Irish driver Lucca Allen is no stranger to living abroad as he pursues the adrenaline-filled and fast-paced life of racing.
From a young age the Cork-born driver has had to relocate to countries across the world to chase his Formula 1 dream, and most recently found himself living and racing in Japan.
In just a few years of being away from Ireland, the Irish driver has already racked up some impressive results in the world of single-seater racing, and says he’s nowhere near done yet.
For him, the decision to move away from Ireland was easy, and despite all the same hardships other’s living abroad face, he’s now following in the footsteps of motorsport legends like Michael Schumacher, as well as Ireland’s Eddie Irvine and David Kennedy.
After starting to compete in Irish karting championships at the tender age of nine, Allen says he knew “fairly early on” that he would need to race abroad if he was to have a real shot at the big time championships.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, he said: “Since my early days in karting I loved watching all the junior formula racing categories, so I knew fairly early on - around 10 - 11 - that in order to pursue my goals I would need to race abroad in competitive grids along with the other young best drivers internationally.”
The 19-year-old is on a rare respite at home in Ireland at the moment, but says once a final agreement is confirmed for the year ahead, he’ll likely be making yet another move.
“This year a final agreement is yet to be confirmed. But I will most likely be in central Europe with the hope of returning to Asia in the following three years.”
Behind all successful workers across every imaginable field is supportive family and friends back home and Lucca says: “I am really grateful to come from such a supportive family that will always encourage me to chase my passions.
“From a young age my father would always come with me to all races although it took up so much time.”
He may only be approaching 20, but Lucca already has a major championship win under his belt after competing in the FIA F4 Asia championship in 2019 - and even made history as the youngest Irish driver to do so.
Speaking about his triumph he said: “Winning an FIA certified championship is an achievement every racing driver wants to someday achieve.
“Also being the youngest ever Irish driver to do so is a nice record to have.”
Entering into the world of racing, at the level Lucca is already at - and where he hopes to be in years to come - takes a strong backbone, patience and a lot of graft.
The championship winner explained: “In this sport it’s incredibly hard to reach the top, so many factors come into a sport such as motorsport.
“At this stage of my career it’s just as much a business as a sport.
“During the off-season I am still working endlessly to ensure the best opportunities for the coming season such as teams, engineers, sponsors etc.
“Driving fast is important, but it’s just half of it.”
He went on to say: “It wasn’t until I turned 16 I think I fully realised how hard this journey would be and I knew I needed to find a way to make it work.
“These days, unless you have a spare €5 million in the bank, racing on the European F3/F2 route isn’t an option.
“Both Japan and America have proven to give drivers more opportunity and for manufacturers and sponsors to support their career.
“Japan attracted my attention due to its racing category’s track record in producing F1 drivers such as Eddie Irvine, Micheal Schumacher, and David Kennedy.
“Hopefully I can join that list in years to come!”
As for a normal day in the life of a 19-year-old racing driver, Allen revealed: “A normal day for me would start with my physical training at 8:00 am, then I would usually sit myself in a cafe doing sponsor/media work for up to three-four hours.
“This would consist of researching, creating decks, phone calls, emails etc. I would always try to schedule a meeting for after lunch three days a week, whether it’s business or networking.
“I would then either do another gym session or mental training such as yoga or meditation and then relax for the evening.”
His schedule may be packed at the moment, and despite the incredibly difficult route he must take to reach the point of racing against the best drivers in the world his mind is firmly set on his future goals.
Speaking about his potential to reach the Formula One grid, he said: “I think it’s still a realistic goal.
“Don’t get me wrong, with the barriers of entry to F1 these days it will be a massive uphill battle.
“But I have a vision on how I’m going to do it and I will do all I can.
“I owe it to my family and supporters that have believed in me from the start to at least try my best and have belief.”
While most living people at home dream of greener pastures elsewhere in the world, being away from friends and family can be tough even if you’re chasing a dream, and it’s no different for Lucca.
“Although I will never take for granted the great experience and opportunities living abroad comes with, moving to the other side of the world without any friends, family, language or even knowing anyone can take a big mental toll,” he admitted.
“My motivation and love for the sport was definitely what got me through the first 6-8 months, it was the best option for me at the time and I will always try to do what’s best for my career.”
Although he gets to return to Ireland for three or four months a year, Lucca says for now, “I can’t really see myself settling fully back in Ireland as the opportunities in Motorsport here are scarce - although life in Ireland can be much more comforting, for lack of better wording.”
