Coming from one sport and conquering a new, totally different sport is a unique achievement that only a few individuals have experienced. To do so requires a combination of special skills and the ability to transition from one situation to a completely different one. David Roberts is one such individual who has been able to beat the odds, completely change his career and become successful in a totally different sport than the one he started out in.
David is a mixed martial arts fighter who has a background in motor racing. Since his teenage years, David has been fascinated with cars, and got his start in the world of motor racing like so many other professional drivers do; through go-karting. His passion for kart racing made him spend all his savings purchasing an old used kart and a second-hand truck for transporting his kart to the racetrack. He pursued his dream passionately, and every Wednesday after school, he would take his kart to his local racetrack. With persistence and determination, David eventually became skilled enough to compete in professional kart races. Soon enough afterwards, he became a truly professional racing driver, competing in prototype and GT3 racing.
He created a name for himself in the racing world in 2015 when he was featured on a stunt driving show and landed a sponsorship with Vape Prescriptions, a tobacco company. From this point onward, David's racing career continued to flourish. He won various events, which include the 2016 Radical Cup, the 2018 Pirelli World Challenge while driving for Audi, and the 2019 24-Hour Series while driving for Porsche. As much as he wanted to continue pursuing his racing career, however, he kept running into setbacks. He found that practicing his driving every day was impossible, due to the high maintenance cost associated with race cars as well as the lack of available tracks.
This drove him to find an alternative to car racing. Growing up in a harsh environment where he was often bullied was one of the driving factors that planted the seed of competition within him. The death of his younger brother, however, was the real catalyst that prompted him to seriously try out a career in fighting. In contrast to the racetrack, the gym was always open, and David soon found himself attending it every day. He also found comfort in the fact that his new career choice wasn’t nearly as financially demanding; boxing gloves don’t require maintenance like race cars do.
His experience in his racing career made him less afraid to take risks, and this carried over well into his fighting career. He is currently undefeated in his seven professional boxing and MMA bouts.
To David, the most significant challenge to one’s success always lies within themselves; he challenges other people not to dwell on their past failures. They must live their present and prepare for the future. He sees himself becoming as successful in fighting as he was in racing, and hopes to inspire other athletes to follow their dreams by proving that nothing is impossible.
Photography by:
