Interview with
12-year old John Edwards, the next Rain Meister? by
Csaba Tóth
January 31, 2004
This interview is with recent 12-year old
Barber Dodge race winner John Edwards by Csaba Tóth of
motorsportok.hu. At 12-years old, Edwards is believed to be the youngest
driver to ever win a road race. It's obvious from how well Edwards answered the
questions he's well beyond his age in maturity.
Motorsportok: First, we would
like to congratulate for your weekend results. Fantastic, being 12 years old and beating
the big boys out there! John Edwards: Thank you! It was amazing, I felt really great about it!
MST: Just for the record, when and where were you born? JE: I was born on March 11th, 1991 in Louisville, Kentucky.
MST: Honestly, what did you expect from this weekend before the races? JE: I expected to be competitive, probably about a Top 5, definitely a Top 10, and maybe
a podium. But I never expected a win. When I won, I almost literally couldn’t believe
it.
MST: I think everybody from the media wants to come around you since this weekend? Do you like it? JE: It’s an honor that everybody is treating me like this, and it has a bright side -
that the story by Skip Barber was picked up like this. It’s just incredible.
MST: How many interviews have you done before this one? JE: This is my first one.
MST: I think after these results, a lot of people will look differently at you, don’t
you think it’s going to put some pressure on you? JE: Not really, I mean, I try to be myself, I think, but it shouldn’t demand very much.
MST: Have you been in school since your win? What were your classmates saying, have they
heard that? JE: I actually told one of my teachers and she e-mailed the entire school about it; so
everybody in school knows about it now.
MST: How do you feel about this? JE: It’s great; I mean lots of people are congratulating me and it’s just great!
MST: How old were you, when you started karting and what kind of results did you have
there? JE: I started when I was 8 or 9. After I won my first club race we started to move up to
regional and national races. This last year was my first in nationals and I finished
sixth in one category, and tenth and eleventh in another two categories.
MST: Are you a rain man? I mean you won the second race with a 25 second lead in the
rain, and it was only a 30 minute race. Guess you like racing in the rain. JE: It’s a lot of fun in the rain. I like to think that I’m like Schumacher when I’m
racing in the rain.
MST: How were you feeling after your first win? And after your second? JE: After my first win I was fairly surprised. Because, you know, my expectations were
to finish well, but I’ve never expected a win. After I won I almost couldn’t believe it.
After my second win I was happy that I’ve won, but I was a little bit surprised because
it was my first rain race (in Skip Barber) and I won with such a margin that was also
surprising.
MST: I’m sure your parents are proud of you. I see that your father is supporting
your career (because he set up the interview). How about your mother? JE: She’s very supportive. She came to this last race because my dad was too busy with
work. She drove me to the track and held my things when I was either getting in the car
or getting feedback from the instructors. She did everything she could to help.
MST: When did you decide, that you want to be a race driver? JE: Actually my dad was racing in Skip Barber and he actually wanted me to race karts
for fun, and I thought kart racing would be a fun experience, or a hobby. Then it just
grew from there. I can’t really pick up one certain time when I got serious about it; I
mean I never wanted to be a race driver to start with, but it just sort of evolved as a
series of happenings.
MST: Basically, what’s next? Continue to learn in the Barber series? JE: Yes, I think I’ll try to move up in the Skip Barber Ladder series to Barber Dodge
Pro and then just move further up in the ladder system.
MST: What’s your aim, what’s the big goal, Champ Car? JE: Formula 1 is my main goal.
MST: Who’s your racing hero? JE: Probably Michael Schumacher, just because of the way he acts and shows himself in
interviews and during a race weekend, and obviously because of his driving style.
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