Pato Day Event Recap
Pato Day Recap and Interview
Nothing quite brightens up the room like nearly 300 young students cheering in excitement when Pato O’Ward walked into the room. We are proud to orchestrate an event, in collaboration with our partners Arrow McLaren and Mission Foods, and create a day for students to remember forever.
We had activities all day, including photo opportunities, toy model building, flag-weaving, and more! Of course, one of our big highlights was being able to listen to Pato speak about his path into racing as well as what it’s like to race in an IndyCar. Here’s some of our favorite moments and quotes!
What training did you have to do?
”I always tell people, you can spot out a racing driver from afar by the size of their neck. That’s because in the car, we’re strapped in right, we’ve got belts here and here,” he said gesturing towards his torso and shoulders, “but there’s nothing holding onto your head… So imagine you’re going 200 something miles an hour, and you go 200 to 40 in the span of a hundred and fifty feet… Everybody’s had a birthday? The sensation, the closest thing that I can tell you that feels like that, when you’re braking in a racecar, is when you have the cake in front of you and all your friends are like grabbing your head and smashing you onto the cake. That’s exactly what that feels like, you just can’t keep your head up.
A student wanted to know, when did you know you wanted to become a professional racecar driver?
”Ooh… So when I was younger it was a hobby, and then it started to turn into something a little bit more serious, and when I kinda flipped the switch and I said, ‘This, I’m putting put all my eggs in one basket and this is what I want to do with the rest of my life’. I first of all went into my first Formula One race in Montreal, I was invited by a friend of mine who was actually somewhat, not related to mclaren, but his father had tables at the McLaren hospitality, so I actually joined McLaren that weekend where Lewis won in 2012 in Montreal, and that was the race where…. I just… I had no idea what any of that was, obviously I knew it was racecars and it was formula one, but there was so much more… every feeling that I had was heightened. Even before I got to the circuit, back when when the engines were v8’s, they would just scream and you could be able hear them three miles away from the track, and before i got to the track I was like… Oh my god, this is life to me, this is what I wanna hear for the rest of my life.
How old were you when you got into racing?
”So, I started when I started when I was six… I started in go karts, obviously I didn’t start in a big car like this,” he said, gesturing to the Arrow McLaren Dallara SP DW12 IndyCar #5. ”To be honest, when you’re a kid you look into it like I really wish I could do this for the rest of my life, I wish to do this as a job, and it’s really like a dream. There’s quite a small window of opportuntity in order to do this, there’s 20 seats in formula one, there’s 27 in IndyCar, there’s another 20-something in Nascar…. It’s tough and, you know, it’s been a long journey.”
Who inspired you to start driving?
”It’s a really good question… it really was my grandfather. My grandfater is a massive car nut, who was also a very close friend of [Juan Gonzales, Chairman of the Board of Mission Foods], and he is the culprit as to why I do this now, as a job. He’s the one that kind of passed on the love for motorsports to me, and he’s uh… He’s truly the one who got me on board to wanting to do this for the rest of my life.”
Pato Day: O’Ward awarded an Award, and Signed for Students!
We were excited to present to Pato our Icon Award, in celebration of his inspiration to many as the up-and-coming Mexican IndyCar driver. In reflecting on his journey to become part of a prestigious group of racers, O’Ward emphasizes that you can do anything you set your mind to, and with hard work and practice, you’ll get to where you want to be.
Pato also offered to sign items for the students, who had some pretty interesting requests including shoes, gift cards, t-shirts, water bottles, and more.
Thank You to Our Partners Arrow McLaren and Mission Foods
A special thank-you to our partners, Arrow McLaren and Mission Foods for collaborating with us to make this event possible. It was a great success, and very heartwarming to see the impact we were able to make today. We look forward to more opportunities like this to engage with the community and students, to help offer inspiration to everyone.
Pato Day Wrap-Up
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Pato Day! We had a great turnout, and it was awe-inspiring to see and hear just how excited the kids were to meet Pato.
Throughout the day we had many activities, including model car building, flag-weaving, car design, and more! Stay tuned for more events like this, and if you want to visit us for fun activities, stop by the activity center on the second floor and keep an eye out for our monthly Little Sparks and Teen Auto Workshop events.
