Alex Mayer fell in love with racing at any early age. As a 5-year-old Mayer

Alex Mayer

watched the quarter midgets compete in Quakertown. According to his father Nick, the boy focused on the cars and the activity and said nothing. In the car on the way home, Alex asked if he could get a race car of his own.

"I knew I was in trouble," Nick Mayer said.

            Nineteen years later, Alex Mayer has emerged as a top performer on the North American Formula 1000 Series. On Sunday, the #77 car finished first in the 19-lap race at the Pittsburgh International Speedway. The Harleysville native, who captured the pole position Saturday and set a new track record for fastest lap, shattered his own record by nearly three seconds, according to Nick Mayer.

            "It was a great weekend," he said.

            With two races remaining, the Mayer Motorsports team – which is sponsored by Technotects, Commonwealth Oral Surgery and Wilwood Racing and operates on an annual budget of $100,000 – has nearly clinched its fourth consecutive Pro Series championship, according to Nick Mayer.

Alex Mayer behind the wheel of his #77 Formula 1000 Series car.  The 25-year-old race car driver from Harleysville has emerged as a top performer on the North America For- mula 1000 Series.

            Utilizing a driving style he describes as calculating, Alex Mayer has captured numerous national championships. The 2010 Souderton Area Senior High School graduate, who turned 25 on Tuesday, has excelled in the Pro Series, which features open wheel formula cars with 1000CC SuperBike engines. 

            The driver has experienced similar success in the Sports Car Club of America circuit, earning the 2017 national championship and registering two points titles. He has also earned five SCCA divisional championships, won three Florida Karting Series titles and 30 Quarter Midget national championships. Nick Mayer figures that his son – who has been racing since he was six years old – has accumulated hundreds of thousands of hours of seat time, more than most professional drivers.

            Operating a vehicle equipped with six-speed sequential gearboxes, fully adjustable suspension, and fully adjustable wings, Alex Mayer claims he and his vehicle have reached 186 mph. He relies on 90 percent instinct and 10 percent viewpoints, which includes quick reaction time, to avoid issues on the track.

            "I gauge every corner," he said last week. "I know where I'm going to exit it before I enter it."

            On the track, speed is simultaneously relative and irrelevant, according to the racer. He compared it to driving 55 mph on the turnpike. Alex Mayer doesn't have a speedometer on his dash board.

             Alex Mayer says he feels 100 % more safe driving on a track then on the street. "Everyone is paying close attention and going the same direction, most of the time."
"The cars are built very safely."

            Most weekends between April and September, Alex, Nick and Mike Signore – an employee at Mayer Motors, located at 407 Railroad Street in Pennsburg and a member of the pit crew – travel to tracks in Atlanta, upstate New York, Virginia, Ohio and New Jersey. The team has competed at some of North America's most iconic racetracks, including Watkins Glen International, Road Atlanta, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

            Mayer – who has a nutritionist, trainer that he visits three times a week and a driving coach – has walked away uninjured from his share of violent crashes. The driver has suffered a compression fracture in his lower back and two concussions.

            The ultimate goal is to turn the racing into a profession. Next season, he plans on competing in Porsche GT endurance racing. Ultimately, he wants to compete in the Indy Car series.

            "I would go crazy if I could not race," Alex Mayer said.