Basement simulator helps Cedarburg senior prep to race through college

CEDARBURG, Wis. - "It's all about the adrenaline and the thrill of it," said Rob Radmann.

Radmann was always meant to be a race car driver. At the age of 10, he began racing go-karts at Road America and got his wheel-to-wheel racing license at the age of 14. The Cedarburg senior, now 18, is quickly racking up wins.

"The big picture is from the SVRA Spring Vintage Festival going into Turn 6 at Road America," said Radmann. "A lot of the other trophies are from the Midwestern Council races where I won, or from Alabama."

Currently, Radmann drives his most prized possession: A 2004 Pro Formula Mazda, which ran in the Mazda Road to Indy series from 2004-2017.

"This has been our fastest and most successful race car to date," said Radmann.

They've been quite the duo -- from winning the SVRA Spring Vintage Race at Road America to the Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs' Formula Atlantic Championship in Illinois in October.

"The majority of the races we entered this year, I won in this car," said Radmann.

But with the coronavirus pandemic postponing races, and with it being winter in Wisconsin, racing has slowed down a bit, but that hasn't stopped Radmann from practicing his craft. It's not quite a video game, but Radmann has a race track simulator in his family's basement, which allows him to test out different tracks virtually.

"If we're planning on going to a new track next year, let's say, I'll jump on the simulator and start driving that track, do some laps and get familiar with it. I'll even just use it to keep my skills," said Radmann. "I'll just keep driving Road America and keep improving my laps there."

Things are looking up for Radmann in 2021. He just signed with Ralph Howard Hansen, Jr. of Pegasus Marketing, who has worked with some legendary drivers like Paul Newman and Mario Andretti.

"This car is kind of the top of our budget," said Radmann. "We can't really get any faster than this car, so we need the backing of a sponsor to help us be able to afford a faster car and to get seen more. We kind of look at sponsorships from the aspect of not what they can do for us, but what we can do for them."

Radmann is also going to IUPUI next year to study motorsports engineering, so he plans to go to school and continue to race.

"My ultimate goal is to either get into one of two series; be a paid IMSA driver, the sports car series, or an IndyCar ride," he said.