John Cooper student hopes for career in racing

THE WOODLANDS, Texas –– Alec Udell ran into trouble his first day racing at the Honda Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The John Cooper School sophomore and professional race car driver had a differential fail in his Ford Mustang Boss 302R this past weekend. The next day, the ignition had problems. But on day three the car agreed to get in the race and The Woodlands resident ended up finishing in 14th place.

This was the first race of the season for Udell, who has been racing cars for about two years after racing go-karts in places as far flung as Egypt, Mexico and Canada. In 2008 he was the National Points Champion in Rotax for go-karts; in 2010 he was the Rock Island Gran Prix winner in both Rotax and Tag Junior, also for racing go-karts.

After moving up to racing cars such as the Mazda Miata, he’s placed 2nd in the 2011 Regional Points Championship for the Spec Miata category.

“My whole family has always been very supportive,” Udell said. “They try to make it out to races when they can and it’s really cool to see the people you love while you’re doing the things you love.”

Udell’s racing bug started when he was five years old, he said, after his grandfather gave him a go-kart. Before long the Dallas native, whose family moved to The Woodlands about seven years ago, was racing go-karts professionally. Udell’s family owns Motorsports Development Group in Conroe.

As for the future, he said he would “love to” turn racing into his career, while balancing college.

“When I graduate from high school, I want to keep racing,” he said. “As long as I can keep up with school work.” At John Cooper, for example, he has to maintain ‘honorable’ status with his grades to continue racing. In college, he said he may try to pursue a degree in business or international relations.

If he has a racing hero it would be Mark Donohue, the New Jersey native also known as “Captain Nice,” a racer known for his knack in setting up his cars and then racing them to victory, his victory at the 1972 Indianapolis 500 and his success in racing both open- and closed-wheel cars.

“I hope I can live up to those standards,” Udell said.

Donohue died after walking away from a crash while prepping his car before a race in Austria but later succumbing to a cerebral hemorrhage.

The track hasn’t always been smooth for Udell either. Last year, in a race in Canada, Udell hit a tirewall head-on and flipped his Camaro over in a serious crash. He walked away with just whiplash however.

“The way the cars are built now, they’re much safer than before,” he said. He prefers to race closed-wheel cars as well, which he said are safer, more fun to drive and more relatable for spectators.

In the meantime, he’ll continue to work hard and not be content even with a championship title.

“Sometimes winning isn’t enough,” he said. “You always have to keep pushing yourself to get better...there’s always someone out there that can beat you.”