By Keenan Tully
I wanted to shed some light on the awesome people in our HoH and Deaf community. Last month I got together with Lonnie Tanenberg, also known as ‘Deaf Stig’, a fully deaf race car driver.
Now, for me, being hard of hearing is difficult enough driving a race car and listening to communications through the headset inside the car, plus the loud noises in the background, but being fully Deaf and driving a race car to its maximum limit? That’s another level.
Lonnie has been able to take the lack of one sense when driving the race car, and flipped it 180 degrees, to use in his advantage. His drive (no pun intended) and ability to take something that others would think is impossible to do, and make it work, with a whole crew around him who communicate using ASL, is incredible. His team, Deaf Power Racing, really has set a precedent that racing can include anyone from all walks of life.
At the end of the day, everyone is there to compete, race, and win. Why should it matter if he is deaf? He is showing people all around the world that you truly can do anything, no matter what. Being deaf isn’t stopping Lonnie from chasing dreams. He is truly the definition of unDEAFeated.
Here is our interview below. The information and responses from Lonnie are incredible. Take them, use them, and let them fuel you to be #unDEAFeated too!
Deeaf Power Racings’ Team Captain Lonnie Tanenberg, interviewed by Keenan Tully.
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Q. Was the decision to become a race car driver tough? Was there any pushback with that decision or was it something you knew you wanted to do?
A. My decision to become a race car driver was not tough since it has been a passion of mine since I was a young kid doing karts, and I explored many options growing up in the racing world. I have been exposed to racing all my life which helped ease my decision to become a race car driver.
Q. Has becoming a race car driver helped you in other areas of your life?
A. Being a race car driver has helped me become a role model and educate the world that deaf people can drive and be able to follow my dreams and passion.
Q. Was there pushback from other drivers when you started racing and people knew you were deaf?
A. Yes, I have been turned down from racing schools in the past because they have been afraid of deaf people driving race cars. They think the radio is more important than what we can see…
Q. Were there any extra tests or procedures you had to take with sports governing bodies, track owners, series owners, etc, before you were cleared to race? If so, what were they and what was the reasoning behind it?
A. I have not faced any of these challenges. I just RACE!
Q. Do you feel like you have any advantages over other drivers being deaf?
A. Yes, a race car driver asked me about hearing things such as the radio, tires on the asphalt, cars behind or in front of me, and some other things that are heavily dependable for the hearing racers. I simply told the racer, “I can feel more than you can hear.” You could see their eyes dilate and jaw dropped to the floor.
Q. Are you better in one particular area such as other senses, feeling the car move, vibrations etc, than other drivers?
A. As a deaf race car driver we lack one sense, however it’s gained in other places! I am able to focus more without hearing distractions and feeling the car more than hearing racers can.
Q. Has being Deaf put you in a tough or dangerous position on the track before?
A. Nope, not at all, everything is mostly visual on the track, Ie; flags, flashing lights, signs, crashes, smoke, and safety vehicles on the track. Deaf drivers can catch most of these before the hearing racers can.
Q. How are you able to communicate effectively with your crew whilst you are inside the car and how easy was it to develop a system so that you and your crew could communicate?
A. My team and I rely on ASL (American Sign Language), flags, and a white board which is an effective visual aid. It is pretty easy when everyone is deaf and the hearing crew who know ASL.
Q. What has been the toughest challenge you have faced in racing regarding being Deaf?
A. My toughest challenge faced in racing would be being accepted by other racing schools that think deaf people cannot race.
Q. What would you say to other HoH or Deaf people who are wanting to become race car drivers but feel like they are unable to?
A. I would tell them to start small, go volunteer, go meet people, get experience, go to classes, learn the ropes, and just GO!
Q. Do you feel like people race you differently because of being Deaf or HoH? And what message would you send to them if they did?
A. I do not feel like my racing peers treat us any differently on the track. We still want to race better than one another!
This interview with Lonnie really made me realise that inside the car, the visual aspects are the most important thing. So, why is it that people think Deaf people shouldn’t be allowed to drive or race? When you lack one sense, your others are heightened, such as your eye-sight and focus on whats ahead of you.
I want to thank Lonnie for sharing this information with me, and I hope everyone reading can take something from this too!
Be you. Be unDEAFeated.
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