From Rigto Road
The driver

Thirty years dormant. One lap to wake it up.

I'm a husband and a full-time professional. Not a racer with a trust fund and a path cleared for him. Just someone who grew up with the pull toward speed, did the responsible thing first, and spent years telling himself the dream was behind him.

Until my wife Marcela changed that. She gifted me a day at the BMW Performance Center, at Thermal Club in California. It ended with a timed lap. Coming down the back straight at 130mph, the wall growing bigger, I remember thinking: don't crash. When I stepped out of the car, I couldn't stop.

I didn't quit my job and buy a race car. I did it the right way.

Allan Melo in his navy From Rig to Road race suit, holding his helmet in the paddock
Allan Melo · Driver
An old photo of Allan as a boy sitting in a racing kart in Brazil
Brazil, 1990s.
Allan in his race suit taking a selfie with his wife Marcela
Allan & Marcela.
Sim to real

A sim racer who got out of the chair.

I spent about two years training on a racing simulator at home and climbed into the top 3% of iRacing drivers worldwide. I'm aiming for the top 1%.

Then I took it to real tracks. Since December 2025 I've raced the 24 Hours of Lemons three times. My best result so far is P10 overall at CMP, in a Miata.

In 2027 I race ChampCar, a grassroots endurance racing series, with Edmonson Motorsports in the Mazda Miata #228. Every step goes on my YouTube channel.

of iRacing drivers worldwide
Top 3%
best finish, overall, 24 Hours of Lemons
P10
ChampCar races planned for 2027
7
Allan from behind in his From Rig to Road race suit, watching a car go by on track

From Rig to Road. Because someday is now.

The journey

Lap by lap

It started in a chair in my house. This is where it has gone, and where it is going.

  1. S1 2024

    It awakened

    A day at the BMW Performance Center lit the fuse. I spent the rest of the year researching and planning.

  2. S2 2025

    I started believing

    Committed to iRacing. Hundreds of hours building instincts that only come from repetition.

  3. S3 Dec 2025 – 2026 Current lap

    I'm architecting it

    Coaching. First real-world races: three 24 Hours of Lemons events, best finish P10 overall. Top 3% on iRacing, pushing toward top 1%.

  4. S5 2027

    The season

    Seven ChampCar races, with partners on the car.

  5. S6 2028+

    The campaign

    A championship campaign.