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| Features |
| Who Is Darren Elliott? |
| Article by: - by Jeffrey Franz |
 | | Darren Elliott at the SKUSA SuperNationals, November 2000. |
Recently, Darren Elliott surfaced at Lake Perris Raceway in California for the first round of the SKUSA Mission Region series. Given that Elliott's SuperPro license precluded him from scoring points at that event, his motivation for showing up might have struck some onlookers as being slightly odd.
And when the heavens opened up and a steady rain began to fall, many teams packed up their gear and called it a day. Yet there was Elliott, sitting on the grid waiting for practice to begin, with all the eagerness of a five year old who's been granted permission to play in the puddles down the driveway.
When race time arrived, Elliott and the two other SuperPro entries voluntarily started from the rear of the grid. Basking in the wet conditions, Elliott methodically worked his way through the entire S1 field, making a sublime pass for the lead with just a few laps remaining.
In the aftermath of the Mission regional race, Elliott made a few remarks that gave a glimpse into his personality and that which served to motivate him.
"I haven't had the chance to run in the rain very often. Part of racing is believing that you're unstoppable, but I had to get out there and prove to myself that I had the car control to drive in those conditions, to start at the back and then get all the way to the front. I needed to know. If people remember me for anything at all after I've stopped karting, I just want to be known as a guy who had car control."
That desire to test his abilities in the soggy conditions is an important key in figuring out how Elliott gained a reputation for being somewhat of an enigma, an aloof driver with seemingly not a lot of time for anyone. It is representative of that which ultimately explains his behavior on a given race weekend, and could be summarized as a passionate commitment, an intangible factor found in all walks of life that pushes a few, select people beyond what might normally be expected of them. Such fervent devotion is not always a pretty sight to behold, and it is frequently mistaken for arrogance, selfishness, or both.
The roots of that enthusiasm for motorsport can be traced to Elliott's youth while growing up in Canyon Country, California. His racing career began in the form of motocross and BMX, and he dabbled in them throughout his youth and early teens. After an absence from racing for a few years, he took up motocross again in 1992, but as he approached his thirtieth birthday, he began to wonder if perhaps the risks involved simply were no long worth taking. Soon after, the chance to make the transition to karts arrived in the form of a free motorcycle.
"I won a Yamaha 125 dirt bike at this club event, and what's odd is that the club was called SSC," remembers Elliott. "I looked at that Yamaha for a few days, just sitting in my garage, until I realized what I really wanted was a kart. So, I looked around for a place where I could make a trade. I eventually ended up at MTC Racing in Las Vegas, and I traded that Yamaha in for a used Tonykart. That was in January of 1996."
"I then went to Adams Kart Track and practiced for a day, then ran three races out at Vegas. I think I finished eighth, then third, and then I won that third race."
 | | A broken axle key was all that kept Elliott from a 2000 SKUSA World Finals win. |
From there, Elliott drove for Renspeed for about a year before hooking up with the vaunted SSC Racing outfit based in Palm Springs, California. After initially paying his own way to drive, the team picked up Elliott as a factory driver and as time progressed, he came to be synonymous with SSC and CRG.
Of course, Darren's longtime association with the team begs the question of his relationship with team president Joe Ramos.
"We have a different relationship than when we started out. Back then, it was a lot of business, as we were both trying to receive the most for our money. But as time went on, I think we grew to respect each other's value, and it turned into a friendship and respectful partnership. Joe provides me with the support I need, and I do my best to deliver the goods."
Elliott puts a note of finality on this topic, as he clearly states an important facet of the partnership he and Ramos have shared.
"Everything he ever said he would do for me, he's gone out and done it."
Under the SSC/CRG tent, Elliott and his team began to make their presence known on the American sprint shifter kart scene. A victory at the 1998 SKUSA SuperNationals was the prelude to a 1999 season that saw him earn three wins out of six ProMoto Tour events.
"In '99, we wanted to go out and prove that we could be a dominant force. It was a huge effort, but we succeeded," Elliott recalls. "Then last year, as could be seen throughout the season, we moved away from that level of commitment."
Despite that scaled-back effort during the 2000 season, Elliott still put his name among the standouts of the year. He notched a win in the Thrill Promotions series, dominated all facets of the ProMoto round in Barrie, Ontario, then qualified on the pole for the World Finals and looked a walk-away winner until he was sidelined just four laps from the checkered.
And as the 2001 season approaches, Elliott's appearance at the Mission regional, in what amounted to little more than a personal practice race, was likely indicative of a relaxed approach to the coming year. Significantly, the Perris race marked the first time Darren had driven a kart since last fall's SuperNats; he seems content to run only in selected events, preferring to let spontaneous enthusiasm dictate the terms of his involvement.
"With that massive effort we put into racing in the past, it allowed us to maybe, just maybe, touch the edges of the spotlight," contemplates Elliott. "But part of the appeal of not putting so much effort into racing means that I can sit back and watch the other guys shine. Guys like Scott Speed, who deserves every bit of success he's earned. I feel that way about Michael Valiante as well. Even though he and I had a bit of a beef at a race last year, I don't know if he knows how much I respect him. He's earned that Atlantic ride. And Kyle Martin, who's shown in the past that he has the potential to dominate. Now, he needs to go out there and show that dominance."
Laughing, Elliott is quick to add, "Maybe if Kyle gets a good winning streak going this year, I'll have to show up and try to break it."
With the mention of Michael Valiante's recent signing with Lynx Racing in the Toyota Atlantic series, it seemed the right moment to address one of the issues that surrounds a man approaching his mid-thirties; is Darren Elliott content driving karts?
The question earns a thoughtful pause. "I've found the need to be content. At this point in my life, chasing other forms of driving would not be highly recommended. I wanted to drive like you can't imagine, but with my age and the fact that they would take only the younger drivers for the scholarship programs, whether I could smoke them or not, was the real issue."
If Elliott's contentment to remain in karting came about from practical considerations, it nevertheless has freed him from the burden of career self-promotion, yet another factor that separates him from most aspiring racers. It also secures his privacy but possibly makes his sponsors cringe. As Bo Herren of MTC Racing good-naturedly remarked, "Darren couldn't sell a snowcone if it was 130 degrees outside."
Regardless, that Elliott would add to the worth of any serious karting outfit goes without saying. In the aftermath of SSC Racing's decision to halt its factory effort, Elliott asked the team for the funds to continue driving under their banner. And from that, the notion began to spread that he expects too much from a team in terms of their monetary commitment to the overall project.
One wonders if those rumors were well-founded, and there is no hesitation from Elliott on this issue.
"I'd say those rumors are probably true. But, it is important that people know where it comes from. I don't have any doubt that, in the right atmosphere, we could go out and win the Number One plate. And while people may not believe it, the cash is not the issue for me. The money that's needed to dominate at that level is substantial, and more than anything, a team willing to put up those resources shows that it understands the effort that it takes to win."
What may sound like standard rhetoric is anything but that when taken in the context of Elliott's ability to unleash a consummate dedication. He expects the best from himself, and he demands a similar commitment from those with whom he works. Perhaps that is why the karting people who Darren calls friends are the same ones who've worked alongside him in the trenches. They share his vision of what it means to succeed, whether it's the pursuit of an extra half-horsepower or an extra tenth on the stopwatch.
Combine all those factors, and the result is a karting public who simply doesn't know what to make of the enigma. And as it turns out, that's what Elliott intended all along.
 | | Darren Elliott runs in the rain at Perris Kart Track, February, 2001 |
"Something that I've felt while racing karts, is that it was important to not let people know who I was or what I was thinking. That way, when they'd go deep into a corner with me, side by side, it kept them guessing. So in the past, I didn't know anybody and I really didn't care to. Maybe people didn't like me for it, but the reality was that the less they knew about me, the more they'd hesitate to force an issue. And it worked; there were times when people used to wave me past for fifth or even fourth spot."
Yet as much as he purposely did little to counter the notion that he was a private, detached competitor, one can get a good sense of Elliott's nature when he talks about the relationship he's cultivated with MTC Racing's engine guru, Art Lanier.
"As much as I may talk about how I've acted in the past, there are other people that I owe something to. In reality, one of the bigger things that motivates me to race, is to do this for my friend, Art. He's done more for me than any human could ever do for another, and we have a deep appreciation for each other, in that we've come to realize that neither one of us could do it without the other."
"And when all the racing is done, we'll still be best of friends; we'll go ride bikes, or build a dune buggy, or do something like that together."
Such words are certainly a contrast to the reputation that Elliott carved out for himself, and the explanation could perhaps be found in his closing words.
"In '99, when I wanted to dominate as much as possible, I pretty much decided that I wouldn't have any friends. I was there for a reason, and that was to win. I always figured that after I'm all done having that sort of intense focus, I could just make it up to people later."
"Now, maybe that's what I'm doing by talking about it openly and letting people know where I was coming from. It's my way of saying, this is who I really am." |
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