Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Raiti.
Hi Joe, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My passion for cars began at an early age, going to races at Sebring and Daytona with my dad and helping him out at his automotive mechanic shop. For as long as I can remember, I was hooked on cars and dreamed of one day becoming a professional race car driver. During college at UCF, I started racing shifter karts, and in my senior year, I took a leap of faith and decided to go pro. I sold all of my belongings, including my beloved 1985 Corvette, and enrolled in racing school in Las Vegas, NV. Because I was already 21 years old, I had to play catch up, so I pushed hard and was able to quickly jump from class to class with certifications in Formula V, Formula Ford, and Formula Mazda, just shy of Indy Car. I was lucky enough to race professionally at several iconic race tracks, including my home turf of Daytona and Sebring, as well as Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Road America, Road Atlanta, and Mosport, just to name a few.
After several adrenaline-filled years of racing all over the U.S. and Canada, the tech bubble burst, my sponsors pulled back, and shortly after, I was forced to hang up my racing helmet. Now several thousand dollars in debt, I needed to make some money and decided to switch careers. I began teaching high school history for the next 18 years in Pasco County, FL. As a social studies teacher, I would combine my knowledge in automotive history with noteworthy historical events during my lessons. I taught my students about how the World Wars created new car companies due to increased need for different forms of transportation. I also started a Car Club at my high school, giving students an opportunity to learn not just about automotive history but how to change a tire and the importance of regular oil changes.
Then in October of 2017, what started out as a creative outlet on the weekends quickly morphed into a highly-viewed YouTube automotive car review channel known as Raiti’s Rides. Raiti’s Rides is my way of keeping the passion for cars alive with people of all ages from all over the world. Our channel has grown so much that my wife Lori, who is by trade a TV and Film Communications specialist as well as former educator, has come on board full-time as our Production Manager and lead Videographer. We film together, capturing all makes and models with a goal of educating, entertaining, and sharing a few laughs. My passion for racing has never waned, and I consider myself not only a journalist but also an enthusiast and a performance car specialist, doing my part to keep the racing and performance car passion alive in the next-gen of auto enthusiasts all over the world.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At first, it all felt like a dream, especially when Donut Media reached out to me in conjunction with Honda, inviting me to Indianapolis Motor Speedway as their guest to cover a special event where I was driven around the track in the Honday two-seat Indycar by Mario Andretti at the start of the 2019 Grand Prix. That event is still one of the highlights of my career, and it just so happened to be televised. All of my old teaching buddies called me up to congratulate me; it was an experience like nothing I’ve ever had before.
Then in 2020, when the pandemic hit, things changed. Without being able to travel, our access to new cars grew extremely limited. We had to get very creative with our own vehicles to continue producing content. It was a difficult time for so many people, and then when we thought things were going to start getting better, the chip shortage happened and our access diminished further. It’s also difficult being a two-person team at times; we try to be at all of the new vehicle reveals, but sometimes they conflict, and I still haven’t figured out how to be in two places at once!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Our goal on Raiti’s Rides is to keep the passion for cars and alive by creating engaging reviews on a variety of makes and models with a focus on history, education, and humor. Many of our viewers are car buyers who come to the channel while they are shopping for their next car, then stay for the engaging content and laughs. I also believe there is no such thing as a perfect car, so you will hear me say “zonk” when I’m referring to something I think could be improved; plus, I’m known for having a bit of a sweet tooth and using snack foods as units of measurement on occasion. In addition, we follow a live format style of videography which allows our viewers to feel like they are right there with us during each and every video. We are proud to share that we post at least one video a day so our viewers not only can keep up with the latest news and information in the automotive industry but also so that they can turn to us for engaging content and education on a daily basis.
In April of 2021, we reached 500,000 subscribers, and today we’re over 850,000, closing in on 1 million when we’ll receive our next award from YouTube, a Gold Play Button. As members of several Automotive Journalist associations, we’ve been acknowledged by our peers with Excellence in Craft awards for best video and social media campaigns several years in a row.
With each major milestone, we host a car gathering at a local dealership in Pinellas County as well as a virtual celebration on our Raiti’s Rides YouTube Channel to celebrate with all of our supporters and subscribers both here in Florida and around the world. We try to reach people of all ages and also create short format videos on TikTok and Instagram Reels. Both of those outlets have combined over 500,000 followers. You can also find Raiti’s Rides on Facebook, Twitter, and our website ratitisrides.com.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
First of all, being able to work with my wife Lori and have her part of the Raiti’s Rides team full time has made me very happy. Being able to meet so many people from around the world brings me tremendous joy, not only to share the car passion with but also to create the car passion within some who never had it to start with. And getting the opportunity to be behind the wheel of some of the greatest vehicles produced, drive them on not only on the best race tracks in the country but also some of the most scenic highways and byways is a dream come true.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.raitisrides.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raitisrides/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raitisrides/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCILN_EvJ2ocZ5MW7168oQLg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@raitisrides
