The Long Haul: Ernie Francis, Jr., and a life behind the wheel
June 16, 2016
18 years old, two championships, 19 wins and 14 years of racing
An 18-year-old veteran— not a statement heard everyday. But for Ernie Francis, Jr., who has been racing since the age of four, it is more than just a statement—it is a reality.
Hailing out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., racing is more than just a passion for the 2014 and 2015 TA3 American Muscle Trans Am Champion—it is a profession. One he relentlessly pursues on a daily basis.
For Francis, it means more than just showing up at a track for a race and relying simply on natural talent—every event requires near-religious levels of preparation and practice, hundreds of thousands of miles turned behind the wheel on track and in-simulator and tens of thousands of hours dedicated to perfecting his craft. And while it is a labor of love; it has also come to define him as he prepares to take the next step in his career.
Now with two championships under his belt, 19 Trans Am wins in the production-based classes and hot off a victory in Dual 2 of the Motor City 100, presented by 3-Dimensional Services Group in the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, Francis is as focused and driven, as in any point of his surprisingly lengthy career. From his work with all members of the Breathless Racing Team to his individual pursuits, Francis reveals what makes him tick as he keeps pursuing and living his dream.
“At Breathless we pride ourselves on trying to progress with every race, leaving an event both individually and as a unit,” said Francis. “We started racing at a very grassroots level, just my father and I going to the track—eventually the next step became Mazda 2’s out in PWC and the TCB class. Now we’re running a full set up with up to five drivers running per weekend here in Trans Am. We’ve grown as a team and I’ve grown as a driver—these past two years have been a great experience for all of us.”
“The Detroit weekend was one of the bigger races of my career and absolutely one of the best wins—just going to the street course on Belle Isle, which I’ve always loved, that would have been a great experience on its own, but a victory—that was really something special. I’ve raced on the courses at St. Pete, Toronto, Houston—they’ve always been fun tracks that pull in a lot of fans. Detroit is no different. We knew we weren’t as quick with the back-up Camaro, as opposed to the Mustang we run in the championship, but I think we had some pace to show. It was just a blast to run out there, especially with all those fans and just being in Detroit, the heart of the automobile industry, is an experience.”
For Francis, every race that passes is the culmination of years of hard work, the next step in a journey that began at the age of three in the seat of something that resembled more toy than car—but from that moment on Francis has been near inseparable from all forms of racing.
“The first time I got behind the wheel was when I was three years old,” said Francis. “It was a little electric toy car, like the ones you find in Toys R Us. Then when I turned four, my dad surprised me with a kid-cart—and that was my first real racer, that’s where it all really began. I raced karts up until I was 12 years old, then when I turned 13, I hopped in a Spec Miata for the first time. I learned how to drive stick in it behind our shop for a whole year. We set up some cones and a little racetrack back there, and I’d turn lap after lap trying to get better, more accurate every day. By the time I was 15 I’d already started racing in PWC and then at 16 I was racing with Trans Am, where we’ve won our two championships.”
Still, success has not blunted nor dulled Francis’ hunger for more, nor his desire to improve on his craft—something he relentlessly pursues on a daily basis.
“It feels like I’ve spent half my life in a car,” said Francis. “We’re at the racetrack at least two to three times a month, often at Palm Beach. Every Friday night there’s a testing there and we’ll go out with one of our cars—and if we don’t take a racer, I’ll take my streetcar and just tool around the track. We always seem to be doing something, whether we’re racing, testing, driving or instructing—I’m always at the track.”
In addition to his physical preparations, Francis spends extensive time on additional preparations behind the wheel of a simulator—spending days upon days preparing for each track.
“I do a lot of sim racing, especially leading up to a race weekend,” said Francis. “In the months and weeks in advance of a race I’ll watch a lot of videos. If I was there before I’ll study my own footage—if not, I’ll study other drivers’. I’ll sleep on all that information, before putting it into practice on iRacing or any other simulator. I have a simulator at the shop and one at the house—so I’ll work with those for hours at a time, just running laps. It helps me get into the “zone” of the track, so when I get there I already know exactly where I want my lines and braking points to be—the rest is making adjustments and improving on the groundwork I’ve already put into place.”
Already, Francis is confident he has developed his own style behind the wheel, a mindset he consciously takes with him into every race, working himself into a mindset he refers to as the “zone.”
“I like to think that I’m very calm behind the wheel,” said Francis. “Before I go out, I’ll usually just sit in the car and not really say anything—I’ll just get focused. I don’t like to push too hard or be too aggressive and risk the car at the beginning of a race—I prefer to keep everything a bit safer. Once the race has begun and I’m in the “zone,” I’m not consciously thinking too much, it all just becomes reacting, feeling the natural flow of the race and the track. Ultimately my goal is consistency—it’s something I’m always focused on, making sure every lap we turn is within two or three tenths of each other. If I can put that together—I’m usually pretty confident of a good outcome.”
As with anyone’s career, Francis is currently contemplating next steps as he continues to refine his skill set—driven by a desire to continue his improvement while developing himself into a more versatile driver with a wider range of experience behind the wheel.
“The next step for me is to work on some of the finer details, the little things that came make a big difference,” said Francis. “I think I have some of the basics down and now I want to driver different kinds of cars and build that wider skill set. I’ve being driving an Audi R8 with ANSA Motorsports and driving a Porsche 911 as well— they were my first times driving with the engine behind me. I like taking on the new challenges that come with a variety of cars. My current goal is to get behind the wheel of a TA or TA2 car in Trans Am soon and keep working on taking that next step.”
It goes without say that this is not a journey Francis has undertaken on his own. Since the original toy car at the age of three, Francis has been mentored and encouraged by his father, Ernie Francis, Sr.
“It’s been a fun working with my dad this entire time,” said Francis, Jr. “We go at it sometimes, and we don’t always get along. We may disagree on things, but it makes it a lot of fun—ultimately he’s my father, and he’s always been there supporting me. He wants the best for me when I’m on track and when I’m off track. Watching what he’s done with the team itself, I’m really proud of the growth that we’ve had and the level of professionalism on and off track. I think we’ve grown a lot with the presentation, from our paddock to the cars that we run and work we do—and he’s the one who’s made that possible.”
While Francis’ is not in a hurry, he does have goals for his career while remaining open to the options the future may present him.
“I’ve always had a goal and a dream of racing in events like Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit,” said Francis. “I’ve grown up dreaming about racing at those events. Sports car racing is where my heart is, but I’m not against running any other kind of motorsports, whether it be NASCAR, Indy Lights or IndyCar. I’m open to anything, I just love racing. By the end of my career, I want to be able to say I’ve tried racing just about everything and had the opportunity to experience the famous races—those dream tracks— and made the most of the opportunities I’m given. I can’t ask for much more than that.”
Fans can learn more about Ernie Francis, Jr., at www.erniefrancisjrracing.com and follow him throughout the 2016 Trans Am Championship at @ErnieFrancisJr on Twitter or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/erniefrancisjr
