finding the way!
A little honesty from behind the wheel.
There’s something I've been thinking about a lot over the last few months.
What exactly is DR!VE CO?
It sounds like a simple question, but I've found it surprisingly difficult to answer.
When I started DR!VE, I had a pretty clear idea. I wanted to create a community for people who loved cars and driving, without the usual ego that can sometimes surround car culture.
No hierarchy based on what you drive.
No showing off.
No boy racers.
No bullshit.
Just good cars, great roads and good people.
But DR!VE has grown.
We've now had more than 150 drivers join us across our events this year alone! We've run rallies, day drives, social evenings and everything in between. The cars have become more varied, the community has grown and the ideas have become considerably bigger.
And with that growth has come a bit of an internal battle.
I constantly ask myself:
Am I doing enough?
Are there enough events?
Are there too many?
Is there enough variety?
Is the WhatsApp group too busy?
Is there enough conversation?
Is there too much banter?
Are people actually enjoying this?
Am I giving DR!VE enough time alongside work, family and everything else life throws at you?
And perhaps the biggest question:
Is DR!VE actually adding something to people's lives?
I don't always know the answer.
But I've realised that perhaps I'm looking at it the wrong way.
DR!VE doesn't need to be everything to everyone.
I can't make everyone happy.
Some people will want more events. Some will want fewer.
Some will love the WhatsApp banter. Others will mute it.
Some want to drive hard. Others want to cruise, stop for photos and drink coffee.
That's okay.
Because the thing I need to protect isn't the number of events we run or how busy the WhatsApp group is.
It's the culture.
I want DR!VE to remain a place where a Ferrari can sit alongside a hot hatch, a classic, an old BMW or something completely ridiculous, and nobody gives a shit which one cost the most.
I want people to come because they want to meet good people, discover new roads and enjoy being around others who are equally obsessed with cars.
That's the bit that matters.
So I'm choosing a direction.
I'm going to stop second-guessing what DR!VE should be and concentrate on building the community I originally wanted.
That means more experiences.
More variety.
More originality.
More interesting destinations.
More reasons to get people together.
More opportunities to discover great roads.
And yes, some bigger and more ambitious adventures along the way.
But underneath all of that, the principle stays exactly the same:
No egos.
2027 is already starting to look pretty exciting.
Monthly Sunrise Socials.
Monthly Cars & Curry.
New Satellite Cars & Coffee events at “interesting” and very original venues. (if negotiations go well!)
Dragon Rally '27.
And potentially our first European adventure.
There's also a rather large project called OddBall taking shape, which is pushing DR!VE into territory I've never really explored before.
It's exciting. It’s enough.
And it's exactly the sort of thing I wanted DR!VE to become when I started it.
I don't know where DR!VE will be in three years.
And honestly, I'm okay with not knowing.
Because I'm starting to realise that the destination isn't really the point.
It's the people you meet along the way.
The roads you discover.
The stories you end up telling.
And the memories you didn't know you were going to make.
So that's the direction.
Less worrying about what DR!VE should be.
More building what it feels like it should be.
Good cars.
Great roads.
Good people.
No egos. Just DR!VE.
