F. Scott Fitzgerald once famously said something to the effect that
"there are no second acts in American lives." Clearly F. Scott
Fitzgerald never met attorney and race car driver Harold Seagle.
At 61,
Seagle, an Asheville, North Carolina-based litigator, has been listed in
the peer-selected Best Lawyers in America publication for many
years and has worked with a number of high-profile individuals in the
legal arena, such as Erin Brokovich. He's also the operator and primary
driver of Sea Eagle racing. Mr. Seagle holds a national Targa racing
license through the Federation International de l'Automobile (FIA).
Mr. Seagle was involved with motorcycle racing for many years, holding
competition licenses in the Championship Cup series and WERA motorcycle
racing. He has raced in several motorcycle classes, including Superbike,
GT and Sportsman. Mr. Seagle managed several podium finishes racing
motorbikes.
At present, however, he is concentrating on Targa racing, specifically
the Targa Newfoundland, often known as the "Ironman of Auto Racing" due
to its grueling five-day, 2200 kilometer race pace around the rocky
shore of Newfoundland. Mr. Seagle and his Time Warner Cable-sponsored
team (including navigator Stan Pendergraft) have more than distinguished
themselves in this endeavor, taking home the coveted Targa Gold Plate
and coming in first in their racing class.
Owing to the duality of Mr. Seagle's nature it is worth noting that his
race-prepared Porsche 911SC prominently displays a verse from Hebrews
("Run with endurance the race that God has set before you"). Mr. Seagle
took time out from his breakneck schedule to check in with Mark Rhodes
at motorsport.com to talk about his philosophy, his late-blooming career
and the Targa.
motorsport.com:
You seem to have found a real niche in Targa-style
racing. What would you say the appeal is for you?
Harold Seagle:
Targa Newfoundland appeals to me because it is truly a
unique opportunity to compete, on many levels, testing not only your
racing ability but your ability to prepare your car for a tremendous
undertaking -- and your ability to prepare yourself for an unparalled
test of your physical and emotional strength and endurance. To make
the adventure even more appealing, you share the adventure with a very
interesting group of racers from much of the English-speaking world.
There is no other race series in North America quite like it, with
competitors coming from such places as England, Ireland, Australia, New
Zealand, Canada and, of course, the United States. I know of no racing
event that is more hotly contested -- while at the same time all racers
are so vitally concerned for the safety and wellbeing of their fellow
competitors.
m.com:
In your mind, what are some of the differences between
traditional sprint racing and endurance-style racing?
HS:
The big difference in sprint racing on racetracks compared to
endurance racing -- particularly a Targa Newfoundland-type event, is
that to do well in endurance racing, you must endure a prolonged test
of your car and yourself -- and your ability to communicate with your
navigator. As is sometimes said, to win you must first finish. In
addition to having a well-prepared car and managing the logistics of a
crosscountry race, you must add in the physical and emotional challenges
that are a part of a five-day 2200-kilometer event. You have a real test
of man and machine.
m.com:
You had a nice run as a serious motorcyclist. Did your skill and
experience on the bike translate to endurance racing?
HS:
I think my years of experience racing motorcycles have been a big
help in the Targa Newfoundland. In racing motorcycles, the cost of
mistakes are generally high, so you learn to race within your ability --
and within the ability of your machine. There are, of course, times when
you go over the limit or the machine fails, but racing at just below
100 percent (most of the time) becomes a way of life which is necessary
for self-preservation. To put it in perspective, in endurance racing,
in order to finish a 2200 kilometer event, you must drive those 2200
kilometers without crashing -- and without major mechanical failures.
For racers accustomed to racing cars on racetracks -- they come from
a world where the tracks are generally safe, having lots of run-off
space if you lose control of the car. It is a rude awakening for some
of these drivers to find that the rocks, cliffs and trees alongside the
roads of Newfoundland are most unforgiving. It is here that I believe
my experience racing motorcycles has helped me find a greater degree of
comfort in a most challenging environment.
m.com:
You are 61; does your age help you or hurt you as a motorsport
competitor?
HS:
The short answer is both; however, this requires a bit of
explanation. I believe success is made up of essentially three component
parts -- those parts are ability, dedication and discipline.
Ability is another way of identifying natural talent (which varies with
age). When I say natural talent, one must recognize that, with all other
things being equal, some young people have neither the nerve nor the
ability to race at all, and some older people are very competitive. Age
is simply a part of ability. It has a positive effect on ability as it
affords one the opportunity to gain experience -- and, after awhile, it
can certainly have a negative effect on endurance and dexterity.
On the experience side, you learn over time what you can and can't do if
you are to win -- and survive. It is the genesis of lots of old sayings,
like "you don't know how fast you can go until you learn how fast you
can't go". In other words, old age and treachery will overcome youth and
skill.
Ultimately, the last two components of success (dedication and
discipline) come into play in a significant way to either amplify the
positives of experience or overcome (through training and discipline)
the negative effects of aging. It is here that you can understand how
some drivers, like the great Paul Newman, could race competitively into
advanced age. There are many very successful motorcycle racers who have
been racing successfully for many years as well.
Success is, as always, the right mixture of all these component parts.
If you have some natural talent, and you are dedicated and disciplined,
you can win your way into advanced age.
I doubt the similarity of racing to so many of life's other endeavors
has escaped you. It might be a great subject for another article to have
a look at how racing mirrors life. In fact, a great focal point would
be the lack of rearview mirrors on racing motorcycles. That says a lot
about trust (both given and received), confidence, responsibity -- and
many other things.
m.com:
Finally, do you typically introduce yourself as a lawyer or a
racer?
HS:
Short answer: a lawyer to the masses, and a motorcycle racer to .
racers Again, some explanation is necessary .
I believe we tend to define ourselves to others in the role that we
occupy for service to others. People get to know us by what we do
and how we contribute. On the other hand, I believe we develop our
self-perception and define ourselves by what we are or have done that
makes us feel good about ourselves. Meeting the challenges of racing,
not just the courage to race, but including the ability to plan and
implement a racing campaign that is successful -- in a world that
is defined by intense competition -- is most satisfying. I think we
all want to think of ourselves as courageous, capable, dedicated and
ultimately successful. In racing, you don't have to win to realize
success. Just finishing the race, earning the respect of your fellow
racers and riding past the checkered flag is a measure of success.
In the racing world, I would introduce myself as a motorcycle racer
because other racers would know what that means and my contribution to
the "fellowship" of the sport is sufficient to make such an introduction
appropriate and proper.
www.seaeagleracing.com
www.targanewfoundland.com
