Racing is in the family for Taylor brothers

From go-karts to race cars, UCF students and brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor are making a name for themselves in sport car racing.

The brothers' daily routine consists of intense training and workouts including eight-mile runs and 30 mile bike rides to prepare for each race, while studying to pursue degrees in mechanical engineering.

A schedule like that may be stressful, but not to the Taylor brothers; racing is in their blood. Their passion for sport-car racing stems from their dad's career as a driver.

Their father, Wayne, is from South Africa and came to the U.S. for a racing contract in 1990. He has now been racing for 35 years. Wayne said he never had the intention of wanting his sons to race, but after taking his sons go-karting at an early age, they had the natural ability.

The turning point was at the 2004 race series. After going into the series, Wayne said they didn't want to do anything else.

"It like a switch flipped and that's all they wanted to do," he said.

Now, Ricky, 21, and Jordan, 19, race in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, each on different teams and driving different prototypes.

Ricky, who races Daytona prototypes, is a driver for Taylor Racing, which is sponsored by SunTrust and Toshiba Business Solutions. These cars are described as exotic, mid-engine machines that are purposely built for competition. They are capable of speeds of more than 185 mph.

"[It's] between an Indy car and a Nascar car," Ricky said.  

Jordan drives in the Grand Touring class and is currently driving a Chevy Camaro. The cars in the GT class are a racing form of street cars and are more relatable to the average person, which is what sets sport car racing apart from typical NASCAR race cars.

Although the Taylor brothers are not the only UCF students to be involved with the racing industry, they are the first to visit the Formula Medicine Training center in Viareggio, Italy.

In December 2010, Ricky and Jordan spent a week participating in different tests that focus on the physical, mental and medical side of Formula 1 drivers.

Doctor and creator of Formula medicine Riccardo Ceccarelli worked with the Jordan brothers, and has also worked with more than 60 F-1 drivers specializing in developing individual plans to help each driver with improvements.

One physical test, called the Max V02, required Ricky to ride a stationary bike while wearing an oxygen mask connected to computers, which evaluated his heart rate to develop a specialized plan for him to follow. His heart rate was monitored before, during and after being hooked up to a lie detector test.

This test showed that even after doctors tested his heart rate for five minutes after his questioning, it never went down. Once Ricky gets stressed during a race it is more difficult to calm back down and focus. Ricky now visualizes the perfect lap before a race as part of his training.

Although both Jordan and Ricky are drivers and students now,  Wayne tries to teach his sons the business side of racing and believes they need to get their education.

As mechanical engineering majors, they are aware of the benefits this degree can bring them. The Taylor racing team itself employs three mechanical engineers and they are crucial to the team.

As drivers, this degree would help them understand the interworking of their car.

As important as his education is to his career path, racing is all Ricky wants to do.

"I'd rather make a career out of driving," Ricky said. "Mechanical engineering is a backup plan."