Rookie Season (2022)
2022
Documentary
Rookie Season (2022)
2022
Documentary
Plot summary
Frank DePew has bought a professional motorsports team and now has one hell of a ride in their Rookie Season racing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series. But this isn't a story of one person chasing his dream. This true story's theme relates to anyone who has chosen to reach for a higher challenge in their life, or career, or family. Along the way we meet professional drivers Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis who pull out all the stops to achieve success for Frank's new team.As the documentary opens, we are jammed into the cockpit of a race car and are eye-to-eye with a driver chasing a win. Yet we are also in the middle of a longer story that includes adversity and overcoming the teething pains of competing against bigger, better teams. Trying to achieve the top step of the podium makes us not want to tap the Pause Button.We see a struggle of overcome rookie mistakes, team errors, and disappointments early in their first season racing at this level. Their philosophy of building long-term relationships is strained as Frank crashes out of his first two races in disgrace. It takes a few more races for the team to find its stride and finally win a mid-season race by outwitting those "bigger, better" teams.Along the way, we learn a good deal about respect for each other and never giving up. About giving back to the fans who come by for a visit, and sparking their youngsters' interest in motorsports.As this story comes to its end, we see Frank's race team confounded in an improbable effort to win again. We are jammed back into that same cockpit, and the same situation we saw at the outset of the movie. Trying again to notch one more win during the final minutes of a race at "America's National Park of Speed", Road America. Do not fall asleep in the final laps of a great race finish.