A local race car driver earned second place in the Ultimate Cup Series at Magny-Cours France over the weekend.

David Richert, who grew up on a farm in between Ile des Chenes and Niverville, says he was happy to finish the race with a good qualifying time despite difficult weather conditions while coming in second was “absolutely fantastic”.

“It’s more the experience for me as a driver,” explains Richert as to his aim throughout the event, “to be able to go on an elite race car circuit like this, just spend time in the car improving my skills and abilities but also to do well with the racing team.”

Richert reveals the relevance of gelling with his racing team as his next dream is to race in one of the world’s most prestigious events, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France.

The journey so far started out in 2002 after Richert turned on the TV, saw some formula one racing, and decided it looked “like a heck of a lot of fun”. After racing for over a decade, Richert decided to dedicate himself to the sport and has “been able to put food on the table by doing it” since 2013.

“I’ve had a ton of support from people in our community and I’ve also had a very key group of investors who bought shares in my racing career,” reveals Richert, “and so part of that is, I just promised I would be %100 dedicated to racing and have that as my focus.”

That focus has paid off as Richert has already achieved a number of his goals. “Probably the most fun I had, or the biggest dream come true, was to race the Monaco Grand Prix at the Formula One."

According to Richert, the race circuit is only open once a year when they close down the streets of Monaco for the major sporting event.

“So, to be able to go from driving tractors on a farm in Manitoba to driving race cars in Monaco, that was the culmination of a dream.”

Richert finished with 7th and 6th place positions among approximately 20 other drivers in his second and third races while being awarded the Auto HEBDO Trophy for a driver’s performance deemed remarkable both on and off the track.