Gentlemen’s Guide to Racing
No money, no cars, no sponsors—when amateurs race competitively on their own terms
by Katharine Erwin
If you love Britain’s Top Gear and you like racing, The GGTR (Gentlemen’s Guide to Racing) may be your new favorite TV show. Helping to bring back chivalry in racing—or at least inject it with a healthy dose of humor—GGTR is reminiscent of the early days of the Dakar Rally, when dapper eccentrics took to the Sahara desert with class and drollery. The ringleader of GGTR, LA-based Michael “Skiny” Power and his merry misfits—including illegal street racer Alex Roy (who set the record for driving across the US in 31 hours and 4 minutes) and their own cultural attaché (a 6-foot-8 man named “Spanish Tony”)—finesse their way through international races with a certain savor that would make the likes of Dakar Rally founder Thierry Sabine and legendary driver James Hunt proud.
So far they’ve finished the Baja 1000, a rugged race through the Mexican desert, in just a Class 16 Volkswagen buggy, followed by a 7th place finish in a lightweight Class 1 truck at the Mint 400—not bad for amateurs. Their pursuit of racing on their own terms makes them an anomaly in today’s corporate racing world. The GGTR’s mantra, “It is the burden of all true gentlemen to lead an exciting life,” finds them in all kinds of adventurous situations on and off the track; like when GGTR auditioned a supermodel to navigate or Skiny’s decadent journey to the Circuit of the Americas’ F1 inaugural race.
But in order for the show to finish their pilot, they need support. Help contribute through their Kickstarter page to keep them fueled for future episodes.
Photos by Zach Benge
