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Wheeler: "I'm done playing professional bingo at 200mph"

12.12.2014 - After back to back DNFs in the Beach Cup, to lose his 2nd position and overall podium completely in just 2 races, we caught up to Rage driver Nick Wheeler as he sat in his pit box alone staring at the pit wall. Jason Anderson had the interview.

Anderson: Nick! What happened?

Wheeler: Same thing that always happens around here. I set the car up perfect and it breaks anyways. Running on the front in clean air on what had been a perfect setup. I mean, there wasn't a setting that was off by more than +/- 3 on this machine. The transmission fails. No rhyme or reason. It just died. That was the first leg.

Of course, because I went out in the first leg I got caught at the bottom of the field with all the idiots that can't drive and in the first few laps one 12-season driver from Italy drives through me because in 12 seasons he hasn't figured out how to drive his machine. Complete moron.

Anderson: Well, so that's racing, right? What's next, now that the Beach Cup is over?

Wheeler: I'm all done. I'm done playing professional bingo at 200mph. It's not worth my time. It's not worth my money. There's no skill involved in the outcome of these races. It's entirely up to whatever the organizers decide is going to happen, whether your machine is perfect or not. It would be one thing if the machine worked when it was set up right, and I was driving into things by my own fault or others were driving into me, but the machines just fail. All the time. In practice with no aggression, on the race course after 6 or 7 or 8 rounds of perfect tuning, they fail. And they fail when they're under no duress at all. Clean air, no pressure, nothing. I want nothing to do with these things. I'm done.

Anderson: Am I hearing what I think I'm hearing? Are you retiring from racing?

Wheeler: I will finish the North American season series, and I will give an official announcement then. I tried to be patient. I tried to tell myself "that's just racing" but it's gotten so old and frustrating that I just don't want to waste my time with it anymore.

Anderson: What of Rage?

Wheeler: They've heard me complain about this a lot. Other drivers in Rage complain about the same things, one in particular that has probably had it harder than I have. However, they will likely be finding out about this for the first time when they read your article.

Anderson: You've had one of the fastest starts in the history of MRC. You're already in the top 15 of your home country. Is this something you've fully thought out?

Wheeler: Jason, I don't expect to go out without hearing some flak from people. Rage teammates, some rivals, you, some of my countrymen. I respect and appreciate all of the support people have given me. But it's going to take more than "but, Nick, you're really good" to convince me out of this decision.

Anderson: And what about your manager? Will he be searching for a new driver?

Wheeler: We've talked about this. He's going to follow me to my next endeavor in racing. I'll be switching to dirt track and running in the United States where the machines don't break unless they get hit.

Anderson: Well... so that's it. Apparently I have the misfortune to be the first to report that one of the few bright spots in the future of American Formula racing is set to retire at the end of just 2 and a half seasons.