Behind the Helmet: Christmas Edition

No matter where in the world our drivers are celebrating  the holidays, they all have one thing in common, they're spending time with family. We asked our drivers and staff about some of their favorite Christmas memories, how they spend their holiday and their favorite gift they've ever given at Christmas:

Drivers and Staff: 

  • Jose Blanco, F4 U.S. Driver,  Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport, San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Logan Cusson,  F3 Americas Driver, Jensen Global Advisors, Toronto, Canada 
  • Blake Upton, F3 Americas Driver, Global Racing Group: Sammamish, Washington 
  • Sydney Davis Yagel, SCCA Pro Racing General Manager, Houston, Texas 

How do you spend your holiday?

Jose- During the holidays, I like to spend time with my family and friends.  In Puerto Rico, it doesn’t get cold like other places, so we get to enjoy outdoor activities and do the things we would do on summer.  I also like to go through the island and explore different places. 

Logan- I usually spend the holidays close to home with my loved ones.  

Blake- My family and I always go up to our cabin in the mountains in Washington. It is so nice waking up to 2 to 3 feet of fresh powder on the morning of Christmas Day. We always have toll house cinnamon rolls and open presents whenever everyone gets up. It’s a magical experience every year. 

 What is your favorite Christmas/holiday memory?

Jose- My favorite Christmas memory was last year when I went to you Europe to spend time with family and friends.- 

Logan- My favorite Christmas memory is the annual trip to a tree farm to cut down a holiday tree. The whole family stomps around for searching and searching and we almost always end up with a tree we saw in the first five minutes!

Blake- My favorite Christmas memory is when I was 14. Everyone from my family in Kansas and Minnesota came to our cabin in Washington state for the whole week. It was great to see everyone and I couldn’t have asked for anything better than that. 

Sydney- I was probably 8 or 9, and we were spending Christmas at my grandparents house. I woke up super early and snuck downstairs to see what Santa brought, thinking no one else was awake. But I heard my dad, so I ran and hid under a large chair. The same chair he came in and sat on to read the paper. I laid in silence for what felt like an hour until he got up and went to shower. I snuck back upstairs, and went back to bed, never looking to see what Santa brought

What was your favorite gift that you gave someone else during the holiday season?

Jose- My favorite gift that I gave someone else was to my mom when I surprised her with her favorite creams and perfumes.

Logan- My favorite gift I gave someone else during the holidays was a custom set of silver cuff links for my Dad with my finger print embedded in them.  

Blake- Every gift given in our family is well thought through and comes from the heart. 

Sydney- When my husband and I first started dating, I bought him his first racing helmet. I wasn’t quite ready to share my racecar with him though. He had to wait a few years.