At 40, most men in porn begin thinking about their exit strategy. While men are—unlike their female counterparts—expected to age in the adult industry, and in some cases get paid even more for it, even that eventually fades, and studs must grapple with what comes next. For Mick Blue, it’s all about racing. Instead of abandoning his porn persona, Mick plans to capitalize on his notoriety in an entirely new and very public arena.
As a Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) licensed racecar driver, Mick drives under his stage name. Attaching his porno name is a calculated risk. On the one hand the fans will follow, but on the other what will that risk in terms of acceptance? Racing cars is an expensive business that relies heavily on sponsorship and collaborative teams. Associating a name famous for XXX content might alienate certain financial donors—or Middle America. Yet even without the name blame, Blue has spent over a decade in the porn biz, so chances are he’d face being exposed at some point.
Growing up, Mick recalls racing around the streets of his native Austria as a reckless teenage hobby. It wasn’t until last year when his porn star wife, Anikka Albrite, bought him racing lessons at a well-known motorsports academy that his interest in it peaked. When he placed among the top ten at the Skip Barber Racing School, a popular racing academy, he began thinking about it seriously. With a renewed passion and maturity that “keeps it on the racetrack,” Mick Blue now says he has “two dream jobs any man would love to have: having sex with beautiful women and driving fast cars.”
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Both are an adrenaline rush.
As an adult actor, Blue had to keep in shape physically and mentally or his performance would’ve suffered. Porn isn’t easy money for men either, and for people who poo-poo the work and think it’s just having sex, think again. The physical and mental prowess it takes to keep hard for two hours isn’t entirely different from the type of concentration needed on the racetrack. Indeed, the same habits Blue developed in his porn career have carried over and proven invaluable in his new calling. “I don’t party, I don’t drink and I do A LOT of cardio,” says Blue. “At home I train on a simulator. I have a simulation stage set up so I can train—that’s how I get used to new tracks, different cars, steering and the pedals.”
“When you are a porn actor you perform on the outer limits of your physical abilities, so your mind is used to that. When you sit in a racecar you go to your physical and mental limits, driving a racecar for hours is physically demanding,” adds Blue.
Even the most defensive drivers in a Los Angeles traffic jam still manage to scarf down fast food, text, video chat and yell at the idiots driving in front of them (you know who you are). Nonetheless, that’s still considered passive driving. What Blue and many like him endure on the racetrack requires their full attention. Any lapse in judgment could end in death—or serious bodily injury.
Of course, Blue didn’t expect porn to prepare him for racing. But his previous, decidedly more risqué career helped fund the beginning stages of an expensive hobby that, with luck and plenty of skill, can develop into a profitable career. XXX performers work in a collaborative yet competitive environment, trusting their colleagues to play by the rules or risk everyone’s health and safety. Racecar drivers do the same.
With the average age of a NASCAR driver at 39, it’s the perfect time for Blue, who will celebrate his 41st birthday later this year, to juggle both careers and test the waters of life beyond porn. “I’m still a full-time actor, producer, director and I do the racecar driving whenever there is opportunity and time. And it comes up often,” says Blue.
The porn veteran, who’s performed in over 2,000 XXX films, is currently preparing for his next race. At the end of this month, Blue will be competing in the World Racing League event at the Highland Plains Racetrack in Colorado. It’s a 24-hour team race that will test his endurance as he and other drivers combat sleep deprivation and lack of focus with adrenaline.
Only this time, he’ll do it fully clothed.
