Don’t Crash. Be Consistent.

Don’t Crash. Be Consistent.

ANDREW WEYMAN

During my career as a television director, I always came to the soundstage prepared. As part of my preparation, I created a production roadmap with details about everything I could think of. I knew where I was starting from, my destination, and how I was going to get there. I often encouraged cast and crew members to share their ideas. Sometimes an idea or the answer to a question might lead me to rethink my map and take an ‘alternate route’ or a ‘freeway’ I’d never driven. I would shove my roadmap aside and take a creatively exciting road trip.

I approach my writing the same way. My story maps have a beginning, middle, and end. They detail my premise, characters’ points-of-view, relationships and ultimate fate. I prepared a story map for my interviews with Anders and Alexandra Hainer. While talking with them, they led me on a detour to an unexpected freeway of fun. I shoved my map into the shredder. Anders Hainer has been a member of the POC since 1996. I did the math. That’s 27 years ago. His daughter, Alex, joined 10 years ago, at age 15. Anders wrings every rpm out of his Spec Boxster and has won a gazillion championships (only a slight exaggeration). From time to time, he chooses to start DFL and make his way through the pack. By lap three, he’s usually battling the frontrunners. Alex is a seriously fast driver and has a natural feel for racing. She laser focuses her GT1 super-sonic transport squarely at Mike Monsalve’s exhaust tips in nearly every race. She describes 2nd place as the worst place to be. 1st loser. Alex is determined to win the GT1 championship by embracing her competitive mega-powers and employing her race craft to the max. Watch your mirrors, Mike.

Photo: Luis Vivar

When I first sat down with Anders, he expressed his appreciation for good writing and complimented me on my contributions to Velocity. It’s nice to know that people actually read this stuff. He shared that he grew up in Sweden, that English is his second language, and a well-written sentence is something very special. His love of cars exploded when he was a young boy, along with his love of skiing. At age eleven, Anders rode his bicycle to ski practice at night while wearing his ski boots. He has always been uber-competitive. “Skiing taught me to be consistent and on the edge. You just have to send it.” He was clocked at 135 mph during a downhill, mile-long run. I asked if there were any parallels between skiing and driving. He explained that in mastering downhill slalom, you set up turns the same way you do on the track. Entry, apex, exit.

At eighteen, he strapped his feet to the roof rack of a turbocharged Volvo rally car and crouched down as if he was skiing. The driver then pushed the car to 130 mph with Anders fighting g-forces he didn’t anticipate. On a ski hill, gravity works with you. Not so much on top of a car at a buck thirty. After lots of stunts and skiing mishaps, i.e. crashes, injuries and surgeries, Anders had to slow it down a bit. By that, he meant focus on his racing, modelling career and dancing at Chippendales. You read that right. Chippendales.

Anders is a very successful businessman but that never entered our conversation. He kept bringing our talk back to Alex, whom he clearly adores. His love, admiration and respect for her flows freely. He’s one proud papa. Alex is one of the very few drivers with whom Anders feels comfortable when she’s behind the wheel and he’s sitting in the passenger seat. He can’t be a passenger in a race car without throwing up. It’s nice to know Alex doesn’t nauseate him.

Anders tries his best to mentor Alex by keeping it fun and without pressuring her. “Being at the track together is such a gift. Sharing our passion strengthens our bond.” Father and daughter are also travel buddies and hang out as pals. Alex considers her dad to be a real good friend.

In 2005, Anders drove the Rolex 24 with POC members Dwain Dement and Kevin Roush. He was Grand Am Cup Champion in 2006, driving with the Turner Motorsport team (in a BMW M3) along with Boris Said and Bill Auberlen, the winningest driver in IMSA history. Anders also competed in the Pirelli World Challenge and MX-5 Pro Cup Series. In 2012, he powered the first Audi R8 in America during the Long Beach Grand Prix. When Alex and her sister, Jasmine, were each about 4 years old, they accompanied dad to the track and attended many of Anders’ Grand Am races. Julie, Anders’ wife, has always been very supportive of his racing and handled the chaos at home with aplomb.

Photos: Anders Hainer

She supports Alex with the same commitment she generously offers her hubby. Anders’ competitive spirit is a powerful force. “My life has always been about competition and being number one. Alex has taught me not to take life so seriously. She can tease me and call me an idiot.” Alex describes herself as supercompetitive, but she doesn’t let it control her. COVID interrupted her training for pro racing in the MX-5 series, under the auspices of Indy Car. Dealing with sponsors and the intense pressure took some of the fun out it for her, so it was just as well. “I learned that I’m very influenced by my environment. I’m more relaxed and have the most fun with the POC.”

Alex enjoys employing the fundamentals of racing while behind the wheel. She’s a quick learner and is proud of it. She’s only been racing for five years and yet, has come so far. Alex considers the POC part of her family and feels like many club members have watched her grow up. I told her that it’s been great seeing her growth and how she continues to flourish. Her creative outlet is photography and photo retouching. Her competitive outlet is racing.

Anders enjoys his man cave/dream garage in the San Fernando Valley where he houses a SIM and only cars he enjoys driving. He doesn’t consider himself a collector. He keeps several motorcycles and ATVs at his getaway in Idaho where

Photos: Anders Hainer

he has a motocross track. Talking about any type of machine with a motor, transmission and wheels makes his eyes light up. Alex is the same way. When she was around ten, she told her mom, Julie, that their Cayenne was her favorite of all their cars. Alex’s brother, Erik, a software engineer, has shown little interest in motorsports. Her sister, Jasmine, is semi-intrigued. Jasmine did competitive horse jumping for many years and was excellent at it. It’s interesting to note that jumping employs the same corner set-up strategy as skiing and car racing.

Alex’s boyfriend, Jacob, a pilot, has never really been a car guy. On a family trip to DirtFish rally school, Jacob turned in some very competitive lap times. He and Julie will be participating at an upcoming DK Racing School event with Dwain Dement and Martina Kwan. Alex looks forward to Julie’s and Jacob’s reactions to the school. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, Alex jokingly described her mom as a McLaren driver doing 60 mph on the freeway when the speed limit is 70. She’d love to see her mom and Jacob become part of the POC family. Fingers crossed.

The Hainers take part in the Sun Valley Tour de Force, a closed road, no speed limit rally event. Last year, Julie showed her stuff and pegged her speedometer at over 200 mph. Anders is looking forward to breaking 230 mph this year in his turbo-charged Porsche. The event raised $700,000 for charity in 2022.

The Hainer family is unique and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about them. It was an unmapped journey that was a heck of a lot of fun. I smile when I think about how Anders summed up racing for me. Don’t crash. Be consistent.