formula One, but they have nutrition coaches and mental coaching or whatever they're called. They have a coach for everything now, which is fine. I think it's a different time, right? And they have, but that's what it takes in today's modern era to get to that point, mindset, physical, whatever it might be.
to get there. It is very interesting to me to hear from someone like yourself who's like, I just didn't have it. I just didn't have it. Because you still have to show up. could be the talented person, most talented person in the world. I know plenty of people that are very talented at things, but they don't try to go after it. And so you'll never really know. That's what it sounds like. You had it.
JB (30:49.902)
Yeah, I went after it, but it was just like that. That performance coach to dig into my weaknesses and my strengths and put me in the right frame of mind. I mean, think about the way we used to learn tracks. The young kids can't believe it. You go to Le Mans and you get on a bicycle. My first laps in Le Mans were in a bloody 9-6-2 on wet tires.
Vincenzo (30:54.712)
Yeah.
Lali (31:09.756)
Yeah.
Vincenzo (31:10.296)
Yeah?
Vincenzo (31:18.68)
That's crazy.
JB (31:19.502)
I've never driven out of the pit lane. I didn't know where the right was. I didn't know where left was. I mean, they've done it. If you go to Lamont now, you've probably done a thousand laps on your sim.
Lali (31:19.878)
Let's do that.
Lali (31:23.602)
off.
Lali (31:30.488)
Easy. In different weather, different weather conditions, different tires, like the whole thing. You've done the race a thousand times. Yeah, for sure. Yeah.
JB (31:38.476)
Yeah, yeah. was just, so yeah, I'm not saying woe is me. I had the most amazing, I mean, I drove with some incredible drivers, but here's another measure. It was a question I've actually enjoyed asking, you know, in some of my other shows, famous drivers, you know, my heroes, and I'd say to them, you know, when you're in the drivers briefing.
you know, when you're there before the weekend, who is the guy? Who was your guy that you'd go, oh, shit, he's here. He's on form. And everybody, you know, for Jackie Stewart, it was Jim Clark when he was on, you know, it was funny when I asked Mario, Mario's like, I don't know, I was Mario and Dready. I mean, I don't think anyone.
Vincenzo (32:09.806)
Yeah
Vincenzo (32:15.925)
Mmm.
Vincenzo (32:21.134)
He said the same thing to us on our show. asked him who is, by his most talented driver and he's like, you know, I don't want to say this one because then I'm going to slight that one.
Lali (32:30.29)
He's a diplomat. Total diplomat. was like, absolutely not. I will not take this bait. I'm not gonna, you know.
JB (32:30.702)
But it's kind of mean. I was kind of the guy.
JB (32:39.054)
But you know that his real answer was, I was the goat. I was the goat. So I don't know why you're asking me this question, but I never had that. Sometimes I'd look and I'd go, today I'm going to be great. Today I just know, and it would all come together when I go home and I go, what I won? What did I do different? And I'd be in a frequency of driving. I'd be in that place that you read about and you're just...
Vincenzo (32:42.262)
Me. Yep.
JB (33:04.468)
my bravery and my mind and my awareness and it would just come together and I could be the guy. But I couldn't, for me it wasn't a switch I knew how to dig into. I didn't know where the switch was on the dashboard and to turn me into that guy. And that's when you need someone to help you to find that. So no regrets, but just an awareness of where I didn't do what I could have done.
Vincenzo (33:30.286)
Sure, sure.
Lali (33:31.506)
So something that I really enjoy about your broadcasting career is that you have such a respect for the heritage of the sport, the history of the sport, which matters so deeply across all series. And it's something that I'm worried we're losing a little bit and that I, because I talk about this a lot, the importance of the heritage, the history. So I love your commentary because you have this, that aspect of the knowledge, but you're also a racer. you know.
what's going on, you know what's happening. So you transition into broadcasting and I'm curious when you were in those early races when you're calling it, when you're calling a race, there's what's happening on track, but now you have to like sell it to the people, you have to get people excited. How was it those first few times? Now you have this responsibility to tell the story. It's not the same as driving a car where you're only focused on your lap times.
JB (34:26.008)
Yeah, I was lucky because I went straight into doing it for the sports car races that I knew. And for me going to Le Mans, I I was a year old when I first went to Le Mans. So I know it incredibly well. I know the history of it. I know what it's, I know the place very well. And...
I found myself in an interesting spot. realized when I walked into the TV booth properly for the first time, I could see my colleagues going, my peers going, what are you doing here? Because I was a funny guy. was confident. And you know, they're always a bit nervous about the new guy coming in. And I'm like, I actually don't even, I want to be a TV show host. So let's just do this. Don't worry, I'm not after your jobs. You want to the booth? You want to be in the booth? I'm like, I don't.
Vincenzo (35:15.566)
Yeah.
JB (35:19.022)
No, I want to be in the pit lane. Yeah, but the booth's a bigger job. I say, yeah, but in the pit lane, I get to talk to everybody and I can feel it and see it. So I knew my niche and actually it was just so fun.
to have control of the microphone over races and be able to, I mean, there's a lot of people that watch racing and I'm sure you guys can appreciate it and a lot of fans that watch what we do or any sport and wish they had a microphone during a sporting game. I got one. So I was able, my biggest trouble was,
It's very, it was funny being rude, having to be nice about people that I thought were total tools, you know, and I'm going, no, he's a nice guy. mean, you good driver, good driver, total asshole, you know, but really nice. You know, I had to try and control that. And then being nice about gentlemen drivers was probably the hardest thing because it was like sports cars has run.
on gentlemen drivers. Since the time my career was funded for the last part by gentlemen drivers, it's what we do, it's how it is, but it's an interesting...
dynamic of servicing the TV that you actually have to, if a pro driver locks up, it's like, my God, that's, what's he doing? Whereas you're six seconds off the pace and I'm supposed to tell you that you're doing a good job. I mean, it's like, my son was.
JB (36:56.43)
six seconds off the pace in a karting thing at the time, I'd have been like, that's not good. So I found it kind of a funny balance, you know, and then when I was in the pit lane having to go out, someone's go, so how did you, how, hey, looking down at the race suit to see if it was the right driver, because, you know, all our names are on the waistband. And I remember saying to one kid one time, I had to go and find it, go and find what X, Y, and Z, Tommy something. And I get there and he's in his paddock and there's this little punk.
Lali (37:00.997)
You
JB (37:25.758)
all puffed up with his own importance with a plain race suit with his name down here and he's like yeah that's me you should have looked at my waistband i said mate listen you've just got it sterling moss had his name up here you ain't sterling moss so if i've got to stare at your crutch to find out your name
we're not gonna have a, you're not gonna have a long time in this sport. You know, I mean, so I find myself, right, trying to give people advice at the same time. Like, you know, memorable, be memorable. So anyway, I'm digressing, but I really enjoyed it. And it was actually Tommy Kendall who, when we started working together, he verbalized something that I naturally did. And that is, when you do live broadcasting, you should...
Vincenzo (37:45.582)
You
Vincenzo (37:53.656)
Yeah.
JB (38:13.79)
almost be about to get fired every time because that's what makes it lively and that's what makes have that's why you say that you're clever with what you say you're supposed to entertain and I guess he and I were so good at that we no longer work on TV because you know they've got so boring and the commentators are amazing Townsend Bell Lee Diffie the great the networks have we've regressed
Vincenzo (38:20.335)
Hmm.
Lali (38:38.002)
Oof.
JB (38:42.21)
You know, we've regressed to like, it's just, where's the, you know, they're so paranoid of sponsors and commercial interests that really, I think that's where people are asked doing what we do and commentating and getting, giving the other perspective on things. We're liberated. We don't have, we can say what we want within reason. But I loved it. I did enjoy the TV and I had so many funny stories. mean.
Vincenzo (39:06.159)
you
Well, so you took, let's pounce off of that for a second. You had Torque Media, right? And was that, that was backed by Michelin?
JB (39:18.958)
Yeah, so to back up just a bit, so during, I guess, 2000, my last professional race was Petite Lamont in 2013, we finished third, in a Ferrari, but I...
Lali (39:31.122)
What?
JB (39:37.39)
I'll tell you that. I mean, I just want to go back to what you said, Lali, about that moment. There was a moment when Roger hurt his leg. I then went to Sebring the next race and I'd already committed to speed channel and walking down the paddock for the first time in my career, in my life without, if you don't have a drive, well, if you have a good drive, you walk into the paddock, let's say at day turn at the beginning of the year with this very
self-satisfied smug grin on your face because you know you've got to drive for the year and you're like, hey everyone look at my new race suit isn't this cool? And then if you don't you're walking along going and some top drivers every year you're walking along going hey hey Vincenzo I know you've got a seat open at Daytona you know and people you as you're walking along you start to visualize imagine team owners like they see you coming and they're leaping behind the tires
Vincenzo (40:30.649)
Thank
JB (40:36.656)
you they're diving into the garage so they don't have to see you. And they're like, always holding your hand. Hey, nice to see you, Justin. You know, they're just worried you're on the ask. I walked down there with my TV contract and I remember, I remember Wayne Taylor, hey Justin. And we're good friends, you know, good friends now. But he was like, so what are you driving? And I went, I'm doing TV full time. I've basically retired.
Vincenzo (40:40.719)
Mm.
JB (41:03.082)
my God, well, we've got this new cappuccino machine. Just come in the trailer anytime you want and we, food's on there and you can come in the motor home. going, this is the life where, know, drivers, drivers, you know, I went from being a commodity that I need, that they didn't need to being one they didn't need. And I'm like, now this is how you do it.
Vincenzo (41:14.062)
Hahaha
Lali (41:23.954)
JB (41:27.338)
So anyway, that was all the way through the 2000s, you know, that's that's all the way through, you know, to sort of when 2019. I
Vincenzo (41:28.024)
You
JB (41:35.69)
I really enjoyed working with IMSA. I really did. I enjoyed my role as the sort of funny guy, the risky guy with what I said. I mean, when it went to, they went to what's called Remy Remote Broadcasts, when, you know, they sit in Charlotte, they sit in basketball, they just sit in one studio. so we used to all go to Le Mans.
Vincenzo (41:48.719)
Hmm.
Yeah.
Lali (41:58.469)
Ooh.
JB (41:58.904)
Bob, Mark Varsha, David Hobbs, Lee, Calvin, Jamie, me, Brian, Chris, we'd have the greatest time. It was like a party for a week. Then they realized, well, if we put it in the studio, we don't have to put them up in the French food. They can just have the McDonald's across the street and sit there in the studio. And we'll put a couple of guys in the pit lane. That's where my theory on how to be in TV worked in my favor, because I'm the guy they put on the ground.
Vincenzo (42:10.009)
Mmm.
Lali (42:26.48)
Yep.
JB (42:26.882)
So, you know, I'm opening the whole Fox show.
on the front of the grid to the American audience and it's just me. And it was, I was like, this is really stimulating. And I would go and do my famous pieces in the middle of the night where I'd go and talk to the fans and, you know, very tough moments sometimes like when Alan Simonson had got killed at Le Mans and I'm going up there talking to, you know, Danish fans and they're in tears and I'm in tears. Meanwhile, I've got a guy mooning me on top of a lamp post over there.
It's just Le Mans. as the producer said, the most terrifying five minutes he ever has, but also the best. that's what I mean, almost getting fired. It was just so good. And then I realized I was doing work with Michelin. They were becoming single tire provider.
Vincenzo (43:17.497)
Yeah.
JB (43:20.204)
They were heading, Imsa's broadcast was going to NBC and I could just tell Vincenza I didn't have a seat at the table. you know, they're trying to say I did and I'm going, I just, you know, it was all a bit half-hearted. TK was having the same thing. So we started, I created the talk show and then with Jason Jacobson, we did it and it was amazing. And then COVID hit, but it was great. And we still do it. We're still.
Vincenzo (43:27.352)
Yeah.
Vincenzo (43:31.631)
Hmm.
Lali (43:45.382)
off
Vincenzo (43:46.606)
Yeah, I have to make an observation here. We talked about racing and we talked about, maybe we didn't talk about racing enough, but we talked about racing and you were not even nearly as excited as you were then when you were just talking about being on the pit lane talking. Like there was a distinct change in the excitement in your body language talking about it. So I think you found the right spot to be in, which is talking about this stuff.
Lali (44:02.49)
Yes!
JB (44:06.88)
Okay.
JB (44:11.948)
Yeah, and I'll tell you, you're very observant to tell that. I only gets back to that. I mean, I won the world championship. I mean, it's good, but I will never stand in front of my peers and say I'm the best. When it comes to TV, I believe you could, I mean, it hasn't happened away, but I think you could put me up against anybody in TV terms and I can do it. I'm like.
Lali (44:37.682)
I'm going to put you up against someone in another category like for me personally, best dressed.
Vincenzo (44:42.433)
yeah.
Lali (44:45.572)
JB, your fits are fire, your goals. if next time I have a boyfriend, I'm going to show him your Instagram, I'm going to say you need to do this or you're out the window because man, I saw it. So this is a total pivot. was that was fashion always something you enjoyed so much? It's very clear that you're these outfits are very well thought out and crafted. It's very.
JB (44:46.03)
So.
JB (45:06.894)
It's funny, that's so funny you should say that. My ex-wife apparently told my daughter that I was a horrible dresser, but that's fine. And I do have actually photographic proof of that, that it was pretty shocking. But here's what I noticed. I found my way, and this is so important, into this historic car world, into this classic car world. And I think it was one of those...
moments that I looked around and I went, my role here is to span the gap between this older generation and the younger generation. And I've always enjoyed wearing suits and just nice jackets. It just kind of, my dad dressed, I don't know, we were sponsored by Hugo Boss back in the day. And so early on I was exposed to those nice clothes. And then.
I go to like, Host Pebble Beach and I'm going, mean, I, Suit Supply; awful name, amazing clothes. So I go in there and get like this three piece suit checked and I put a pink shirt on and pink tie and I went and wore it and, and I was a bit self-conscious. I remember thinking, anyone's going to sort of say I'm a bit of a dandy or whatever. And they're like, my God, you look so good. And well, there you are. I love it.
Vincenzo (46:28.045)
I wore a pink shirt just for you today.
Lali (46:31.054)
Literally, he's not, it's no word of a lie. He wore it for you.
Vincenzo (46:33.028)
Like quite literally, I changed two minutes before you showed up and Lali's like, yeah, just throw the pink shirt on. I was like, perfect.
Lali (46:37.01)
He's like, I'm like, put the shirt on. We're like in a panic 30 seconds before you came on because he had to live up.
Vincenzo (46:41.302)
Hahaha!
JB (46:42.56)
that I appreciate that. But I and I think it's become a it's become a bit of a trademark. And I also think, you know, we live in a in an era with especially with social media. And I can say it with the Formula One drivers. I mean, you got you know, obviously, Lewis is unique style.
And Lando, he's 44, he can do what he wants in his... But I've never been the guy who could wear hat on backwards and look cool in a t-shirt. I just don't physically have that look. And I realised that you lean into what you might look good in. that's why I think George Russell is nailing it. And Carla Sainz. For George to head into the...
Vincenzo (47:28.793)
Mmm, yeah.
JB (47:33.638)
sophisticated look, maybe some of the young kids are like, why is he wearing a double-breasted blazer with a, you know, and looking sharp? But his, right, but his longevity is going to be way more. And, you know, the one thing that I think I haven't emphasized is I'm pretty smart marketing commercially wise. could, should have been in marketing or advertising. I can see what puts things together and
Vincenzo (47:39.599)
looks so good.
JB (48:03.918)
My market is yes, there's all that looking much cooler, but the money lies in all the people that can afford to buy brands from 35 onwards. So that's where I want to live in that area, you know, and I love nice clothes. Yeah.
Vincenzo (48:17.717)
We actually, Business of Speed is not just a podcast. The podcast was built onto what we're trying to build, which is working with the brands and helping them understand content, helping, you know, there's so many new sponsors, especially in America now, into motorsport as a whole. Formula One gets a lot of it, but in motorsports. And so we found the opportunity to help them.
JB (48:44.6)
HAH!
Vincenzo (48:46.475)
understand the audience because it's something that we've been part of. But working with the brands that have the audiences that are a little bit of a higher, I guess, echelon, higher net earners, it's night and day different than working with the brands that are all fighting for just mass eyeballs. Like we love that we're in such a niche because it's easier to talk to that group of people. Like I would love to talk to the Justin Bells of the world all day long.
Right? Because I know that you are going to buy, you're going to be engaged, you're going to tell your friends and colleagues about it, whereas the people that are all fighting for free things, they don't tell anybody. They may buy once in a lifetime. The lifetime value is almost zero. So I like that you brought all that up and that it is fascinating. We could talk a lot about what you're doing. You said you should have been in marketing, which leads me to a question about your show.
drive to win, you pitched that show to win executives, right? Like they didn't come to you for that.
JB (49:50.528)
No, after a lifetime of racing where you see an opportunity and you just have to make it happen, whether it's from a sponsor or from a team, and you hear that, there's a drive going, and then you find your navigation there.
I went to working closely with Pebble Beach and talked to group, is Jason, Tommy and I. We produce all the Pebble Beach events and the Hagerty events. And the win were really pushing to grow their concourse. so Jason and I went in and met them and they didn't really need what we needed at the time. But they said, have you seen our new $6 million?
Lali (50:32.37)
Yep.
JB (50:41.196)
podcast studio. I was like, no. So I head down there and they give me a tour. And I said, well, this is the year, the first year of the Grand Prix. So three years ago, I went, do you have a Formula One shirt?
And they went, no, I said, but you've got the Grand Prix coming. Three weeks later, we had a fully funded show. So I saw that gap and go through. Now it's grown much bigger. Now I'm part of a lot of the things they do and they're an extraordinary partner. And what they've done with the Concours is just beautiful. It'll be one of the top Concours in the world because of the way the wind do things.
Vincenzo (51:01.2)
Okay.
Lali (51:17.99)
Justin, for people who aren't super familiar with Conchour, because not everybody is, can you talk to that a little bit? Why it's so much more than sort of this high end nostalgia? Can you speak to that a little bit?
JB (51:30.742)
Yeah, I think, you know, definitely.
The established concours such as Pebble Beach, they've been around 75 years. you know, it's this year, 75 years. They really are a record of the growth of the automobile in civilization. However, what was old, what was once new is now old, you know? So, you know, even in the 30s and 40s when it started, you drove the car, you know, in the 40s and 50s,
Vincenzo (51:43.877)
So far.
JB (52:05.424)
were the cars that were just being built really only 20 years before but you know now they're 100 years old. For me it is a curation of the history as well as you know keeping these owners
They are the curators of these cars. They keep this technology alive. there's so many, as a storyteller, there's so many incredible stories wrapped up in every single car. mean, a car I was with the other day at this Scottsdale Concours, really nice little concours, but it was a Bugatti that was being driven around Europe by a British, you know,
Lord, a young wealthy lord, then World War II is breaking out so he has to leave it and leave it in Austria and then the car makes its way, he gets abandoned, gets hidden in a cellar, you know behind a brick wall and then he gets found by a GI and then imported over here. I mean, wow.
I mean, think about the people that have held that steering wheel, the love, the lots, the passion, the heartache, the businesses that have failed that were, I don't know. For me, they, it's like, they're the code to our history. And I enjoy that side of it. I particularly like the fact that the 50s and 60s sports cars, for me, that's the sweet spot that I enjoy. And of course,
Vincenzo (53:16.111)
Yeah.
JB (53:43.308)
and this is what all the main concours are doing, is also embracing the modern cars and helping and Hagerty have an amazing theory on philosophy on this, bringing young drivers in and you know we all love cars, we love racing but if we...
Vincenzo (53:48.729)
Yeah.
JB (54:00.482)
don't connect to the future generations, they will be driving around in Prius, just wondering what happened. I'm not knocking electric, I'm just kinda getting, it's nothing. But if that is their thing, then we gotta embrace it and make it as cool as it is. It's like seeing what's happening on the fields of Pebble Beach and the wind and other concord now. Last year at Pebble, we had the BPR series represented. That's, you know.
Vincenzo (54:06.778)
Yep.
JB (54:29.198)
what I raced in in 1994, 95 in Europe, which was responsible for basically emergence of GT2 and GT1 racing. And with Stefan Rattell, he'd be good interview for you. And he, you know, he created, he created the series, Not a Shy Man. So a good story. Sexy, sexy man, Lali, you're gonna think, by the way. But he, he, and I interviewed him last year and I realized, wow, all these great stories of men and women who
Vincenzo (54:41.476)
or tattoo.
Vincenzo (54:46.188)
Ha ha ha.
JB (54:59.284)
especially from the organization side, know, bought Formula One to what it is today, all sports cars. So to see cars of mine from 30 years ago than now, classics, makes you feel old, but I do...
Vincenzo (55:04.368)
Mm-hmm.
JB (55:12.502)
I just love the fact that it's this ecosystem that keeps this culture of cars and the craftsmanship and the engineering know-how and the sense of design to see Jay Ward from Pixar who created the cars franchise. You he's such a car guy, but as he walks along, just talking to him, seeing what he sees in cars. And sometimes I'll ask him, what...
what do you see, what personality would that car be? And he's like, good one. You know, because he looks at them with animation in mind. Or if you see, know, Flavio Manzoni from Ferrari, when I do the Casa Ferrari event, who can, he has more taste in his toenail than most of us. And he's just talking about the cars and the thing. I'm going, this, you know, wow, I want to come back and see. So, you're right. So, I...
Vincenzo (55:39.609)
Ha
Lali (55:43.281)
Yeah.
Vincenzo (56:00.856)
I listen to them all day. Yeah.
JB (56:05.952)
In the same way my racing, I have my own sort of channel to do it my own way. For me, historic cars is not really about the cars, it's about the stories. And that's how I view it. So the concours world, if you get the chance to go to your local concours, go along. You don't necessarily have to love cars. Take your girlfriend, your boyfriend, and you'll go, just have an open mind and you'll see a car that connects to you and you'll wanna know why.
Lali (56:11.762)
Yeah.
JB (56:33.846)
and it can really trigger a whole different appreciation.
Vincenzo (56:37.294)
I'm definitely going to be down at Greenwich. So if you're going to be there, we'd love to connect for sure in real life. Yeah, wow. Watches and cars, they provenance is something that's so important. And I think Lali started the episode talking about the need for history and why it's so important. We live in a world now where everything is, we need electric cars.
JB (56:40.846)
or good. I was thinking, yeah, stop. Yeah, I'm just...
Vincenzo (57:06.096)
even though I think that's a whatever. We can go on. I have a whole thing about that.
Lali (57:10.514)
That's a separate episode.
JB (57:12.247)
Yeah, it is.
Vincenzo (57:12.26)
But really, it's because these people don't know or care about the history and understand the power that these can, I don't even wanna call them just cars, because they're not just cars. There's so much more to it. They take on a personality, which is what I think the movie Cars did, right? It gave you that ability to see a personality in a car. yeah, I really love that you said that. That's really cool. I think that.
Yeah, you sold that to anybody that's listening, you you go to a Concourse event. is, a couple more things before we wrap up if you're good with this. Did you ever get your F1 credential yet? Your media credential?
Lali (57:44.188)
Yep.
JB (57:58.242)
I just was doing that yesterday. I'm hoping so. mean, they basically working with Tag Heuer gives me some access, obviously, but you know, the paddock is very full and I obviously in Vegas I'm more sorted, but I think I might be going to Miami and Austin. It's not easy. In the old days with Bernie Ecclestone, you'd send a fax to Bernie.
Vincenzo (58:06.243)
Yeah.
Vincenzo (58:20.922)
So let me ask you something.
Vincenzo (58:25.178)
Exactly.
JB (58:26.476)
and you get a fax
Lali (58:26.805)
Bye.
story to tell you off camera about faxes. I'll tell you off camera.
JB (58:31.477)
Okay.
Vincenzo (58:32.656)
So let me ask you about that. What does it say about how F1 is currently managing its media ecosystem if someone like yourself cannot get a media credential?
JB (58:48.91)
I think it is so oversubscribed with demand from the celebrity contingent. And that contributes to the sex appeal, if you like, of Formula One. For the casual viewer, oh my God, there's Michael Streng. Oh, there's so-and-so. There's The Rock. I mean, it's very sexy.
Vincenzo (59:05.744)
Sure.
JB (59:15.598)
It means that it's harder for the media who actually create media from it. Because you're hoping, obviously, that when you see Dwayne Johnson there, that he's going to do a tweet or a post. That's all they want, right? That's, I'm here. But they don't even care if he does. They just take a photo of him to be able to walk and stuff.
Lali (59:29.692)
Yep.
Vincenzo (59:36.208)
This one I'm there, yeah.
JB (59:40.494)
I'm sure it's great for the drivers and the teams having all these celebrities in the garage. can tell you as a driver at the time, they're like, please just get out. I mean, it's great to meet you, but I need to focus on racing. know, I am, oh, I'm in awe of their bandwidth, these drivers to handle their media obligations. I mean, they're bound to get in the car and there's people standing behind them, you know, wanting to be a part.
Lali (01:00:04.348)
Grieve. Think of like Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen, and they wouldn't have dealt with that. They would have been like, piss off. No, thank you for sure. Not a chance. Yeah.
Vincenzo (01:00:06.068)
It's insane.
JB (01:00:11.134)
not a chance. know. So, and that's, you know, I've interviewed Max a couple of times with, Taekwondo, did a great one at Austin last year and, and he's...
I'm lucky I do have a very fast skill to bond to someone when I'm interviewing. It was something I saw, I found it natural, but Jay Leno showed me how, I watched him do it when I was on his show, working with him and he would go backstage and he just connects. He would just find that one strand that connects you. But me being an ex-driver gives me a credibility and they know I'm not gonna go, so what's it like to go fast?
I know that's not my only question. But I mean, it goes around, I'm getting off track here, I mean, I think Formula One needs this. The celebrity side of things is amazing. So, I've got a bit, you know, to be honest, it's like in Vegas and in Austin, I had access on the Thursday and Friday. By the time I get to Saturday and Sunday, I don't need to be in the paddock. It's nice.
Lali (01:00:58.45)
Yeah.
Vincenzo (01:01:04.113)
It's alright.
JB (01:01:23.854)
But everyone's working and that's part of my sensibilities to it is that I know the closer you get to the race, the least you need to talk to me. So let me go earlier in the week. That's when I'll have my credential. know, that would be helpful for Formula One now. They are the relationship with the win and everything. It's opening up.
Lali (01:01:34.418)
That makes sense.
Vincenzo (01:01:36.101)
Yeah, you.
Vincenzo (01:01:43.429)
Yeah, you told, just because you brought the celebrity thing and I wanna kinda tie this up. You mentioned something or you had told a story somewhere and maybe correct me if I'm wrong on how it came out, but Michelin hired a celebrity, some creator with like 10 million followers and couldn't move any, couldn't sell anything, but then a friend of yours had maybe 50,000.
JB (01:02:06.422)
Yeah, true story. Captain Sparkles, who is a big Minecraft guy, like 10 million followers, he at the time, the height of Minecraft, when we did the Pilot Sport 4S, cut 4S tire, thermal, like three week event I was hosting, and he came along and...
Vincenzo (01:02:13.89)
Okay, yes.
JB (01:02:26.83)
And he loves to hear the Ford GT. mean, he's really into cars. Nice quiet kid, like you'd expect for someone that gets watched streaming basically by kids. mean, 10 million followers and my daughter was 13 at the time. 11. So I can promise you she's not buying any tires. And he did a video from being there and it got a couple of hundred thousand views, which for me would be good. But for him, it's like nothing. And they were like, oh, we didn't quite get what we want out of that.
Vincenzo (01:02:36.176)
Like kids, yeah.
Lali (01:02:36.209)
Yeah.
Vincenzo (01:02:53.424)
All right.
JB (01:02:57.224)
Sean Lee, who has a purist group, he's very involved here with the JDM crowd and everything, an amazing friend here in LA. He's got like 30,000 followers. He sold more tires to his people because his people go, when he says, are the hottest new thing to put on your car, they all went, buying them.
And I think that's when brands started to go, or brands, bigger companies went, the niche, which we're serving, all three of us, the niche is the sweet spot.
Lali (01:03:16.251)
Yep.
Vincenzo (01:03:22.064)
Yeah.
JB (01:03:27.15)
and you know I need to build my social media I'm finally getting around to doing it because everything I do is for other people so I've never really I mean I'm lying if I say I haven't pushed it but I've tried to and then you know it doesn't you guys might have experienced it just doesn't gain traction and you're like what am I doing and and it's soul destroying and if I never had to do a social media post in my life I promise you I would be happy
Vincenzo (01:03:35.632)
built your own.
Vincenzo (01:03:50.073)
Yeah.
Lali (01:03:54.387)
I am with you 100%. I just want to talk about race cars and I want to talk to race car drivers and I want to talk about aerodynamics and the things that I'm passionate about. I didn't realize that I had to build a following and do like at some point I didn't connect the dots until it was too late because that's
Vincenzo (01:04:13.425)
Yeah.
JB (01:04:13.742)
Well, you have an advantage, you know, I was about to say you've got to, you've got to be pretty or extreme. know, at least you can map, can get into that as a guy. I'm like, I've got to like be naked riding down on a skateboard. I've tried to, mean, I, I, but it's funny. I got that just quick back to these. We haven't talked about young drivers, but I just want to, you know, I'm, I think young drivers.
Vincenzo (01:04:25.169)
No, that won't work either, don't worry. tried, no, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Yeah.
Lali (01:04:37.776)
Yeah.
JB (01:04:42.558)
It's so exposed for them. They're so refined. They're so, they're so in this funnel, right? Their parents or friends are spending hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars to get them to a place where there aren't many jobs. Let's face it. It's not football or basketball with 28, 38 people on each team. Two drivers, one driver on a team.
Vincenzo (01:04:50.779)
Mm-hmm.
JB (01:05:07.02)
And I often think with these young guys, I remember giving someone advice. I said, your biggest problem is your, I mean this nicely, you're forgettable. And I said, you're not fast enough to be forgettable. I said, I don't know, go.
Go home over the winter, get some crazy tattoos, a mohawk, start shagging an OnlyFans girl. I don't care, you need to do something so everyone goes, whoa, who's that guy? I think they're in a really, and they're all so good, thanks to in racing. They're so cultivated. I'm really glad I'm not in that era.
Lali (01:05:38.535)
Yeah.
Lali (01:05:45.917)
They're media trained. They're like little robots, to be quite frank. Even straight out of the car after a shunt, they're so polished and put together because they know they can't screw up and say the wrong thing. well, I have to wait to see the footage and speak to the team. I'm not quite sure what happened. They know what happened. They got shunted. But they're so polished and put together. It's insane for their age. So we could we're going to have to do a part two for sure, because there's so many stories that are that we can't get to. Hopefully we can do like a live episode.
JB (01:05:48.907)
No.
Vincenzo (01:06:04.305)
Can't, yeah.
JB (01:06:05.901)
Yeah.
Vincenzo (01:06:11.215)
Yeah. We'll do part two, part three, maybe something live, maybe in Miami.
Lali (01:06:16.082)
So we always end interviews and especially with professional drivers because we each have a signature question that we adore. I need you to put aside, I'll start with mine. I need you to put aside hardware championships, whether this person got an opportunity or not. In your entire racing career, who is the most naturally gifted driver you've raced against?
JB (01:06:18.572)
Yeah, maybe.
JB (01:06:46.984)
Mika Häkkinen.
Lali (01:06:48.274)
There you go.
JB (01:06:50.734)
And when we were at Silverstone, I was on the front row. He was starting like sixth or something. And rarely, rare, bad qualifying. We're in the pouring rain, standing start. I'm in the camel colored car and he and Alan are running in the Marlboro colored cars. Isn't that crazy? 18, 19 year olds, tobacco sponsor. Good old days. And off the start, like tucked in behind Alan.
and Mika comes around the outside just like just the cars on dancing on the edge of disaster goes around us both and sods off into the distance and I remember going hmm that's not happening anytime soon for me he's got that one down and I remember thinking just truly truly beautifully natural driver yeah
Lali (01:07:37.33)
There you go. Lovely answer. That's amazing. He's one of my greats, so love that.
JB (01:07:40.982)
Yeah, he's great.
Vincenzo (01:07:43.185)
Mike, maybe mine is not as simple as that. What is your absolute favorite track that you have driven on in the world?
JB (01:07:55.702)
Generally, you'll find we like the ones we win on. But I do think there's something about Le Mans that brings elements of every track together. It's not as intense as just being at Laguna Seca, which is an amazing track, Silverstone. But it is, it's...
Vincenzo (01:07:58.769)
that's true.
JB (01:08:18.574)
the fact that it's such an old race driving down a public road well over 200 miles an hour, you know, between the trees. And Le Mans, for me, is a sensory overload just from the grandstands. you know, you head off under the Dunlop Bridge and head into the countryside. I don't know, there's something magical about it. And it's so fast. And actually, there's moments in the middle of the night, especially if you get the early dawn break.
stint and the lights coming up and it's just you're going faster than you've ever been at the track. The air is clear and you're using less effort to go as fast as you've ever been because you're so harmonious with the car and I just think it's a beautiful driving track.
Vincenzo (01:09:04.07)
Mm.
Vincenzo (01:09:07.786)
I'm glad you called it, I'm also glad you called it the Dunlop Bridge and you didn't subscribe to this Goodyear thing.
Lali (01:09:07.954)
Well you are a poet.
Lali (01:09:14.342)
You know.
JB (01:09:14.4)
I'm sorry, I can't get my head around it. It's the worst. mean, you shouldn't even have tried it. They should have just moved it down and done the good shit.
Vincenzo (01:09:17.177)
No, no, yeah, just work.
Lali (01:09:17.189)
and all.
Vincenzo (01:09:23.163)
Goodyear should have paid to keep at the Dunlop Bridge. would have made more marketing. yeah, absolutely.
Lali (01:09:26.554)
Yes.
You've got them so much good press, actually. You're right, yeah.
JB (01:09:30.548)
I mean, the bridge with the Goodyear Grandstand. You know what mean? It's something, it's...
Vincenzo (01:09:36.593)
Yeah. Or just put the blimp, the Goodyear blimp, let it float around. I don't know. Anything else.
JB (01:09:41.666)
Wait, wait a minute.
Lali (01:09:42.534)
Justin, what an absolute pleasure to talk to you. Thank you so much. And I just want to thank you really for being a steward of the sport, really. It's in really good hands with people like you who care so deeply about it, who want to share the history, the heritage. We're in a good place if people like you get more opportunities to speak of it. So thank you so much for joining us. It's an absolute pleasure.
JB (01:09:45.186)
Well, thank you so much.
Vincenzo (01:09:46.363)
There's not enough time in a day.
Vincenzo (01:10:03.505)
That's for sure.
JB (01:10:07.426)
Well, thank you. We'll do it again. We can get into all the brands and all the things. It's cool next time. All right, guys. I appreciate it. Thanks.
Vincenzo (01:10:12.025)
Let's do it. Yeah, for sure. Thanks, Justin.