Soon to graduate from Hudson County’s High Tech High School, Jersey City native Russell Thomas Soto, 17, took a significant step toward his dream of a motor racing career by completing a two-day formula racing class at the prestigious Lucas Oil School of Racing in Florida on April 12 and 13.
The event took place at the Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Fla. Under the watchful eye of the Lucas Oil instructors, Soto was one of a dozen racers making the jump from go-karts to the two-liter, Mazda-powered formula cars. Praised for his consistency and smooth car control, Soto was the fastest driver to cover the two-mile track.
These machines represent one of the first rungs on the ladder to racing categories like Indy Car and Endurance Racing Prototypes.
“It was great to be able to finally get into a race car, and I felt very comfortable right away,” Soto said. “My experience in karting really translated well to handling this formula car, and I feel my driving style is perfectly suited for it, in fact.”
Became a fan right away
Soto graduated from Academy I Middle School in Jersey City, as part of their Accelerated Enrichment Program.
“Before that, I attended Jersey City Public School No. 38 [the James F. Murray School] in my elementary years, as part of their program for gifted Jersey City kids,” Soto said. “My father is a racing fan, so I was exposed to it from a young age. But I really started learning about automotive technologies though my racing. I’ve always been curious as to what really makes a racing machine perform better, and even started doing research and science projects related to it in middle school. Because of these projects, my interest and academic performance, I was accepted to High Tech High School in North Bergen.”
At High Tech, he is an engineering technology major and part of their Digital Fabrication (DFAB) department. “I continue to learn both on the track and off, as High Tech has a complete auto shop and great teachers.”
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“My experience in karting really translated well to handling this formula car, and I feel my driving style is perfectly suited for it, in fact.” – Russell Thomas Soto
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Starting out small
Soto started out in go-kart, a small, but very fast gas-powered vehicle usually raced on a relatively short track.
“When I was in the fourth grade, my parents took me to an indoor go-kart racing facility called Grand Prix New York in Mount Cisco, N.Y.,” he said. “It was a racing school for kids driving go-karts for the first time, and it was a reward for achieving Honor Roll in the fourth grade. I was immediately hooked, and because of my performance the instructor of the school suggested that I compete in their league championship series. Just a few weeks later, I began competing and after having nearly won the league in my rookie year, I dominated it in the next two seasons that followed.”
His first serious race took place when he was nine years old at the facility where he learned to race.
“We were driving three horsepower karts, and I remember being a little bit scared and intimidated,” he said. “Every other racer had actually raced before, and that race was the last of a championship series that I had not competed in. I managed to do well in that race, although I remember getting more tired than I thought I would.”
Racing is very physical, and as a little kid he had to make an effort to keep up with the other kids. Still, he finished third in that race.
He said he has two drivers he looks up to for inspiration: Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton.
Senna was a legendary three-time Formula One World Champion from Brazil.
“He was not only one of the best drivers ever, but a great humanitarian off the track,” Soto said. “Lewis Hamilton from England is the current F1 World Champion. I admire him because, as the first successful Grand Prix driver of color, he has broken barriers while continuing to be true to his background. Like me, Hamilton does not come from an affluent background, and he made it to the top of the sport through his great talent and family sacrifice.”
A physical sport
Because racing has an impact on the body, he prepares for each race by going to a gym, where he works on certain muscle groups needed for racing: forearms, core and neck, needed to withstand long duration racing.
“Your body absorbs a lot of the forces acting on your car, so you have to make sure you take care of your cardio fitness as well,” he said.
He also makes sure that he eats the right things, full of protein and healthy carbohydrates. He doesn’t want to think about being hungry while he’s driving.
He has an ultimate goal of racing in Formula One and be an F1 World Champion.
“Even if F1 may not be possible, the effort to become the best stays with me, as I pursue not only racing goals, but my academic goals,” he said. “I plan on going to college this fall and perhaps continue learning about automotive engineering. The lessons I’ve learned in racing so far have helped me in all aspects of life. I hope to continue in the sport, whether it’s as a competitor, or in a technical position.”
An expensive sport
Racing is an expensive sport, and trying to maintain an adequate level of quality equipment can drain resources.
“This can make it frustrating, and tempt you to quit,” Soto said. “But the way I look past this is by evaluating my own personal performance, given the circumstances. I try to make it so that every time I go to the track, I leave it knowing that I gave it my absolute best, and that no one can go faster in the equipment that I have.”
This was an issue in the Lucas Oil Series in Florida. Soto’s performance was such that the instructors deemed him capable of winning after just two days in the car. Unfortunately, his very limited budget kept him from taking on the opportunity.
“It was heart-breaking, not being able to race right away,” he said “Especially as I feel I had a very good chance of winning. But this is how it is when you are a middle-class kid from Jersey City, racing with a limited budget. Racing is an expensive sport, and even in karting we’ve had to get used to competing with limited resources, and maybe missing a lot of opportunities because of that.”
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.
