Two dozen cars line up at the start of the track, all waiting for the signal telling them it’s time to drive. Face shield down, hands on the wheel, foot on the pedal, Asad pins his eyes on the officiate.
And at the movement of their arm, Asad floors it. Not to a shot nor a canon. Only to the swish of cotton against air.
Meet Asad Nikadambaev, a freshman at Liberty with racecar aspirations.
Outside of racing, Nikadambaev participates in a number of extracurriculars.
“I’m in computer programming. I do computer science here, and I’m in the Step Computer Academy for coding. I also do taekwondo and take Russian classes,” Nikadambaev said.
But racing isn’t just an extracurricular to Nikadambaev–it’s his future.
“Going into professional racing is my dream,” Nikadambaev said. “I’m typically racing against 30 year olds, and they ask if I’m going into the ladder and I guess I am.”
By ladder, Nikadambaev means the transition from go-karting to car racing according to the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA).
“I aspire to be a race car driver that gets paid. It’s my dream to get to a point where I get paid to race instead of having to pay to drive,” Nikadambaev said.
Nikadambaev started his racing career with go-karts in 2022, where his skills as a driver revealed themselves in a string of wins.
“Go-karts are the cheapest way to get into racing with other people and show your skills in this region. That’s because there are people who go to watch and see if there’s anyone good enough for their team,” Nikadambaev said.
Although Nikadambaev still races karts, he now also races open-top cars (cars without an actual cockpit, but with a body around the driver and a closed wheel).
Currently, Nikadambaev races in the BMW Car Club of America, an organization stretching over several regions in the United States.
“Races are both in and out of state,” Nikadambaev said. “Washington has a lot of tracks and some international race stuff, but I’ve done a good amount in other states.”
Nikadambaev races on weekends; most recently, he went to Buttonwillow, California, over the third weekend of November.
“I prepare for races between competition weekends. To do that, I go out to the tracks with my dad, carrying my car in our trailer,” Nikadambaev said. “Generally, we go to the same place our racing team does.”
Not only is Nikadambaev’s father involved (being his mechanic and biggest sponsor), but his whole family watches his races, and his sister, Sabina, photographs them.
Nikadambaev also has a handful of additional sponsors, including a school in Seattle, a motor sports store in Redmond, and his helmet and car designers.
“I approach sponsors and I tell them what I can offer to them in return for what they give me. My sponsors give me an investment and I pay them back mostly by telling people about them,” Nikadambaev said.
Logos of his sponsors also decorate Nikadambaev’s helmet and car.
Nikadambaev’s ambition and love for racing drives his professional aspirations.
“The thrill of racing is great, like you’re going 100 miles an hour side-by-side with someone. It’s really fun,” Nikadambaev said. “But I also really enjoy the sportsmanship with the other drivers. It’s really nice getting to talk to and know other people.”
Off the track, Nikadambaev’s attitude and interactions with others made him a recipient of the 2023 Lisa Stanford Kindness Award from the Sumas International Motorsports Academy (SIMA) during the 2023 SIMA Championship, which he placed second in.
“Asad is a fantastic developing driver. He not only has one of the best attitudes, he has an amazing talent with a bright future,” professional racing driver Michael Valiante said.
Nikadambaev also received a 2023 Driver of the Year award from SIMA. He was hand-picked by Valiante.
“When I was racing karts, most people thought I was just racing rental karts for fun, nothing too crazy,” Nikadambaev said. “But once I got into cars, people figured out I was serious about racing.”
“People underestimate it. Mostly they just think car driving is nothing, like you’re turning a wheel and that’s it. But it’s a lot more than just doing that,” Nikadambaev said.