At 20, Spike Kohlbecker is inching closer and closer to greatness, one lap at a time.

By Austin Woods / Photography by Mark Schwigen

Men have been racing since the dawn of time. On foot. On horseback. In chariots. And, of course, in cars. Really, really fast cars.

Meet Spike Kohlbecker. He likes fast cars. He likes burning rubber, scorching across asphalt, and feeling the G-force jolt through his veins as he reaches speeds up to 175 mph.

After the race, Spike celebrates on the podium.

He’s also 20 years old, and a sophomore at Boise State University. At first glance, his dorm room looks like any other. Then you notice the jet-black race car simulator in the corner. At his young age, the Kirkwood native has competed in hundreds of auto races across the world, with hundreds of local, regional, and national wins under his belt. At 16 years old, he became the first U.S. driver to score wins in both the Canadian and U.K. Formula Ford National Series championship events.

Kohlbecker started young— at four years old—when his grandfather, Jerroy Frank, an avid car racing enthusiast, gave him a go-kart for Christmas. The Kohlbeckers’ driveway became Spike’s personal race track, where he would drive endless laps on a track drawn in chalk by his dad. A year later he began competing in go-kart races throughout the Midwest.

“Being a perfectionist at a young age, and trying to do my best at something I knew I could do well in was really important to me,” Kohlbecker says. “It was just a place where I really could focus.”

By age 14, he transitioned from go-karts to formula cars and started racing internationally. In 2015, he and his mom, Amy, moved to New Zealand for the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship. After returning to the U.S., he continued to race formula cars before making his sports car debut this year with Toyota Gazoo Racing’s GR Cup series, a racing series held by Toyota’s motorsport division. The GR Cup is a single-make series, meaning all drivers go head-to-head in the same car — in this case, the Toyota GR86, which tops out at 135 mph.

As a sophomore at BSU, he balances his college experience — studying for exams, building friendships — with the practice routine required by his racing career.

“There have been times where I’ve missed hanging out with friends, or I’ve missed a family reunion, or a grandparent’s birthday,” he says. “You have to deal with it and if you want to keep racing, you have to make those sacrifices.”

But it’s all worth it for Kohlbecker when he’s on the race track. That’s not to suggest it isn’t hard work. Considerable strength is required when reaching the speeds that he does, and the conditions in the race car can be just as taxing as those on a football field or tennis court. It’s not an easy sport — but Kohlbecker doesn’t like to do things the easy way.

“When you're out in the car, it’s hot, you're sweating, and you feel like you're not going to make it to the end of the race,” he says. “Well, it doesn't matter… I give it the best I can every single lap.”

On the surface, racing seems like a highly individualistic sport. We tend to think of it as single racers competing against one another without the involvement of teams. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Success in the racing world is never earned alone. It’s not enough to say Kohlbecker has a team behind him — it’s more like an entire community made up of sponsors, mentors, and fans, along with his family and friends.

Spike autographing the back of a young fan’s t-shirt.

“It starts with my family, and it just branches out into a big tree,” Kohlbecker says. “I would really consider that my family as well.”

The cost of the sport is staggering. Even the GR Cup series, one of Toyota’s more affordable racing series, costs $250,000-$300,000 for a full season. This includes $125,000 for the GR Cup car, and $15,000-$35,000 per event for equipment and transportation. This means Kohlbecker needs all the help he can in order to continue racing.

During his first few years in the racing world, support was largely provided by his family, with his dad, Todd, acting as his “primary mechanic.” But as his interest in the sport grew, it quickly became apparent that the Kohlbeckers would have to seek professional help to make sure he could keep racing.

“(Spike) approached us around that point and said, ‘Dad, we’ve got to make some changes here. You need to set down the wrenches and we need to take this to the next level,’” Todd says. “It was that point where we started digging a little deeper into our wallets and talking to people about supporting Spike as a driver and a representative of sponsors and supporters.”

Kohlbecker still works hard to forge relationships and find supporters. Recently, he was approached by engine manufacturer Briggs & Stratton to serve as a brand ambassador for the Performance Racing Industry trade show in Indianapolis this December.

He also never shies away from boasting his local pride, with a “#STLMade” sticker and the logos of several St. Louis-based sponsors adorning his car and gear. One of his most valuable local supporters is the Central Institute for Human Performance (CIHP), a Kirkwood-based company that offers customized training programs and sports psychology resources. Dr. Clayton Skaggs, the founder and CEO of CIHP, met Kohlbecker around 2020

A major lesson that Skaggs tries to impart on Kohlbecker is to be “responsive” as opposed to “reactive.” In other words, to be poised and to maintain composure in the face of adversity.

“To be responsive is to act without a reactive emotion that’s only going to confound the performance or effort you’re trying to put forth,” Skaggs says.

These lessons frequently come into play on the track. This past August, Kohlbecker competed on the Road America track for the Toyota GR Cup Series — a high-pressure race, with many of his sponsors in the stands and TV cameras following his car at every turn.

Running in second place, the race was looking good for Kohlbecker. He edged closer and closer to triumph until the halfway point, when his clutch abruptly failed. Luckily, CIHP prepares him for moments like this. Instead of cursing and throwing his helmet to the ground in frustration, Kohlbecker chose to approach the situation as an opportunity to learn.

“It was a learning experience,” he says. “It teaches you composure, and helps you learn about the car.”

With all the networking and face-to-face interaction it requires, racing is running a business. It’s a passion, but it’s also a full-time job.

This is true for everyone involved. Amy and Todd still spend many nights communicating, organizing, and helping their son prepare for races.

“Spike has continuously chosen to do hard things,” Todd says. “As a parent, you sort of keep a pulse on that. ‘Are you still in a good place? Do you want to do something different?’ And no, he wants to continue to challenge himself.”

It’s not just that Spike Kohlbecker has to race against others — he’s also racing against himself every day, always trying to improve physically and mentally, and learning to adapt to new challenges. From balancing racing with college, to following a strenuous training schedule and constantly searching for sponsors, Kohlbecker’s chosen path is never short on adversity. But that’s precisely why he loves it so much.

“[It’s about] being the best person I can be,” he says. “You have to give your best all the time, or else somebody else will do it. And you’ll lose.”

Speeding to Success