Rembrandt Charms president Eric Lux (pictured) remembers the primary time he was bitten by the racing bug: He was 7, and his father purchased him a go-kart.
“From about 7 to 14, I used to be just about residing on the go-kart observe,” he says.
It helped that racing ran in his household. His father—Chris Lux, founder and head of the Buffalo, N.Y.-based charm company—raced as an newbie. So did his mom. His father’s cousin Ron Lux raced on a professional degree (and was killed in a observe accident).
Racing turned such an obsession for Eric that in highschool he was homeschooled so he may deal with it. In 2003, at age 14, he was the youngest licensed racing driver in the USA. In 2005, he turned one of many first 16-year-old drivers to compete and end 24 Hours of Daytona.
Lux spent six years as a full-time skilled racer throughout and after faculty. However ultimately the household enterprise beckoned.
“I had simply accepted a reasonably large NASCAR contract after I acquired a name—my father was ailing,” Lux says. “I put the whole lot on maintain.”
Chris Lux was quickly again as Rembrandt’s chairman and CEO. Eric stayed with the corporate and have become its president in December. However he nonetheless runs about seven skilled races a yr. In February, he participated in Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, the place his staff got here in sixth. (In 2022, it was first.) In March, he’ll compete in one other endurance race, 12 Hours of Sebring.
“I’ve been in a position to hold a foot in each worlds,” he says. It helps he’s often in a position to merge the 2.
“One of many issues that I’ve all the time negotiated with the race groups is, in lieu of prize cash, you’ve got ‘Rembrandt Charms’ on the automobile,” he says. “We all the time invite our jewelers to the races, and we normally have 40 or 50 jewelers come and watch.”
Nonetheless, the game requires fairly a bit of coaching, together with time on the fitness center, and common follow on a racing simulator in his basement. Whereas the simulator doesn’t come near what it’s actually like on the observe, it helps Lux preserve the right mindset.
“The primary profit is simply creating the psychological consistency, lap over lap, making good time, with out making errors. An enormous a part of racing is the psychological focus you want each time you get within the automobile. The extent of competitors nowadays [means] everybody’s pushing to the restrict each single lap, each nook. You will have to have the ability to do this with out making errors.”
Racing, he says, is absolutely about “focus and with the ability to assume forward so far as technique, the place you will be on the observe. That all the time evolves because the race goes on, as there’s points together with your automobile or different automobiles. These that may piece it collectively quickest, in help of their engineers and the pit lane, normally have the very best consequence.”
However that hyper-focus is what Lux enjoys.
“It’s one of many few issues in life that means that you can shut off and disconnect from each different concern or thought in life,” he says. “It’s such a launch to have the ability to park all of your ideas about enterprise, or household, or no matter could be bothering you or consuming you, and deal with the duty at hand and full it. I discover that actually difficult and in addition refreshing.
“There’s much more lows in racing than there are highs, however each a kind of highs makes it value it,” he provides. “You’ll be able to have a tough stretch, and the second you get again on the rostrum and win a race, nothing else issues.”
Which is why he hopes to by no means quit the game fully. “I’ve been doing this 19 seasons and doubtless been with about 50 totally different groups and 50 totally different automobiles,” he says. “I don’t understand how for much longer I’ll have the ability to hold doing it, as I’m turning 35 subsequent month. I occur to be quick sufficient that they hold calling me again. So long as I hold getting a name to come back again, I’ll be there. I find it irresistible and want to hold doing it so long as I can.”
(Picture courtesy of Rembrandt Charms)
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