Titi Aur is a former national rally champion, founder of the Titi Aur Academy, and one of Romania’s best-known defensive driving specialists. For more than 30 years, he has been promoting road safety, and through projects developed together with companies and organizations, he has contributed to training thousands of drivers and to changing the way road safety education is viewed in Romania.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence, in a way that would capture the attention of someone who doesn’t know you?

Titi: If I were to describe myself in a single sentence, I would say that I am a man who turned his passion for speed into a mission to teach people how to get home safely.

I was a rally driver, and many people expect speed to be what defines me. Paradoxically, motorsport itself taught me that true performance means control, discipline, and respect for limits. These principles guided me both on the special stages and in business and in the projects I develop today.

C&B: Looking back, what is the “red thread” that has guided your professional journey?

Titi: Looking back, I believe the red thread throughout my entire career has been the desire to keep learning and to turn the experience I have accumulated into value for others.

In motorsport, I learned that performance is not just about talent, but also discipline, preparation, and making good decisions under pressure. These principles helped me win races, but later they led me to choose a different path.

After retiring from competition, I decided to use everything I had learned to develop road safety education. I realized that winning a championship is important, but being able to help prevent an accident or even save a life has a much greater value.

And even today, I make decisions according to the same principle: to build projects that bring real value and can have a long-term impact.

But most importantly, I made decisions to do things that seemed almost impossible at the time:

Leaving the country illegally in 1987 to attend a racing school in Paris, purchasing racing cars that were far more expensive than my financial means at the time by taking on very large debts, building the Titi Aur Academy in 2015, again by taking on costs far beyond my financial capabilities, supporting legislative projects that will improve road safety but were very difficult for the authorities to accept, etc.

C&B: What was a difficult moment or failure that truly changed you?

Titi: I believe the most difficult thing was not a defeat in competition, but seeing, year after year, how difficult it is to change people’s mindset when it comes to traffic.

When I started promoting defensive driving, many people saw it as a pointless expense. It was difficult to convince companies that a one-day course could prevent accidents, reduce costs and, most importantly, save lives.

There were moments when it seemed that we were making very small steps, but I learned that change does not happen overnight. It comes through consistency, results, and concrete examples. Today, when I see companies returning to our courses year after year and drivers telling me that they avoided an accident because of what they learned at the Academy, I know that all the effort was worth it.

C&B: What is one courageous (or counterintuitive) decision that significantly influenced your trajectory?

Titi: I believe the most courageous decision was to give up my career in motorsport and invest everything I had in a project that very few people believed in at the time: road safety education.

Many people told me it was a risky choice. Motorsport was the field in which I was known, while in Romania almost no one was talking about defensive driving. Nevertheless, I was convinced that, in the long term, education could have a much greater impact than any result achieved in competition.

Today, looking back, I am convinced it was the best decision I have ever made. The Titi Aur Academy has trained thousands of drivers, and the fact that individuals and companies tell us they have avoided accidents thanks to our courses is the greatest confirmation that I chose the right path.

C&B: How have you changed over time as a leader / professional?

Titi: At first, I believed that a leader had to know all the answers and be involved in every detail. Over time, I learned that a good leader is someone who builds a strong team and gives people the confidence to make decisions.

I learned to listen more, to delegate, and to be more patient. Experience taught me that the best results come when people understand the objective and work together, not when everything depends on a single person.

Today, I make decisions more calmly and look at things from a long-term perspective. I no longer look only at the immediate result, but at the impact something may have several years from now.

C&B: What do you think the people who work directly with you would say about you — beyond your public image?

Titi: I believe those who work with me every day would say that I am demanding, but fair. I like things to be done well, and I do not really accept compromises when it comes to quality or safety.

They would probably also say that I have a lot of patience when someone genuinely wants to learn, but less patience with superficiality. At the same time, I believe they know they can rely on me. If I say I will do something, I do it. And I believe that is one of the most important qualities in a team.

C&B: What truly differentiates you in the way you build or lead?

Titi: I believe what differentiates me is that I always start with the “why,” not the “how.” Before developing a project, I ask myself whether it truly brings value and whether it will still matter five or ten years from now.

I do not believe in projects created solely for image or quick results. I prefer to build more slowly, but to create things that stand the test of time. This philosophy guided me when I founded the Titi Aur Academy, and it continues to be the foundation of all the projects I develop.

C&B: How has the current context (technology, AI, the economy) changed the way you work?

Titi: The current context forces us to adapt faster than ever. We use artificial intelligence and other technologies to analyze information, develop content, and streamline many of our internal processes. They help us save time and make better-informed decisions.

However, I believe there are areas where technology cannot replace human experience. In road safety education, the relationship between trainer and participant, practical exercises, and real-world experience remain essential. Artificial intelligence is a very valuable tool, but responsibility, intuition, and the decisions made by a human being cannot be replaced.

The challenge is to find the right balance: to use technology where it makes us more efficient, without losing the human element that makes the difference.

C&B: Is there a habit or routine that has significantly influenced your performance?

Titi: I believe my most important habit is to keep learning. Even after all these years, I read, follow what other countries are doing, talk to specialists, and attend international events. I believe there is always something new to learn, regardless of how much experience you have.

Another thing I do is try to draw a conclusion from every experience. Whether it is a course, an event, or a conversation with a client, I always ask myself what I have learned and what we can improve. I believe progress comes from many small changes made consistently, rather than from a single major decision.

C&B: What principles guide you when making important decisions?

Titi: I do not make decisions solely by thinking about the immediate result. I try to see what effect they will have several years from now and whether they are aligned with the values I believe in.

Before making an important decision, I ask myself a few simple questions: Is it useful? Does it bring value? And would I be able to support it with the same conviction five years from now? If the answer is yes, I move forward. If I have doubts, I prefer to wait.

Over the years, I have turned down projects that would have been profitable in the short term but did not fit with the Academy’s mission. I believe trust is difficult to build and very easy to lose, and for me, it is far more valuable than a quick gain.

C&B: How do you see your field evolving over the next 3–5 years?

Titi: I believe that over the next 3–5 years we will see increasingly intelligent cars, with more and more assistance systems and technologies based on artificial intelligence. All of these will contribute to greater safety, but they will not eliminate the human factor.

From my point of view, the biggest challenge remains education. We can have the most advanced cars, but if drivers do not know how to make the right decisions or overestimate their abilities, accidents will continue to happen.

That is why I believe road safety education will become increasingly important. We will move from the idea of “learning to get your driving license” to continuous training, as is already happening in many countries. I believe this is the direction Romania needs to take as well.

C&B: What role do you aim to play in this evolution?

Titi: I believe my role is the same one I have taken on until now: to contribute to raising the level of road safety education in Romania and to show that safety can be learned.

I want the Titi Aur Academy to develop more and more programs for drivers, companies, and young people and to demonstrate, through concrete results, that investing in education reduces accidents and saves lives.

If, several years from now, we are talking more about prevention than about the consequences of accidents, I will consider that I have achieved my goal. For me, this is the most important result we can achieve.

C&B: What real advice would you give someone who wants to build something relevant today?

Titi: I believe the first step is to build something that solves a real problem, not just an idea that seems interesting. If people do not need what you are offering, it will be very difficult to survive in the long term.

The second thing is to be patient. Today we want quick results, but projects that matter are built over years, not months. There were many moments when things did not go the way I wanted, but I continued to believe in the direction I had chosen.

And perhaps most importantly, do not be afraid to learn and adapt. The world is constantly changing, and if you remain stuck in what you knew a few years ago, you risk falling behind.

C&B: What is an uncomfortable truth about your field that few people talk about?

Titi: I believe one of the biggest myths is that a good driver is someone who has been driving for many years or who has never been involved in an accident. In reality, experience does not automatically mean proper training. Many times, we repeat the same mistakes for years without realizing it.

Another truth is that, in Romania, road safety education is often viewed as an expense rather than an investment. Many people choose to learn only enough to obtain their driving license, even though driving is a skill that we should constantly improve.

I believe we will have safer traffic only when we understand that a good driver is not someone who believes that “it can only happen to someone else,” but someone who continues to learn and train throughout their entire life.

The journey of Titi Aur shows that performance is not only about speed, but also about discipline, responsibility, and the ability to turn experience into real-world impact. From motorsport to founding the Titi Aur Academy, his mission has remained focused on road safety education and prevention.

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