The Ben Mulroney Show - The next Indy or F1 star? How a GTA family is navigating the wild world of racing

Episode Date: July 16, 2025

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stop you know how fast you were going I'm gonna have to write you a ticket to my new movie the naked gun Liam Neeson. Buy your tickets now and get a free chili dog. Chili dog not included. The Naked God tickets on sale now August 1. Welcome back to the Ben Mulroney show and thank you so much for joining us on any platform that you find us on. It may be a podcast, it may be YouTube, it may be the radio, it may be a streaming app, it may be social media.

Wherever you find us, we say welcome and let's build the Ben Mulroney show together. As a dad, I really feel that if my kids were passionate about something, I'm pretty sure I would try to move mountains to help them achieve their dreams. But if it took a lot of my time, and if it costs a lot of money, I don't know if I would do it. Like, let's be honest, I might try to tell them, you know, instead of doing that, why don't you do this? I remember when they decided they didn't want to play hockey anymore. They said they didn't want to play hockey. Instead, they want to play

basketball. And I looked at that and said, I didn't want to play hockey anymore. They said they didn't want to play hockey, instead they wanted to play basketball. And I looked at that and said, I don't have to lace you up anymore. This is no pro, I don't have to buy skates anymore. I buy a basketball. It's a lot cheaper and I was very happy with that. I am now in a studio with a father son duo who are rewriting the rules as far as I'm concerned.

So what a dad will do for his son and how talented the son is. Please welcome to the show, Mayor Dionarine and his father Clive. Guys, thanks so much for being here. Thank you very much for having us and I appreciate the dad conversation and how you can really eye what your kids want

compared to what they need and what you'll support them to do. Well, let's tell them who you are and why you're here because your son is 16. I swear he looks like a freaking model. He's he's 16 and he's already well on his way to being a an established professional racer. And now, so talk to me about a big, doesn't have a driver's license yet, but he's racing cars.

So talk to me about, let's go back to the beginning and then we'll talk about the future. Talk to me about the first time your son got behind the wheel of anything. Okay. So it's an interesting story and it started with like traditional sport. He was playing baseball. One of his friends offered him to come to a birthday party at the go-kart track. He goes out and he's going in the rental carts. Perfect. Nice speed for dad. Likes it, likes watching it. Yeah.

The owner of the track says, let's put him in something a little faster. He was fast. So let's see what he's all about. How old is he? This is nine at this point. Nine. Right?

So you can imagine me at the fun parks with the rental carts It's a good speed. I'm comfortable Right and then we put him in this faster four-stroke cart right and he is he's going almost 4045 kilometers an hour at this point at nine kilometers. I literally run out on the track stop no no no wait wait wait wait wait wait wait This is way way too fast this can't happen so the order the tractor says nobody else is on the track, stop, no, no, no, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, this is way, way too fast. This can't happen. So the owner of the tractor says, nobody else is on the track. Let's just see where he gets like timing, right?

It's a finite time that if he gets to that, he's good. So he does it, he beats that time. It's very, very impressive. Yeah, as a nine year old. So I say to myself, I grew up playing football. I never drove cars. I'm not really a person to be going at a high speed. Where did he get this from?

He keeps going. They take him to Florida to do a race. He does well there. He now is 2022, right? Cause we had a little bit of a COVID blip and he is national champion. Then he goes to Italy after that national champion comes second in a race in the kind of place

where it is so strong compared to like Canada with racing. It's evident. We don't have the tradition here that exists in other parts of the world. Mayor, what did you know about racing? When you'd, I mean, you're Ricky Bobby for all intents and purposes, right? Like you just, if you ain't first, you're last.

So where did this, I don't know, it was an itch you had to scratch? Or did you just try it and you're like, this is my thing? Well, a lot of people say you get bit by the racing bug. I jumped in a go-kart for the first time. And like my dad said, he didn't like it, but I loved it. Like ever since I jumped in a go-kart for the first time and like my dad said he didn't like it but I loved it like ever since I jumped in and

Just was able to do my own kind of thing right like you you always grow up playing playing baseball or soccer you The goal is to get the ball in the net and work with a team for me. I'm out on track by myself Working to get to a time I can do whatever I possibly can to get that a time and for me I just love that I get to do my own thing and push towards one goal and that's winning. And what is the ultimate goal for you? Well the ultimate goal is Formula One right every driver who gets into motorsports ideally wants to go to Formula One and it's an expensive sport to get there. Right. If you get to Formula two, for example, which is the level beneath F1 and you're not quite good enough to make it

to the top, you can resort to anything else. There's probably thousands of different racing series around the world, which you can jump into. Okay. Let's talk about, so you're the racer and Clive, you're the dad. So you said you played football and you are one of our brave members of the fire department in the GTA. So thank you for your service. But you, I'm sure like talk to me about what it's like to be a dad supporting a son with a dream like this, because it's gotta can't be cheap. No, no, it is definitely not cheap. But

again, knowing that your Child is good at something knowing they want to pursue it. It's like you said at the beginning of the show supporting them and doing that is My goal right and moving mountains to try and do that Well in my world working overtime to be able to do that. So like the the understanding is world working overtime to be able to do that. So like the understanding is it is an expensive sport. At the point where we started in the go-karts, tires have to be put on, testing has to be done

to be at the front of the grid. It's a technological and innovative world when it comes to racing. And in saying that, you have to be on the forefront. If you are using last year's software, you're not going to be at the front. You have to be very innovative with your approach. And that's why like moving forward, the support that I give him is based on obviously the dollars and being able to manage his, his popularity, right? He is getting a lot of

offers to move into a different series. He is getting a lot of offers to move into a different series. He is a very good racer, one of the top five here in Canada, and that shows its way across the world. So being able to talk to sponsors, garner those dollars that we need to move forward is most important. I gotta ask, how much of your day is taken up doing this?

More than a full day, basically. Okay, you know what, I'm sure it's a lot, but let me rephrase it. It must, if he shows the dedication, then it must be worth it for you. Absolutely, absolutely. And it was hard answering that question. I don't know if my fire chief's listening,

so I don't wanna say the whole day that I've been spent doing it, but it's a lot, right? So between the emails, the conversations, the working, the marketing, I'm finding out is not a one time and done, it's a relationship that has to be built with, over time, you would see that flourish. The initial is very hard. We have a charity that we use in that meantime,

which is Road to Racing, which gives amateur racers the ability to move forward with funding. And that funding coming from a donation from a foundation gets a taxable receipt and mayors able to raise. That is who has put in most of our dollars to this point and without partners, without community, it would be very hard for me,

knowing that I'm not in a position to be able to afford everything that is required for the progression that he needs. Yeah, well, listen, I'm assuming you're learning as you're going, because as he goes to the next level, that's a new level you've never been to before. You're learning because it's a new, it's a new, like, I don't know what the tiers are,

but you're at the next tier, and then you're at the next tier as the dad. So the fact that you guys are doing this together, you guys must be closer than ever. We are, right? And it's kind of like I mentioned that COVID blip there. It was, we were doing those rental carts, pandemic happened, the carting track opened up, and then we kind of

have never left each other's side for almost five years. All right, guys, don't go anywhere. This conversation needs to continue. We're gonna talk about what it's like in a car at 16. What are the emotions? What are the emotions for your dad as he's watching you take on these incredible speeds at and things are gotta be dangerous and what you have to do to get to the highest level possible. That's coming up next. Don't go anywhere. This is the Ben Mulroney Show. Welcome back to the Ben Mulroney Show. We have been in conversation with Mayor and his

dad Clive. Mayor is the driver and the money man is Clive. This is a fantastic story. Like I didn't know what to expect when you guys walked in. If you're looking for sponsorship, the vehicle is right here. This is the golden boy. Every sponsor in the world should want to get behind him. He's good looking. He's polite. He tucks in his shirt. He defers to his dad check, check, check, check, check And he's good at what he does There you go sells itself. That's it right? Uh done set spike, right? Like i'm i'm hoping uh people listening can see that and hear that I guess to uh to understand where Where the need is for community, right? And if you are

looking to put in dollars, you're looking to help out on that journey. Like I said, we have our Road to Racing charity that is there to be able to help with people that aren't thinking of sponsoring or wanting to invest. You can go to Road to Racing, you can go to Mayor's website, mayordeonoring.com. You can click on the donation link, and that's where a lot of help comes to Road to Racing, you can go to Mayor's website, mayordionnering.com. You can click on the donation link and that's where a lot of help comes to get to this journey. But Clive, one last question for you and then I'm gonna turn the microphone over to the star.

But talk to me about, what kind of money are we talking about here? Okay, so like the seasons are high and again, I'm gonna quantify it a little bit. With us buying tires for our cars, yes, they may last three years, right? May last two years depending on how you're driving. Mayor has his tires that last one race and so knowing that like I said being on the forefront of everything

if you are using used tires for your race, you're not going to be winning. All right, give me a number. Okay, so this year it's going to be 500,000 so half a million dollars for the season. And next year with that progression, we're looking at 1.2 million dollars. Wow. And so Mayor, when you hear those numbers, like you just started in a go-kart and now you're dealing with millions of dollars, is that pressure? Like, how do you see it? Because you're the other side of the equation. Well, I see it as motivation right you really have to work to to get what you want and for us as drivers

we have to work with our marketing team to make sponsorship possible, right so 12% of Everything that happens in the racing world is on track. It's the rest of it is off track I can't stress it enough right you're working so hard off track You're on the simulator practicing for the next race that you have coming up You're in meetings with your marketing team or your dad trying to find sponsorship But then you have the part where you go out on track and you really forget about all that But at the same time it's in the back of your head that you really really have to drive because there's a lot of people putting

In money to try and get you where you want to go. And you're trying to get to where you want to go as quickly as possible. It is inherently dangerous. What's it like for you when you are pushing speeds you probably haven't pushed before? Well, I mean, for a lot of people, they really only go maybe 140 on the 401 if you're speeding. But for us, I've the fastest I've ever gone is about 300 kilometers an hour. Okay, dad, when you hear that, come on, like, my dad would get mad at me if I if I was in my car and he thought I was going to a bad you're gonna slow down, you're gonna slow down like 30. I haven't even gotten out of first gear.

It's true. And you know what? It's like you mentioned in the fire service. The biggest thing is like with that job, there's inherent dangers, but the training is important, right? So if you have that training, understanding and knowledge of what you're doing and you are perfecting your craft, it becomes more of a simulation, right? Of what you're doing in low frequency and in high competency is our world

and Mayor's world is the same way. So I see the training, I see the dedication, I see the knowledge that he has and it makes me confident to know that yes, it is inherently dangerous just like firefighting, but having the understanding gives me comfort. But how do you feel when he's in a race and you're you're watching it?

Are you holding your breath? I'm not I'm by myself. I'm usually isolated away kind of thinking of the next points mayor will have some interesting comments about this, but I I guess I do have a moment where I think about results and it's never really about safety. But again, I say that but when the red flag comes out, the first thing I look to is who's the car that's in danger. So it is there.

Amer, if you don't have a result that you're happy with, who's more critical, you or your dad? Well, I'll figure out what I did wrong. That's the first thing I'll do. Like I won't blame anyone else. It'll be me, I'm the first one to blame. And I will go through every scenario in my head to figure out what I did wrong

and what could have happened differently to make me be at the front, right? Honestly, last year at Toronto Indy, for example, we did a lot of training and preparation, and the first half of the first race was not going well for me at all. I think I was in fifth, and there was three classes last year, so three different types of engines. I was fifth in my class, and there was a couple

of other cars mixed in between us. And at that point, I started really getting frustrated and trying to figure out what I can do. And I went through a couple scenarios in my head as I was driving, which is something you don't really think about, right? Once you get into a state of driving, everything just goes quiet. You just basically, yeah, you're in a simulation. You're just turning in for a corner. You're breaking. You don't even realize it. Yeah, you're doing what you've trained to do. Exactly. Yeah. So you have time to think about other things.

And I figured some stuff out and we just started going up to the field really quickly and started gaining time. And honestly, that's really what you have to do as a racing driver. So, and you won all three of your races? Exactly, yeah, last year, all three. We dominated, as I say. OK, so talk to me about the challenges of getting sponsors, because like I said, photogenic, check, polite, check, like looks the part and clearly drives the part.

So what are the challenges? It's the business side. Like Mayor said, 75% of what we are doing is based on the motorsports business. I put out fires, so business is not my strongest point, so I can have the conversation, I can get people to like Mayor, I can get people to really attract to him, but I have to get those business accurate.

Oh, you don't have to do that, it happens naturally. Well, I'm hoping, right? And so those conversations, the introductions, just getting to know Mayor, anybody would see what you're seeing. Just getting them in front of those individuals is the challenge.

So anybody listening out there, knowing that Ben's description of Mayor and the possibilities that exist, especially with his skill, how marketable he is, he is definitely prime for a big sponsor and the opportunity to move forward listen I've met a lot of stars I've interviewed a lot of stars some of the biggest movie stars in the world

This guy is a matinee idol who clearly drives like a bat out of hell So who's sponsoring you right now? Yeah, so currently we have road to racing as my dad mentioned. They're a charitable organization that allows anyone to donate to a driver and be eligible for a charitable tax receipt. Another one we have is ASIS. So ASIS computers is someone who we brought on board last year about mid-year and they've helped a lot. Not just in like the funding area but they've helped me with basically products.

So I have a sim at home, right? And we need monitors, PCs, wheels, steering wheels, and pedals to be able to run that, right? And it costs a lot, but they jumped in, they helped me with that. They paid for basically the whole thing. And honestly, that helps a lot. Yeah. Is there one more?

Yeah, well, we have OVO Drake that is there as well. And that has given us some prestige. So prestige. Yes. And it puts us in a place where a lot of eyes are on us, but it also puts us in a place where there's a lot of eyes on us too. So we want to make sure that everybody understands where our partners are helping us, getting us exposure, getting us funding.

And again, if anybody's listening and wants to help on those two fronts, Mayor does race in the Toronto Indy this weekend coming up. That's awesome. Looking for funding, looking for sponsors, and always looking for that additional help for the series coming up for the winter of 2025 and 2026. Well, I'm so glad that I was able to have you on this show and hopefully the word gets out

because there's nothing I would like more than to see you fulfill your destiny. And then maybe your dad can take a little bit of a break because he's clearly hustling, hustling, hustling, hustling. To the both of you, to Mayor Dionarine and Clive, I say thank you so much. I wish you the very best. Stay safe and just drive like the wind.

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