When you sit down with the #92 BMW driver, Tommy Milner, the thing that strikes you is just how young he is. There's aura of youth about him. But you hear him talk, you notice that he definitely does not talk like a normal 24 year old. 

I had the chance to talk to sit down with Tommy during the break between practice and qualifying at Mosport. 

Speedhunters: Who are you?

Tommy: I was Tom Milner, then I became Tom Milner Jr. Which I hated because I'm not junior. So, I switched to Tommy because that's what my friends called me. 

So, I'm Tommy Milner and I drive race cars for a living… and for fun. 

Speedhunters: How did you get started?

Tommy: My dad owns a race team and he's the reason I'm in racing now. He came to America when he was 18 years old from Germany and ended up starting a race team and owning a race track.

For Christmas, when I was about 14 or 15, my dad got me this go-kart for a racing school out in California. At Willow Springs to be exact. At the time, I was pretty nonchalant about it and thought "Well, okay. Sure." I didn't grow up and wanting to be a race driver. I associated myself with the crew guys more because my brother-in-law was one of them. Whenever I was in the race shop, which was pretty much all the time, I hung out with the crew guys and never associated myself with the drivers that much.

Anyways, I went to the go-kart school and when I finished the first few laps around the track, I had a huge smile on my face. I thought to myself, "Well, this is pretty darn cool and I definitely want to keep doing this."

Speedhunters: Growing up, you didn't associate yourself with racing at all, correct?

Tommy: Nope, not at all. 

Speedhunters: So, what sort of kid were you then?

Tommy: I was a sports player 100%. I played everything besides Football. I played soccer, tennis, lacrosse and basketball. You name it, I've played it. I even played four years of varsity lacrosse in high school! My passion at that time was sports. If I didn't get into racing, I definitely would've gone into that direction after high school. 

Speedhunters: How did you get into sport car racing?

Tommy: When I finished high school, I just was finishing my go-kart thing. I was winning races but was not racing in a series that was super competitive. I didn't race kids that were my age. I was racing guys that were 30-40 years old that were doing it for the money or for fun. There was one kid my age that I was competing with so I didn't know if I was any good driving. 

In 2004, another Christmas present from my dad, because of his connection with BMW, was that I was able to go to Valencia and participate in the first year of the Formula BMW scholarship shootout thats in January. I was one of the six that they chose for the partial scholarship. They don't pay for all the racing, so my dad always gives me a hard time about me still owning him a lot of money! 

When I got that scholarship, I thought to myself, "I couldn't be that bad. I'm getting better." My dad also started seeing more and more potential from me.

My year in Formula BMW wasn't spectacular. I qualified on pole once at Cleveland and 5th was my best result all season. So, at the end of '04, my dad put me one of his M3s for three races. That was when Bill Auberlen was driving with Joey Hand. 

So, first race at VIR, I'm in the third car and qualified on pole in the GT class. I out qualified Bill and he was pissed. He was absolutely livid! He goes up to my dad and says to him, "that's your kid and you give him the fast motor and the good car…" There was a difference in cars for sure and that was part of why I got pole, but that gave me the confidence to drive the car really well. In last race of the three, at Fontana Motor Speedway, I qualified on pole again and won that race. 

At that point, I was still riding along with the thought that this whole racing thing was a lot of fun how it would be great if I can make a career out of it. But I still didn't feel the confidence in myself as a driver to really get anywhere. 

In 2005, my dad put me in a car for the a full season in Grand Am. The year went well. I won three races, finished sixth in the points and wrote one car off that year at Wilkens Glen at the top of the eases. I was passing a slower GT car. We touched wheels and I went into a wall at about 140 MPH. That was the biggest wreck I've ever had…

Also in 2005, I drove for this guy, Larry Holt, who was the team principle for Multimatic. They drove the Panoz in ALMS that year and I had the chance to drive it for one race. At Mosport, actually. And during the last lap, I passed for 3rd. Larry was pretty happy with my result and asked me to drive for him next year in ALMS. 

So, I've been in ALMS since then. 

In 2006, one of my team mates, with the Multimatic Panoz team, was David Brahbam, who recommended me to drive for Bobby Rahal, of Rahal Letterman Racing, in '07. And that's how it all leads up to BMW. I met a lot of good people early on who recommended me to the right places and here I am, on my second year with BMW.

Speedhunters: You mentioned earlier that you didn't associate too well with the drivers, or belong with them. But now that you are a driver, how does that feel? Do you feel like you belong with BMW?

Tommy: My laptimes are where they should be and I'm pretty consistent. As a driver, it's always tough to share a car with someone. But when you feel confident that translates to the crew guys and to the engineers. Then the engineers start trusting you with their race car, and trusting you qualify the car and to push you in situations where they need the best person possible. So, now that I'm with BMW, definitely feel like I belong. 

Speedhunters: …so now all you need is to get that top step of the podium, huh?

Tommy: Yes, absolutely. I can't tell you how much that pulls on my brain everyday! But, saying that, I know that all the guys I'm racing in the GT class are the best in the world. You've got former F1 drivers and current F1 test drivers. So the people I'm racing against is the best of the best. When that top step of the podium comes, then I'll know I've beaten the best guys in the world.

I hope it happens soon…

Speedhunters: We've heard off the wayside that you want to get into drifting.

Tommy: For sure! It's one of those things that I know I can't just go in there, start and feel like I belong. Those drift guys did it on a shoe-string budget, did it for fun to begin with, and for the love the sport. 

What intrigues me about drifting is that its just fun. You just go out there and have a good time. You still have to perform well but even if you're having a bad day out there, you're still having fun and putting on a good show for the crowd. I feel like we're doing that now with ALMS. The die-hard ALMS fan see that. They're seeing the awesome racing in the GT2 class. But with the everyday NASCAR fan, I'm sure it's hard for them to just tune into it and know what's going on. ALMS is a bit nerdy, not as nerdy as F1, but definitely still nerdy. But with drifting, you can just watch it once, and get it right then and there. 

I can turn drifting on, watch practice and think it's just the coolest thing ever. It's so accessible. 

I tried a little bit last year. We have these 3 series diesels which I think are quite interesting for drifting. They make huge amounts of torque so it'd be perfect!

Speedhunters: What does Tommy Milner do when he's not racing?

Tommy: Hmm… what does Tommy Milner do really? Tommy Milner doesn't do a whole lot when he's not racing. He takes it pretty easy. I just recently got a '72 BMW 2002 that I'm not playing with a little bit. Days at the pool are sweet. 

I've now just recently started to focus on Tommy Milner the race car driver rather than Tom Milner the hanging-out-at-home-guy. I'm not home much anymore. So, when I am home, I'm home quickly. I meet up with a friend of mine who is helping me with my social media stuff. I've been getting him pictures and planning out social media things. 

I feel that the next two to three years for me now are pretty important years as far as my career goes. I'm looking to continue on with BMW the next couple of years and to really establish myself as a racing driver. 

If the racing stopped today and I stopped racing sports cars, I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I couldn't see myself getting a normal 8-5 job. I would find something to do with racing somehow. 

So, Tommy Milner realizes he's 24 and having fun. But it won't all be fun in the coming years. So he better just enjoy it while he can!

Speedhunters: What is your favorite thing to eat? What is THE biggest indulgence for Tommy Milner?

Tommy: Hrm…

Speedhunters: …like a weakness…

Tommy: A weakness, huh? Well, Tommy Milner used to be 40 pounds heavier. A chubby kid playing lacrosse who enjoyed all sorts of dessert. I've since lost that appetite for dessert. But I still have a weakness for crème brulée. If I go to a restaurant that has a really good crème brulée, I know I just have to have it. I can't resist that. 

My other weakness is Subway sandwiches. I'm absolutely addicted to their breakfast flatbread sandwiches right now. If there's a Subway near the racetracks, I will find it and go there every single day. For example, when we were at Lime Rock, I went to a Subway every single morning, had the same exact thing and with the same person serving me. By the second day, she knew exactly what I wanted when I waked through the door. 

Those are my two weakness. 

Speedhunters: So, does Tommy Milner like peanut butter?

Tommy: Tommy Milner does not like peanut butter. I don't. I don't like how it sticks to the roof of your mouth! I was never a big peanut butter and jelly fan when I was younger.

Speedhunters: …how about Nutella?

Tommy: Nutella is good. I can do Nutella. That's the best part about going to Germany. You've got all these nice gourmet meats but I just have to have the Nutella with a slice of bread. 

Speedhunters: Last question: Cheesecake for Flan?

Tommy: I know I've had a flan before but I don't remember…

Speedhunters: Think of it like a crème brulée without the hard sugar crust…

Tommy: …stop there because I know I don't like cheese cake! Flan it is.

Speedhunters: Thanks again for your time, Tommy. Best of luck to you, Bill Auberlen and the team at Petit Le Mans!