Pursuing My Passion

by Maia Bucura, Year 8B

Whether we enjoy swimming, hiking, or painting, whether we’re still looking or have already concluded our search, we all find an activity, state, or feeling that we truly love and that defines us at some point in life: our passion. I’m one of the lucky few to have found the thing I enjoy most early on.

My passion? Racing. Racing is my thing. I’ve been a karting driver for four years now, and ever since entering the world of motorsport, my life has completely changed, and I am forever grateful for these changes.

I’ve been asked many times what it’s like to be a driver, why I’m doing it, and how I get past any fears I come to face. All there is to say is, I absolutely love it! This phrase is the answer to all questions. By having so much love for this sport, I get all the motivation, confidence, and boldness that I’ll need to get through anything!

Passion is the source of all power, and I can tell you with confidence that whether I’m watching people I share this devotion with race, or I’m giving my all on the racetrack myself, racing gives me this power, and with it I feel like I can face everything that comes my way.

It was quite a slow August day in the year 2019, and my plans for the day were quite easy to sum up: eat, sleep, watch tv, and enjoy my last few days of “freedom” before the school year started again. Not so, unfortunately. My plans were interrupted by my dad coming home early.

“Hey, since you’re obviously not busy, how would you feel about trying out go kart driving today? I have a friend whose son tried it out and enjoyed it quite a lot, and the tracks not too far away from here. You wanna try it out for fun?” my dad suggested.

I didn’t know too much about kart racing back then, but it did look like an interesting weekend activity “Sure, why not? Sounds nice!”

Not long after, we were on our way to the racing track that was soon to be the place I’d visit almost every day of the week.

I remember being at the start of my racing enterprise and watching a documentary about Michael Schumacher, one of formula one’s most famous drivers, with my parents. I also remember begging my mom to get me an F1 account subscription the next day as I caught my first glimpse of real, rough racing the night before.

3 years later, I haven’t missed a single race of the past seasons, and I’ve even been lucky enough to see a couple of them in person. I am now a big fan of not just karting, but Formula 1, Formula 3, Porsche Supercup, rallying, Formula E, and a whole lot more.

Where exactly am I getting with the two anecdotes I’ve shared with you? As you can see, my passion rose from nothing more than an idle morning and an hour long documentary, and grew to be the thing I am most fond of in my spare time.

In the span of 4 years, I became one of the few girls to dedicate their time and energy to the wonderful world of motorsport, and I can guarantee not just to everyone around me, but to myself, that I’m nowhere near finished.