OTL Fuels Future Racecar Driver’s Dreams

Posted in Insights -

The OTL team is driven by passion – passion for excellence, for creativity, and for heartfelt causes that make the world a better place.

It is in this spirit that we share the story of Gabe Tesch – an inspirational 16-year-old boy who has battled brain cancer and is now actively pursuing his lifelong dream to become one of the top racecar drivers of his time.

Today, OTL is a proud sponsor of Gabe’s journey. He has proven himself a champion in life, and a future leader on the road to success.

Meet Gabe

Gabe Tesch

Gabe was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 11 and endured 48 days of radiation treatment and 48 weeks of chemotherapy. With bravery and grit, he emerged triumphant from this fight and simultaneously gained an understanding of the fragility of life.

Now in remission, Gabe decided to do something extraordinary with his life: race cars professionally.

Gabe’s racing journey began by learning to race go-karts. After he establishes the necessary funding, he will be transferring his skills to racing cars, ideally by Spring 2021.


OTL’s Sponsorship

Inspired by his story, OTL was moved to sponsor Gabe on his road to becoming a championship driver.

“I’m looking for sponsors who really believe in me and want to help me get to the top,” says Gabe. “I realized how important long-term relationships are in my battle with cancer when my doctors were with me the whole way. Similarly, long-term relationships in motorsports are crucial to success.”

Racing is an extremely expensive sport, which is why drivers rely on sponsorships to participate. Gabe’s father, Jake Tesch, says last year’s karting season cost the family $40,000, and car racing can run as high as $200,000 per year, making sponsorships like OTL’s a life-changing gift for these drivers.

The Road Ahead

Gabe remains focused and grateful, with a true zeal for life. To demonstrate his gratitude for OTL’s sponsorship, he recently shared the following sentiments with OTL’s CEO, J. Wickham Zimmerman:

Dear Mr. Zimmerman,

I wanted to reach out to you and say thank you for joining my team. You cannot imagine the honor it is to have people like you believing in and supporting my aspirations to become a world-class driver. Thank you.

My mission to become a great driver is about so much more than climbing the motorsport ladder. I am sure you know my story, so you probably have an idea of how I feel about the fragility and unpredictability of life. Becoming a championship driver is as much about the racing as it is about making the most of every day we get to live, and hopefully inspiring other people to do the same. As I climb the motorsport ladder, I want to encourage other people also to do something extraordinary. That is my whole mission, and I cannot do it without sponsors and supporters.

Sincerely,

Gabe Tesch
GabeT48C

In an effort to help others, Gabe also created the Thrive-Icon movement, which allows others with cancer to commit to a new beginning and live out their dreams.

To learn more about Thrive-Icon, visit http://thriveicon.com/.

To read more about Gabe and to support him on his road to success, visit https://gabetesch48c.com/.