We are often asked, “Which car, class or type of racing should I join?” Rather than just state, “It depends” or “Let me ask you a few questions to start,” we wanted share the story of someone who has asked this question many times throughout his exceptional, young career – Julian Garfield.
Julian Garfield: Despite being 17 years old, I have been very fortunate to already have had so many great opportunities in the world of motorsports, and I am forever grateful for those who have helped me along the way.
I began karting when I was 5 years old, primarily competing in the SCCA’s Solo category. I earned five consecutive SCCA Solo National Championships from 2008 to 2012, as well a Rotax regional championship while karting wheel-to-wheel.
In 2012 at age 13, I acquired a NASA road racing competition license and began competing in Showroom Spec Miata. Once I turned 15, I transitioned into SCCA club racing, where I competed in the competitive Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Series that fields 30-35 SSM cars at each event. Despite great success with three wins, five poles, and a runner-up finish in the championship, road racing simply became too costly for me.
We returned to SCCA Solo where my father and I have most-recently campaigned a 1990 Mazda Miata in C Street Prepared. I work as a novice coordinator for the Washington DC region committee, and also as a driving instructor for the region and Evolution Performance Driving Schools. Additionally, I recently have taken to writing about my experiences behind the wheel, which can be found at www.thestudentdriver.blogspot.com.
After finishing 2nd in C Street Prepared at the 2015 SCCA Solo Nationals, our Miata is currently for sale, and we plan to transition into something in the “Street” category for 2016. But not to worry, what comes next is likely to sport a Mazda badge as well. Being a high school senior, college has also been a regular topic of discussion. Having been accepted into all of the four schools I applied to, I am currently narrowing down my options to determine where I will study mechanical engineering.
Wherever I decide to go, you can be sure that you will find me wrenching on a Formula SAE car for the next few years. I am very excited to get involved with the program at whichever college I attend, as I believe it will be an excellent way to apply what I will be learning in school, while enabling me to network. Not to mention, I have gotten the chance to drive a couple of the cars from previous years and they are just phenomenal! Also, I hope to study abroad in college. With four years of German under my belt, ich will es in Deutschland üben.
Early on I had decided I wanted to be a race car driver when I grew up, and while that aspiration will forever exist, I have shifted my goals for the future towards success in the automotive industry. Ultimately, I believe my prior automotive experience paired with a mechanical engineering degree will open up many opportunities for a career working with cars. Whether it is with a large auto manufacturer, or smaller aftermarket company, I will be striving to become a test engineer, suspension engineer, or something of the like. My experience instructing, tuning, and driving a large variety of cars to their limits have helped me develop a great understanding of vehicle dynamics, which should be very beneficial as an automotive engineer.
Only time will tell where I end up, but I will always be racing, and I have faith that I will put my talents to good use in the future. If you would like to follow my racing endeavors for 2016 and beyond, give me a “LIKE” on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/juliangarfieldracing and you can learn more about me at www.juliangarfield.com.