Nicolas Bakker: Beginning the journey to my dream

I recently participated in the start of the 2016 Skip Barber Championship Series, and it was nothing short of electrifying. With so much on the line and many young promising drivers competing for the grand prize, I knew I had my work cut out for me.

Going into the weekend, I wanted to experience what past champions had felt and better prepare myself mentally. As a rookie and runner-up of the 2015 Skip Barber Academy, I had a lot to prove to myself and those rooting for me. The race weekend came quickly and each racer had their eye on the $200,000 prize.

We started the weekend with practice sessions in the wet which always makes things interesting and really teaches one the finesse and fine inputs needed to keep the car on the track.

During qualifying, I managed a time of 1m39.4s ,which was enough to put me in P4. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in Turn 1 on the warm-up, which caused me to go off track and put me in the back of the field. I took it as an extra challenge, as well as a valuable lesson – I won't let it happen again. Every chance one has to stay in the lead is invaluable, and now, I knew that.

Finally the first race session began. I could tell that all racers were eager to get going when the green flag dropped. Immediately gaps started to open, cars started going three or four wide and I managed to put myself on the inside line while making up a good number of positions. As the laps went on, opportunities came and I had to make sure I stuck with the leading pack. Fourteen laps later the checkered flag came out, and in the end I was able to pass seven cars to recover the initial spot I was supposed to start in - fourth.

When Race 2 came, I was eager to continue. This race was more unpredictable than I expected, with constant passing, especially on the last lap where it became four-wide in the second-to-last corner. Any move meant the difference between finishing on the podium or seventh place. A close call between two racers at the end made it possible for me to squeeze through to finish P5, only 0.2s off the podium.

I'll take these two top five finishes and apply what I learned for the next round at Pittsburgh Race Complex. I'm expecting even more competition with each race weekend that comes along, which will make this Skip Barber racing series that much more interesting.

I can't help but be immensely grateful to my family and friends who have helped and believed in me since day one, the instructors at Skip Barber with all their knowledge and expertise who also make this series a possibility, and my coaches Wyatt Gooden and Nick Andries.

I look forward to sharing more of my journey with everyone here at RACER.com.

Until next time,

Nicolas Bakker.