A mom may be the best copliot
“Some people might think I'm crazy”
Zach Stevens took an unconventional route with his choice of co-pilot for Midwest Drags 2023. When asked “What makes a good copilot?”, he replied “A supportive mother. Some people might think I'm crazy because I'm not choosing my dad or a close car friend right like everyone else right? Mothers might not always know everything there is to know about cars and the science behind them, but that isn't the most important characteristic of a copilot, I would say its the bond/connection between the driver and copilot. Mothers are the most supportive and caring people in your life, on and off the track, they find a way to help you accomplish your goals and dreams. Tina found a way each day to help me with everything I was doing. If I was struggling on the track, she'd worry about me and how she could help me. Hot lapping the car every day I was determined to hit my number, a 12.00 twice a day. Doing so I became very dehydrated (something that is commonly over looked in drag and drive events!), so she would make sure I'm drinking water and Gatorades throughout the day to keep me hydrated. Hot lapping my car wasn't the best strategy in the world especially when you're tired and exhausted and Tina could see that. So she'd pull me aside, tell me to relax, catch my breath, and think what I need to do differently my next pass to hit my goal. She even helped do basic chores on the car, cleaning up oil leaks, packing and unpacking the car (#whoneedsatrailer), changing street tires to drag radials, and making sure I am wearing ALL my safety gear. The street driving portion of the race, she made sure I was always awake and alert when driving and helping guide me to the next checkpoint, track, and hotel.”
A copilot is much more than an extra set of hands during a drag and drive event, sometimes they can be the difference maker when chasing a class win against a very tight field. Zach’s reply to our question of “Tell us a story about how your co-pilot saved the day” was spot on! “Instead of saving the day, she helped me win my class. As I mentioned earlier, she is my number #1 supporter, on or off the track. Wanting me to give 110% in everything I do, with school working for that 4.0 gpa or racing shooting for that perfect 12.000 pass every day. She knows I got it in me, and helps me believe that I can achieve my goals with hard work and determination. Day #2 she said we can stay here as long as you need to hit your goal. I made 17 passes that day and turned in a 12.000 and a 12.007. That Supportive mentality carried on for the rest of the week.” A support system like that is hard to beat!
Not all things are roses though… Zach and Tina did have one bout of struggle, but it came after the event was over. We asked for participants to “Tell us a story about how your copilot ruined the day”. To which Zach replied, “The whole week was ALMOST perfect till the drive home of course. After we finished up the award ceremony at Virginia Motorsports Park, we went to stay in a hotel at Virginia beach. However there was no parking anywhere for the truck and trailer, SHE said lets go in the parking garage. I said we probably won't fit, but tried it anyways. I proceeded to spend the next hour hour backing up the whole parking garage trying to back the truck and trailer out of the place.” I’m sure things were pretty tense at that point!
Spending a week with your mom, in a racecar, while competing in a drag and drive, will provide for some great life memories and stories for generations. Lastly, we wanted to hear a funny story of something that happened during their trip. Zach’s answer sums it up perfectly. “My funny story is learning how famous my mom was becoming at the track. Day 2 at Atco Dragway I had strangers come up to me telling me how they loved seeing my mom enjoying her time here, smiling the whole time, and even painting her nails in the stands! I never actually saw any of this, this is all from people seeing her lol. Later that night she was using brake clean to help clean some oil off some parts and the brake clean removed most of her nail polish from that morning on accident.”
We want to thank Zach for taking the time to send these stories to us. We hope you have enjoyed his experiences and will think about maybe taking your mom on your next event. Copilots are such an integral part of a successful program, that maybe it would be best to have the person that cares for you most to be there with you.
If you would like to submit your own copilot stories, follow the link here ( https://forms.gle/zCSydn8VhuFnMcyb6 ) and tell us how it worked out for you.
Photo provided by Zach Stevens.
