Is entering a scholarship competition worthwhile? My experience of Team HARD and Want2Race

In 2019 and January 2020, I entered two race scholarship competitions, run by Want2Race and Team HARD, to see if I had what the team's were looking for to win a nearly fully-funded season of racing with them. As a newbie to motorsport in 2019, I had no idea if this was a good idea or not so I've put my thoughts into this video to help you judge if entering into one of these scholarship programmes may be right for you. I'm sure glad I did, as I learned a lot through both scholarships, not just in terms of improving my driving, but also how much of a package deal you need to provide teams if you are seriously looking to move up the motorsport ladder.
Team HARD 2021 Scholarship link: www.team-hard....
Want2Race 2021: www.want2race....
----
Instagram: / racedreamer_rob
Facebook: / racedreamer

[@JamesWilson234]

Always been tempted to enter Team Hard! Thanks for the insight.

[@RaceDreamer]

Glad it helped James! You'll love their Golfs, guessing it'll feel like your 206 but at 150% grip and power! Not everyone with a race licence is eligible, depends on if you have too much experience in their view, so it's something to ask the team before applying for the scholarship

[@dannyleeracing]

Great video, I can relate as I also entered the 2020 Team Hard Scholarship (didn't get past first round) and the 2012 Blendini MX5 competition (got to the final 10) In both circumstances the two scholarships were eventually won by drivers who were or had been employed as Palmersport instructors, which means they had extensive experience driving this sort of thing frequently, and the value of that experience when you've got to step into a strange car and perform in a small window of time can't be overstated. I did really well in the 2012 Mk1 MX5 Scholarship because my daily driver was a Mk1 MX5 RS and I'd done multiple trackdays in it so I knew how it drives very, very well and could absolutely hit the mark right out the gate. However, I floundered in the Team Hard Golf, in part because I attended on day one and near enough everyone found that the conditions were just too cold on the first day for slicks and they switched to wets on the back for the afternoon but the damage was done, I'd had no prior experience on slicks and at literally 9:15 AM on lap 2, on the fast left kink following the back-straight chicane the rear completely snapped around and sent the car into a spin, luckily not into anything solid. I didn't bottle it or lose my cool but the disappointment was thick in the air from the instructor's tone. My 2nd run was interrupted by rain yet by then I'd started getting the hang of it. All in all the driving segment was an abject failure and I'd spent so long making sure I was as fit as possible, as media-trained as possible and as prepared as possible, but I underestimated how little my previous track experience would apply to that car. If you only have experience of simulators, you should not apply for a scholarship hoping to win because simulation just isn't the same as real racing (hurts to hear but it's absolutely true, different skillset) and the folks who have the final say do not consider sim racing very highly (and they're not unjustified in this), but you'll still have a fascinating experience and it'll really give you a big dose of reality which can either inspire you or destroy you. In my case I had a bee in my bonnet for a short time but can probably attribute the entire scholarship campaign (the 8 weeks preparing for it and the disappointment in the aftermath) for lighting a fire up my arse after a long hiatus for sim racing and getting me back into it all, which led to where I am now and where I'm hoping it'll lead. Have a good one in 2021, man.

[@RaceDreamer]

Danny thank you so much for taking the time to write down about your experience - I'm sure this will really help people who read this and give further insight about scholarships. It's a very good point stating how the calibre of the winners in both cases has been so so highly skilled at what they do. Real world experience is absolutely essential, but if you look at James Baldwin, he was relatively lacking in recent real world driving experience, with certainly an small and irregular amount of race experience, yet he won WFG2 and won his first British GT race outright in August this year. So I think it goes to show that there are some exceptions to the rule for people who may shine through even with predominantly experience from sims rather than in real life. Jann Mardenborough is another great example of that. Great to hear you got on well with the MX5 scholarship years back and glad you're enjoying the videos I'm putting up!

[@SimManiac]

I entered the 2018 scholarship at Croft and it was a great experience albeit a tad short on the 2 driving stints. I would enter the 2021 competition if it wasn't for our 2nd child being due the same week it's taking place. But if you can afford it I would recommend entering and giving it a go. If you can get yourself some track time prior to the competition and learn how to take a car to its limit of grip then you stand a much better chance of progressing in my opinion.

[@RaceDreamer]

If anyone hasn't really been on track before, then they will be very unlikely to get past the first stage of either scholarship. Sim experience helps, but categorically it is not the same feeling as there's no inertia, so real track experience before considering entering a scholarship like these is vital

[@mike_kokuz17]

Not sure what day you was at the Team Hard Scholarship but that blue and grey one’s brake bias was basically stuck on fully rear biased by Friday 😂

[@RaceDreamer]

That sounds challenging to drive 😅 I was there on the Wednesday and drove that car, thankfully it wasn't as you described