In August 2013, I won Shell Canada’s Ultimate Enthusiast competition. The grand prize was a trip to Italy to visit the Ferrari factory in Maranello. A surreal adventure that still leaves me in awe that it actually happened. At the time I believed that the events of 2013 were the tipping point to future career success. My dreams of being the host of my own supercar TV show did not come true. Instead, I became a part-time freelance supercar adventure writer.
This story begins in 2009 which was a pivotal year in my life. The changes I made to my life in 2009 ultimately led me to winning the Shell/Ferrari competition. At the beginning of 2009 I became fed up with my life, so I quit my job and went to Italy for three months. It had long been a dream of mine to visit Italy, a country so rich in history. Short of money and jobless I returned home to Vancouver. There I met a raven-haired beauty named Kelly Sarmiento who ended up changing my world. It was to Kelly I revealed my hidden dream of creating a Canadian supercar TV show. It was her support, encouragement and belief that set me on the road to create my supercar TV show. She said “ask for what you want, the worst they can say is no.” I have tried to live by these words every day for the last 13 years.
Creating A Canadian Supercar TV Show Called First Rides
By 2013 I had written two seasons of my supercar TV series called "First Rides." I was pitching my show to TV Networks and production companies. I was also searching for investors to raise money to film a teaser video for First Rides. One of my side jobs was looking after a Maserati Gran Turismo and a Lamborghini Aventador. To raise cash I proposed to the owners a yearly contract with cash upfront instead of a payment on a monthly basis. My clients agreed, and I was able to raise $8,000. A good friend chipped in another $1,000 while the CEO of a company who believed in me and my vision provided another $3,000.
Shell Ultimate Enthusiast Competition
While researching potential sponsors I came across Shell Canada’s Ultimate Enthusiast contest. The grand prize was a visit to the Ferrari factory and a pilota day at Fiorano. A petrol-head's dream adventure so I entered the competition. Contestants had to answer three questions. A panel of judges made up of automotive journalists would decide who had the best answers. The three questions were: 1) If money was no object, what would you do to pursue your passion as the Ultimate Enthusiast? 2) How did your passion for vehicles begin? 3) Why are you the ultimate enthusiast? These questions seemed made for me. I wrote about creating my supercar TV show First Rides. My passion for vehicles came from the first TV show I ever watched as a child, the 1979 Italian Formula 1 GP. It introduced me to my racing driving hero Gilles Villeneuve and by extension to Scuderia Ferrari. This competition seemed tailor-made for me. I believed I was going to win this competition.
Winning The Shell Ultimate Enthusiast Competition
The date for announcing the competition came and went with no announcement of the winner. To add to my disappointment, Kelly had a Crohn’s disease flair up and had to go into hospital. On Monday morning I was walking to the hospital when my phone rang. I did not recognize the number and let it go to voice mail. The more I walked, the more the little voice in my head nagged at me to check the voicemail. A good thing I did as it was a representative from the PR firm that had organized the Shell contest. They were calling to let me know I had won the contest. They had sent the notification the previous Friday by email which had gone into my junk mail. I had not checked my junk and was unaware I had won the contest. The PR had called to inform me that I had won, and I had a limited to time to accept before the prize moved to the runner-up. I called them back and immediately accepted the grand prize. Always check your junk mail. It was the best piece of news I could give my wife, a late honeymoon trip to Italy.
Filming First Rides Teaser Video
Part of the grand prize included $3,000 of gas-cards which were able to convert to cash. The budget for the teaser came to $15,000. The plan was to film the teaser before we went to Italy in October and use the video to entice Shell to sponsor First Rides. I truly believed the stars had aligned to provide this wonderful opportunity to showcase First Rides to Shell and Ferrari. I was able to borrow a Lamborghini Murcielago and a Ferrari 360 Modena spider to use for the teaser. The two days of shooting the trailer gave me a precious glimpse in to the world of making my own supercar TV series. My wife Kelly filled in as my co-host, and she drove the Ferrari 360 Modena. One day we were filming with a Lamborghini and a Ferrari, the next we were on our way to Italy.
Food Poisoning And A Ferrari Miracle
No trip is without misadventures and mine involved food poisoning. I had started feeling unwell before the drive down to the factory. From the balcony of our hotel room in Maranello I could see the huge neon sign of the Ferrari factory and for the first time I could hear Ferrari production cars going out on shakedown tests outside the factory. This lifted my spirits. The next morning I was still unwell, my concern about participating in the factory tour had grown into fear I would miss the tour altogether. I briefly made it inside Ristorante Cavallino before dashing to the washroom. I spent the next two hours in agony. It was surreal, I was maybe 20-feet away from the famous Ferrari gate, a place I had dreamed of visiting, and I was in serious doubt of making the tour. Perhaps the healing hand of Enzo Ferrari himself intervened to expel the evil toxins from my body, as miraculously my illness cleared up just in time to walk over to the factory gate and begin the tour. A Ferrari miracle.
Touring The Ferrari Factory
First on the tour guide's notes was "no pictures allowed," failure to comply would get you kicked off the tour. The next few hours were a heady tonic of Ferrari technology and history. Our first stop was the foundry where they make the V8 and V12 engine blocks. Ferrari has one numerous awards for the design of its factory buildings as well as the environment of the buildings themselves. In the foundry you find an abundance of greenery. This promotes clear air and a light open environment to work in. So, no smelly, crowded or messy building, instead, a large open building with spotless floors and surprisingly lots of greenery. The greenery helps with the oxygen levels and adds a sense of calm to the environment. Ferrari's workers in the engine foundry building all seemed very calm and purposeful in the execution of their jobs. Indeed, this focused calmness was to present throughout the factory compound.
Watching A Ferrari Come To Life
As we waited to board our bus to take us to the next building on the tour, a blood-red prototype LaFerrari hypercar parked right beside us. I had seen pictures, but to have the actual car beside me was absolutely thrilling. Our next stop was the Engine Assembly Building for the V8 and V12 engines. The V12 engine builders are a small core group who follow each engine through the build process until assembly. The birth of a Ferrari car was the highlight of the next building we visited which was the Assembly building, V8s Ferrari California, and Ferrari 458 get assembled on the lower floor, while the mighty V12 destined for the F12 and the FF came together on the top floor. Each work station along the line lowers or raises to conform to the height of the individual working in that section. At one point, our guide had us squash up against a wall as a robotic pallet carrying an entire driveshaft shaft effortlessly glided by us. I was not sure how I would react to touring the production floor; however, witnessing the first time a new Ferrari 458 engine came to life was highly emotional. We witnessed the birth, if you will, of a red 458 Italia, a red F12 Berlinetta, and a slightly rarer yellow Ferrari 458 Speciale that its production run beginning only three weeks prior. Sadly, we were not allowed to take any photos while on the tour, though in some ways this forced me to drink in all the details of my experience.
Dinner At The Montana Ristorante
My mind was still reeling from a day at the factory as we concluded our evening with a dinner at the famous Montana Ristorante. Ferrari memorabilia adorns every wall; pictures of Ferrari legends peer at you from all angles. At dinner, we met our driving instructors who would accompany us the next day as we drove Ferrari 458s at Fiorano.
It was one of the best nights of my life, with great food, and wonderful company.
A Day Of Driving A Ferrari 458 Italia Around Fiorano
Waiting for us the next morning at the famous Fiorano test track were nine gleaming red Ferrari 458s, ours for the day. First, we walked by Enzo Ferrari’s famous house No 27, then we proceeded to the driver’s briefing where I felt very much like a Formula 1 driver. After the briefing the instructors divided us up into smaller groups. My wife was in my group. We then went out for an orientation lap with an instructor at the wheel of a 458. I could not believe it, it was a gorgeous, perfect, sunny day and here I was being driven around Fiorano in a Ferrari. My first lap behind the wheel was a mixture of nerves and unbridled enthusiasm. The biggest memory is of my instructor saying, “Go! Go,” then seeing the world go by in a blur. The transition from street-driver to circuit-driver took a few laps, but with the instructor’s encouragement confidence began to build, and I began to push the car faster and faster. I confess to a healthy dose of fear surrounding me at all times as I pushed my driving boundaries. The instructor’s “Flat! Flat! Followed by “Brake! Brake” was the theme of the day. After pounding around Fiorano all day, we were sufficiently-acclimatized to the track that we could attempt to record our laps through telemetry. We drove five laps and then drove into the Pista to have our telemetry downloaded (very Formula 1). A printout allowed us to compare our driving versus our instructors'. I got a “Bravo” from my instructor of which I was rather proud. Even prouder when telemetry showed my average speed of 155 km was faster than my wife’s at 153 km. When I see images of Fiorano now, I feel in a small way permanently a part of this famous circuit.
Private Dinner Inside The Museo Ferrari
The final event of this magical tour was a private dinner held after hours at the Museo Ferrari in the Hall of Victories. Large TV screens played out the history of Ferrari Formula 1 glory, while in front sat the winning Ferrari cars from seven-time Ferrari Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher, and 2007 Ferrari world champion Kimi Raikkonen. Behind me sat row upon row of Formula 1 trophies. It was delightful to see the trophy from the Canadian Grand Prix amidst the host of trophies from all over the world. After dinner, we toured the empty museum at our leisure, and for me, the highlight was seeing my hero Gilles Villeneuve’s Formula One car started me down my supercar and Formula 1 loving path. This was a trip of a lifetime and the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream.
