BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – From the first time that Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints regular Coleman Gulick met Canadian sim-racer Alex Bergeron, Gulick knew there was a fierce passion for competition in the teenager’s life.
After all, it was the same passion for competition that he grew up with himself and that first drove him to get behind the wheel of a race car.
Now, Gulick is working with Bergeron to give the 18-year-old a shot at achieving his racing dreams.
Gulick, 25, plans to step out of his family-owned No. 14 Scorpion Security Products sprint car a handful of times next season and put Bergeron behind the wheel, giving Bergeron his first true taste of racing outside of a simulator.
The duo’s chance friendship turned into Bergeron driving six hours from his home in Drummondville, Quebec to Gulick’s shop in New York, and now will take on an even larger significance as driver and owner next year.
“Alex actually first got ahold of me on Facebook; I didn’t know him personally, but I took a little bit of time and when I got back to him, he was just a really eager fan who wanted to help however he could,” recalled Gulick. “That was refreshing for me, because I figured he wanted something, but he quickly showed how much he loves racing and how badly he wants to be involved in the sport. The first time we actually met at (Autodrome) Drummond, he actually bought a pit pass just to say hello to me at one of my races before he went back to iRace later that night.
“He ended up coming to a few more races and we built that friendship quickly, but all throughout the journey I’ve seen how badly he wants to race. Not just to race online, but to race,” Gulick noted. “My father gave me an opportunity to become a race car driver, and I’m so thankful for the things he’s done so that I can chase my dreams. I just want to give that back, and with Alex I have that opportunity now.”
Bergeron is the top-ranked dirt iRacer in the world and has spent the last year honing his skills virtually, solely in the hopes that he could get an opportunity to extend that prowess into real life at some point.
After he made the six-hour drive to attend the recent ESS awards night, Bergeron admitted that the last thing he was expecting to hear during the banquet was that he would actually get the opportunity to get behind the wheel next season that he’s been preparing for.
“I was really surprised,” Bergeron said. “It was so heartwarming, though, and a really special moment that will stay with me for my entire life. We’ve been friends for nearly a year now, and for him to do this … I never dreamed that I would have a chance like this and to drive for one of the people I’ve looked up to is something I’m so grateful for. I can’t wait for what’s to come.”
NUAOBE Apparel – a company started by Gulick after he coined the phrase ‘Nut Up And Out-Ball ‘Em’ – will serve as one of the main backers for Bergeron in Gulick’s car, alongside team primary partner Scorpion Security Products.
It’s another parallel that Gulick sees between himself and his young protégé.
“Nut Up And Out Ball’Em is doing whatever it takes to achieve your goal,” Gulick explained. “That goal could be anything from racing to golf, in the classroom, behind a desk or in an office. It’s a lifestyle for never giving up and pushing yourself to the limit and Alex embodies everything that it stands for.”
