Canadian race car driver Tim Hauraney’s hard charging career has been one of spectacular highs and punishing lows—at one point he went from national recognition as one of the most skilled drivers in North America to working as a pizza delivery man—but Hauraney‘s combination of skill, resilience and vision has enabled to him to excel. Not content to limit himself to racing, Hauraney branched out into media, as an analyst for the Television Sports Network TSN, helming a groundbreaking series of Nissan commercials which he writes, narrates, drives and stars in, and the results have been impressive.
“No one else in North America does what I do,” Hauraney said. “And there’s still so much left for me out there, race, broadcast, a whole wealth of things related to the field. I can use my creativity and my passion to go on to do so much more. I just need to direct my energies and get the best out of it.”
Hauraney’s story is a classic tale of fate, drive and determination that began when he was a child in the remote Canadian countryside. “I grew up in Keene, a tiny village in Ontario,” he said. “There are about 200 people living in it, and I got the racing bug when I was 9, watching formula one on television with my dad.”
“I found that I really had a passion for it. I started Go Karting, building the karts, racing and all that. At 16 I got into racing school in Shannonville, Ontario, where I worked as a mechanic and raced once a month. My parents were totally onboard, they thought it was a good thing for me to pursue as a career—even when I thought it was just a hobby. But I came to understand that I was good enough and if I competed at the right level, I really could make a career of it.”
It wasn’t long before opportunity called. “I was talent spotted, and raced in the Formula Ford Championship in 2000,” Hauraney said. “And I did well enough that I became Rookie of the Year, and from there I was competing against all of the best up and comers. Even though I had a lot of mechanical issues with the car in 2001—I entered 10 races but only finished I believe only 4 or 5 of them—at the time Formula Renault was promoting young drivers, and I was tested and a won a seat driving for Condor Motorsports in the Formula Renault Championship. Formula Renault was a big step for me, it was a feeder system in Formula 1, so I would be watched by many of the current F1 teams. This was a real step up. By 2003 I was racing against the best there is.”
Hauraney’s natural prowess and skill made him a formidable competitor, but even his high-velocity resolve was sidetracked by the punishing effects of the 2009 global economic meltdown.
“When the recession hit, it affected the team’s sponsorships and really began to hamper my career—there was no money to race with,” Hauraney said. “I got an offer to race in Europe and I did that for a while but I eventually moved back to Keene and had to take a job delivering pizzas. That was a blow. That really brings you down to size.”
The dry spell didn’t last. High profile Fox Sports television host Dan O’Toole encouraged Hauraney to pitch himself as an analyst for Canada’s sports network TSN and the driver found himself with a new broadcasting career. Naturally the creative, ambitious Hauraney quickly reinvented himself into a media visionary with his on-location Nissan commercials.
“Thanks to his background as a high level race driver, we have been able to invite Tim twice to be a ‘journalist in the race’ driving our Nissan Canada Micra race car during two Nissan Micra Cup races,” Didier Marsaud, Director of Corporate Communication, said. ”This was a very different type of media coverage, with Tim, as a journalist, describing his experience on the track, in the race, and in the pack with all our other drivers.”
“Being a race analyst for TSN, the main sports news channel in Canada, Tim is a very important contact for our Nissan and Infiniti brands,” Marsaud said. “It has been a pleasure to work with him for the past two years. Tim is very professional, with a lot of attention to detail, and he’s delivered very high quality TV spots.”
Hauraney’s combination of athletic prowess, technical skill and entrepreneurial innovation qualify him as a triple threat asset with a strong track record of significant achievements, both as a racing competitor and a progressive, creative media force on both sides of the camera.
“All of these have their own rewards,” Hauraney said. “But, for me, overall it’s racing. Driving, competing, working with the engineers, learning how to push yourself and the car. It’s like you’re an athlete and a businessman and that is very rewarding. And also using my expertise as a broadcaster so people can learn about and understand everything that goes in racing, is also pretty pleasing.”
“I get a lot of joy out of it.”
“No one else in North America does what I do,” Hauraney said. “And there’s still so much left for me out there, race, broadcast, a whole wealth of things related to the field. I can use my creativity and my passion to go on to do so much more. I just need to direct my energies and get the best out of it.”
Hauraney’s story is a classic tale of fate, drive and determination that began when he was a child in the remote Canadian countryside. “I grew up in Keene, a tiny village in Ontario,” he said. “There are about 200 people living in it, and I got the racing bug when I was 9, watching formula one on television with my dad.”
“I found that I really had a passion for it. I started Go Karting, building the karts, racing and all that. At 16 I got into racing school in Shannonville, Ontario, where I worked as a mechanic and raced once a month. My parents were totally onboard, they thought it was a good thing for me to pursue as a career—even when I thought it was just a hobby. But I came to understand that I was good enough and if I competed at the right level, I really could make a career of it.”
It wasn’t long before opportunity called. “I was talent spotted, and raced in the Formula Ford Championship in 2000,” Hauraney said. “And I did well enough that I became Rookie of the Year, and from there I was competing against all of the best up and comers. Even though I had a lot of mechanical issues with the car in 2001—I entered 10 races but only finished I believe only 4 or 5 of them—at the time Formula Renault was promoting young drivers, and I was tested and a won a seat driving for Condor Motorsports in the Formula Renault Championship. Formula Renault was a big step for me, it was a feeder system in Formula 1, so I would be watched by many of the current F1 teams. This was a real step up. By 2003 I was racing against the best there is.”
Hauraney’s natural prowess and skill made him a formidable competitor, but even his high-velocity resolve was sidetracked by the punishing effects of the 2009 global economic meltdown.
“When the recession hit, it affected the team’s sponsorships and really began to hamper my career—there was no money to race with,” Hauraney said. “I got an offer to race in Europe and I did that for a while but I eventually moved back to Keene and had to take a job delivering pizzas. That was a blow. That really brings you down to size.”
The dry spell didn’t last. High profile Fox Sports television host Dan O’Toole encouraged Hauraney to pitch himself as an analyst for Canada’s sports network TSN and the driver found himself with a new broadcasting career. Naturally the creative, ambitious Hauraney quickly reinvented himself into a media visionary with his on-location Nissan commercials.
“Thanks to his background as a high level race driver, we have been able to invite Tim twice to be a ‘journalist in the race’ driving our Nissan Canada Micra race car during two Nissan Micra Cup races,” Didier Marsaud, Director of Corporate Communication, said. ”This was a very different type of media coverage, with Tim, as a journalist, describing his experience on the track, in the race, and in the pack with all our other drivers.”
“Being a race analyst for TSN, the main sports news channel in Canada, Tim is a very important contact for our Nissan and Infiniti brands,” Marsaud said. “It has been a pleasure to work with him for the past two years. Tim is very professional, with a lot of attention to detail, and he’s delivered very high quality TV spots.”
Hauraney’s combination of athletic prowess, technical skill and entrepreneurial innovation qualify him as a triple threat asset with a strong track record of significant achievements, both as a racing competitor and a progressive, creative media force on both sides of the camera.
“All of these have their own rewards,” Hauraney said. “But, for me, overall it’s racing. Driving, competing, working with the engineers, learning how to push yourself and the car. It’s like you’re an athlete and a businessman and that is very rewarding. And also using my expertise as a broadcaster so people can learn about and understand everything that goes in racing, is also pretty pleasing.”
“I get a lot of joy out of it.”
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