A love for motocross racing has brought Angel Ginestet to Crawfordsville. The 20-year-old hails from Teulieres, France and thanks to his own initiative, will be an MX Sports Ironman Raceway intern this summer.
Ginestet attends a business college in France and one requirement to earning his bachelor’s degree is each student must intern internationally.
Tasked with finding an internship, Ginestet applied to 80 different international companies. Of the group of applications, 10 resumes were sent to motocross businesses and companies with the hope of landing in the motocross world.
A fan of motocross racing, Ginestet was aware of Ironman Raceway. Like his father and two older brothers, Ginestet raced dirt bikes, starting at the age of five. Motocross racing is simply in his blood.
Ginestet messaged the local track on Facebook with hopes of landing an internship. Holly Shaver saw the post and immediately reached out to Ginestet. Holly Shaver works with international students at Purdue University and recognized his request was legitimate.
After an interview with MX Sports race director Tim Cotter and Lori Shaver they decided to bring Ginestet to Ironman Raceway as the race track’s first-ever intern.
“I was so excited when I got the email that I was accepted,” Ginestet said. “I had to hurry to get my Visa which took time. I got the Visa on April 14 which was only one day before I was to fly to the U.S. on April 15.”
Upon arriving in Crawfordsville in the evening, Ginestet did not see much of the Indiana landscape until the next day.
“When I got to see the area around Crawfordsville and the track, I said ‘Wow’ this is perfect for me,” he said.
“I had only heard of the Indy 500 and NASCAR and Ironman Raceway,” Ginestet said. “I did not know a lot about Indiana.”
Ginestet is happy to be in a rural area, having grown up beside his grandfather’s farm in a town with a population of 1,500 people.
“My grandfather had hogs, cattle, milk cows, poultry and grew hay and wheat,” he said. “I feel at home here.”
Within a couple of days of arriving to Crawfordsville, Ginestet found himself back on an airplane headed to New York City with a group representing Ironman Raceway. The group was going to a Supercross race in New Jersey to man a MXoN informational booth.
Ginestet got to cross off a bucket list wish of visiting New York City.
The personable Ginestet is impressed with how nice the people are in the U.S. He had heard from a few people in France that the U.S. was dangerous and all people carry guns.
Ginestet never believed it.
“People are good here,” he said. “Just walking down the street people say hello. You don’t have that in France. As far as guns, that didn’t bother me because I hunt back home. I will be able to go back to France and tell a few of my professors and friends that they are wrong about Americans.”
Ginestet will be busy this summer with a packed Ironman Raceway schedule. He is looking forward to a summer full of racing and visiting Chicago. His parents also plan to visit him in Crawfordsville this summer .
Ginestet will return to France on Aug. 30 and plans to graduate in May of 2026.
