The Soft Skills That Accelerated Tom Canning to Professional Racing Driver Status

It's March 2018, and we're trackside at Oulton Park. Tom Canning is about to become the youngest driver in British GT history. At 16 years and 35 days old, he's preparing to strap into a 400 brake horsepower monster.

Nerves are high. The field is stacked with McLaren, Ferrari, and Aston Martin works drivers. Tom has one season of Junior Ginetta car racing behind him. In his eyes, these are men. He is still just a boy.

It's a cold, overcast day. Cold tires, cold hands. Every experience is harsh and new.

I watch him process it all – the cold, the fear, the weight of what's about to happen.

I stand by his side in the pit lane as he starts his preparation. My job isn't to calm him down. It's to help him see he already belongs. That the right to compete isn't granted – it's taken.

This is the work – witnessing exceptional people let emotions rise and pass, then choose and execute, step by step.

As Tom reflected:

"The transition from karting to cars is a big step, almost like entering a new sport. Marc had a huge impact on me during this time by not only focusing on the 'at the circuit' areas but also supporting the broader life surrounding my race programs."

Despite the 20-year age gap, Tom felt like a brother through that chapter of our lives. I backed his belief when he didn't have the experience to back it himself.

That first race? The car retired with mechanical failure. It's irrelevant.

And boy, did the success come.

The following year, Tom was exceptional in dragging his Aston Martin Vantage to the British GT4 title, beating all of the people he feared on that cold March day in the process.

Today, Tom is a professional Aston Martin racing driver. He travels the world to test the best that his team can provide him with. His time is in demand. By every professional metric that matters, he is thriving.

He has grown from my brother into a man who now backs himself the way I once backed him. And I am proud of him.

The Piece That's Easy to Miss

It's easy to read this story and believe that Tom's technical ability strapped into a high-precision rocket ship was the reason he was signed by Aston Martin. But I believe the reality is something more nuanced.

Tom wasn't signed by Aston Martin just because he was the fastest driver on the grid. He was signed because of something most racing drivers – and professionals the world over – overlook: soft skills.

The three that Tom has in spades are the ones that separate professionals from talented amateurs:

1. Emotional regulation under pressure

I've seen the data. I've seen the heart rate traces when he's strapped into the car. People talk about racing drivers being ice cold. This doesn't do it justice.

Tom's heart rate barely climbs above resting heart rate these days when he's strapped into that car. And on that March day, it wouldn't have been much higher.

At Oulton Park, Tom didn't let his nerves dictate his decisions. He felt them, acknowledged them, and drove anyway. That's not suppression – it's mastery. The ability to let emotions rise and pass without being hijacked and controlled by them is what allows you to execute when it matters most.

In racing, in business, in life – this is the skill that determines whether you fold or perform to the best of your ability.

2. Coachability

Tom didn't just listen to feedback. He sought it out. From driver coaches to engineers to performance coaches, he sought this feedback out, processed it, and applied it immediately. He understood that growth happens in the gap between what you know and what you're willing to learn.

Most people defend their current approach. But Tom's humility allowed him to question his.

My own time with Tom was an absolute joy, and I saw that same joy in the eyes of his engineers. The engineer that worked with him through the successful season when he won his British GT title, his team principals – there was a unifying belief that when constructive feedback was delivered, it was executed on immediately. That built a bond with the people around him.

Coachability isn't about being compliant. It's about being hungry enough to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

3. Relational intelligence

Which leads to the next soft skill: relational intelligence.

Tom understood something critical: racing is a team sport disguised as an individual one. Engineers, mechanics, sponsors, team principals – they all need to believe in you, not just in your lap times. Tom built relationships that made people want to invest in his success.

He communicated clearly. He showed up with gratitude. He made the people around him better. That's why his time is now in demand.

Why This Matters Beyond the Track

We live in a world that worships technical skill. But technical skill is the baseline. It's what gets you in the room. What keeps you there – and what gets you promoted, trusted, and backed – are the soft skills.

The ability to stay present under pressure. The humility to learn. The relational intelligence to make others want to see you win.

These skills don't develop by accident. They require brutal self-awareness, honest reflection, and a genuine desire to develop – not just for your own success, but for the impact you can have on others.

Tom had these at 16. Most people never develop them.

If you want to thrive in a world moving as fast as ours, these aren't optional anymore. They're the difference between being good and being irreplaceable.

Tom's story isn't special because he's a racing driver. It's special because he chose to develop what most people ignore.

What's one soft skill you're working on right now? The one that, if strengthened, would change everything else?