Husain relishes solving problems and tackling difficult challenges. He brings this passion to everything, be it running an innovative technology company or racing in his Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda machine.
Husain is CEO of Cloudistics, a next-generation virtualization software company with ambitions to revolutionize IT infrastructure and application management.
“We are radically simplifying how companies manage their infrastructure and deploy applications.” Husain said. “It is an incredibly challenging task, but there’s a huge demand for it in the $100 billion market space. It’s fascinating to me that a small group of 25 engineers have the opportunity to disrupt a multi-billion dollar space.”
Husain, a rookie in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Development Series, sees a clear parallel between running a business and racing.
“For me, racing is a personal challenge and personal development tool,” Husain said. “To be a great leader, you need to continually push yourself and your team to be better. Racing always pushes you to be quicker, to assimilate data more quickly, to carry more speed into a corner, brake a little deeper, get on the throttle a little sooner. It’s a constant challenge, and for me that’s what’s so fun about it.
“Racing constantly puts you in an uncomfortable position, and you have no choice but to overcome it. I find this translates well to how I approach my businesses. To me, it’s a personal development tool, in that regard. It makes me a better leader.”
Before his tenure at Cloudistics, Husain was the CEO at AppAssure Software Inc. He sold that company in 2012 to Dell. He is a technology enthusiast and brings this worldview to everything he does. His background in technology and engineering translates to his time on the track.
“The high-tech world is data-driven,” Husain said. “You have to appreciate and understand data, and part of racing is really diving into the data. You have to really immerse yourself in data to become quicker and better. This comes naturally to me because of my background.”
Before joining Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM) in the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda series this year, Husain began racing at the Skip Barber Racing School and raced for three years in a Radical Sport car in the NARRA series. As a kid, he spent time racing motocross, and he grew up helping his father rebuild cars as a hobby.
“I’ve always had a love for racing, and I was able to embrace it when I got older and had the resources,” Husain said. “I have a great coach in Ross Bentley, and he’s been helping me along. There’s just so much to learn with racecraft and understanding the data and the nuances with racing, so he is helping me accelerate that learning curve.
“Ross had a connection with Prototype Lites because he coaches a driver on the ESM Patron team in TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, and we thought this series was the next natural progression. One day in the future, I’d like to be able to move up in the TUDOR series as an AM (amateur) driver. That would be fun, but obviously you have to earn your stripes to get there, so this is the next step in the ladder.”
Rookie Husain is tied for seventh in the Lites 1 Masters championship point standings. He earned his best finish of the season, sixth in class, in his last start, in torrential rain at NOLA Motorsports Park.
“It’s been fascinating,” Husain said. “The cars are unbelievable; they’re so different from the Radicals in terms of speed, downforce and cornering capability. It’s definitely the next step up from what I’m used to. It’s a whole new set of challenges taking it to the next level and therefore all new opportunities to learn and grow.
“My team ESM is top-notch. The resources they have are super. The engineers and mechanics are amazing, and the coaching is great. All in all, it’s been a very positive experience.”
The next event for Husain and the rest of the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda field is Rounds 5 and 6 on June 25-27 at Watkins Glen International, during the Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen TUDOR United Sports Car Championship event.
For more information about Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, visit www.imsa.com, follow hashtags #CTPL and #MRT24 @IMSA on Twitter or IMSA on Facebook.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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