#Swag (GearShark #3) (9 page)

GS:
You said trying. Have you ever won?

JG:
Of course. If I had more print time in these racing magazines and sports channels, you’d already know that.

GS
: And what was it like for you after you won?

JG:
It doesn’t matter if I win or lose, it’s always the same. I’m not wanted. They make it clear. I’m often isolated, left to work on my own. They don’t want to talk to me, but at me. When I try to interject into a conversation, say about engine parts or torque ratio, they suddenly start acting like I’m dumb or a child.

GS:
Have you ever been hazed?

JG:
The pro racing circuit prohibits hazing of any members.

<
I found that answer to be very interesting, and it also made the journalist in me want to dig around to learn more about hazing in sports. It also became increasingly clear that Joey G. also felt stifled by the fact that Ron Gamble is her father. This journalist now knows why she only uses the first letter of her last name. It’s clear this is a strong woman who wants to drive her own path in the world.>

GS:
Do you think he [Ron Gamble] sponsors you because you’re his only child?

JG:
My father is a businessman, and I think his accomplishments attest to that. Do you really think a businessman would sink as much money into a racing sponsorship for someone if he wasn’t going to get a return on investment?

GS:
This is all very interesting. I’d like to talk further with both of you. But first, I just really want to know… Is it true you will be leaving the pro racing circuit for a sponsorship in the NRR?

JG:
<
without hesitation
> Yes. I’m finishing out my pro season, and then I’ll be crossing over.

<
Lorhaven’s reaction to this admission was very interesting. He was almost angry.
>

GS:
You don’t like pro drivers. You’ve never hidden that fact. What’s up with that?

L:
Because they’re a bunch of stuck-up assholes.

JG:
Let me guess. You tried out, and they didn’t want you.

<
Clearly, this woman has no problem saying what’s on her mind
.>

GS:
So what are your thoughts on this crossover and a female driver in the NRR?

L:
I think she can’t hack it in the pros. She thinks it’s going to be easier in the NRR.

<
Joey stiffened at his words, and the two commence with a stare-down that made me uncomfortable
.>

L:

Guess what, sweetheart? The NRR is harder than the pros. No rules racing ain’t for girls.

GS:
Don’t you think no rules racing is a good place for a female driver? Because there are no rules?

L:
No.

GS:
Fair enough. Could you maybe elaborate on your experience with the pro driving division?

L:
I’ve been driving all my life. My cars are top of the line; so are the parts. It took me years to get an audition, and I admit, my father had to use some connections of his.

<
Lorhaven’s father is a successful businessman here in Maryland. He owns many companies, including two airports
.>

GS:
I take it the audition didn’t go well?

L:
<
laughs
> I didn’t have an agent or any interested sponsors, and for some reason, the guy I drove for had a stick up his ass about Corvettes.

GS:
You auditioned with a Corvette.

L:
Yep. And as he well knew, the sponsors would come if the interest came, but he wasn’t willing to show any interest.

GS:
Why do you think that is?

L:
<
His expression is that of someone who just ate some bad cheese.
>
Because I wasn’t in the “in crowd” with the division. My father didn’t know the right people. Neither did I. And because <
he says grudgingly
> I have a record.

GS:
A criminal record?

L:
Yes.

GS:
For what?

L:
Illegal betting.

GS:
Well, I could see how that might raise some trust issues.

L:
<
shrugs
>

GS:
You don’t seem very apologetic about it.

L:
<
His black boots hit the ground as he sits forward. I have to say when eyes as dark as his settle on me, I feel partially swallowed up, and I catch myself leaning toward him.
> Why should I be? I might have a wealthy father, and I didn’t grow up without or in what some people call the ghetto, but I was raised on the streets. That’s where I come from. That’s the disconnect between the pros and the rest of the world. Not everyone is groomed from birth to be drafted by an exclusive club. Some of us have to work for it. Some of us have to build our reputations from the ground up. Racing isn’t like playing
My Little Pony
. Cars are on the streets, where real drivers are born. That’s the kind of driving that earned me a spot in the NRR.

GS:
What does your father think of your racing?

L:
It doesn’t matter what he thinks. I drive for me. Not him.

GS:
Does that mean he doesn’t approve?

L:
My father supports me.

<
Something tells me there’s a lot more to the dynamics of that father-son relationship, but that particular topic seems to be off-limits.>

GS:
You mentioned a Corvette and so did Joey G. I’m assuming you have one, yet you drove a Lotus Elise here today. What happened to the Corvette?

L:
Casualty of a street race.

GS:
You wrecked it?

<
His jaw worked like the question made him angry
.>

L:
Yeah.

GS:
I would think someone as skilled at driving wouldn’t wreck his cars.

L:
Shit happens.

Bieber:
That’s not exactly true.

L:

Shut it, Arrow.

GS
: Who is this?

L:
My brother, Arrow. He’s also a driver.

GS:
Arrow Lorhaven?

Arrow:

No. My last name is Ambrose.

GS:
You two are half-brothers, then.

L:
We’re brothers.

AA:
Lor didn’t wreck his car because of his driving. He actually wrecked it on purpose.

GS:
I can’t imagine why he would do that.

AA:

Another driver was being erratic and flipped his car. Lor was in the lead, turned his car around, drove under the flipping car, and pushed my car out of the way.

GS:
What happened next?

L:
The other car fell on the Vette and totaled it. So I bought a Lotus.

GS:
You have a reputation of…

L:

Being an asshole?

GS:
Frankly, yes.

L:
I am an asshole. But that’s my brother.

GS:
Where do you see yourself at the end of the first season for the NRR?

L:
At the top.

GS:
The man to beat is your rival, Drew Forrester. Think you can do it?

L:
Yes.

GS:
Do you and Drew really hate each other as much as the media purports?

L:

GS:
One more question before we wrap up. You told Joey G. you think women don’t belong in racing and you don’t think she’ll be able to hack it. I’ve seen her stats. She’s a good driver. Do you really believe that?

L:
I think being a woman in a male-dominated sport takes guts. She clearly has that. I’m down with the whole women equality and diversity. You gotta let people be who they want to be.

GS:
But do you think she belongs in the NRR?

L:
No.

As you can see, both of these drivers got #swag. And no, I’m not talking about the kind of swag that propels young men to wear their pants below their butts and allow their behinds to hang out (seriously, what’s up with that?). I’m not talking about some kind of rap term used in a popular song.

The kind of #swag I’m referencing is the confidence in which a person carries themselves. In order to have #swag, you have to be loaded with it. Something, I think, both of these drivers have in spades.

Furthermore, this interview has raised a lot of good discussion points that I don’t think have been addressed at length by the racing world.

What do you think about women in racing?

Do you think females are just as skilled and capable as men to drive and drive fast?

What are your thoughts on Joey G.? Do you think she’s right to think she’s been treated unfairly by the racing world?

Do you have a stance on the Pro vs NRR regarding which is a more “legitimate” racing division?

Does diversity belong in sports?

Let’s start a discussion! Hit up our online forums at
GearShark.com/RacingDiversity
to share your thoughts and opinions. As this continues to be a topic at the front and center of the racing world, we here at
GearShark
promise to bring you continued coverage and updates about all things racing, whether it be on the pro side or the NRR.

I sat back away from the computer screen and raised the beer to my lips in thought. None of the smooth liquid hit my tongue. I tipped the bottle back farther, and when I still wasn’t rewarded with the cool taste of comfort, I yanked it away with an aggravated grunt.

Empty.

Apparently, this article made me chug it down.

I pushed out of the desk chair, tossed the bottle in a nearby waste bin, and grabbed another longneck out of my fridge. Once the top was open and the first taste of a freshly opened brewsky slid down my throat, I was able to ponder what I just read.

Leaning a hip against the counter, I gazed across the room at the lit-up laptop screen. It could have been worse. I honestly thought Emily was going to rip me to shreds in her piece, considering I basically alleged she’d be giving Jace a blowjob when I left.

Uh-oh.

He’d become Jace in my thoughts. Not Lorhaven. That was dangerous with a capital D.

Emily skipped over my worst parts of the day and even erred on the side of giving me the benefit of the doubt. I would almost venture to say she could see my point in all of this. But it still wasn’t great.

I felt like it had been too telling… I’d been a little too honest.

Not that I was against honesty. I wasn’t. I hated liars.

But I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of effect this article was going to have when it came out and what the dudes I raced with on the pro side would think when they read what I said about them.

And then there was the NRR side. Lorhaven literally came out against me. He said he didn’t want me there. Would the other drivers follow his lead? Would I be an outcast among my peers before I even had a chance to prove them otherwise?

No. You have Drew and Trent this time. You already have support.
That made me feel marginally better, because having them behind me was more than I had when I started in the pros.

But still… why did he have to be so blunt and unsupportive in the article?

At the end of the article, he did sort of backtrack a little. He said I had guts. He stated he was all for diversity.

And then there was the Corvette.

He’d put himself in danger to knock his brother out of the way. He showed loyalty and even love toward his family in that one act.