How to get started

I would start out in solo2 (autocross). Most people suggest that a year or two in autocross is important. At the same time go to Driver Education events at your local Road course. Try this web site www.scca.com to see how to sign up for these events. Also try your local track for more info. Baby steps

 

They supply the cars, the support and give you an education in 2.0L open wheel race cars. Everyone says "its too expensive" but from all the work I did, it is the best cost option if you need to learn. No racing is inexpensive (both time and money). Good luck.

 

Karting would be another place to start if you are dead set on open wheel. Every kind of motorsport is expensive, but open wheel especially. Even if you win every race you enter over the next few years, plan on spending at least $100k before you get to a point where someone else even considers picking up your tab. Probably much more. If this is out of your budget, consider autocrossing, and participating in drivers ed events to build up track time.

 

Excellent advice but realistically you are looking at $1million to be spent if you are considering having a go at a career in racing. Sounds crazy? Hang around the races for a while, a million does not go 'that' far.

 

I would do an open wheel school first. Join and follow the SCCA program. Open wheel cars go from a competive FV at $10,000 to $80,000 for a pro Mazda. You will have just as much fun and be more competive in a Vee. Check out www.Apexspeed.com for FF, F2000, FSCCA, and FATL info. Tube frame Mazdas offer incredible bang for the buck. Take your time,become educated, and be prepared to spend more than you thought.But all in all it is without a doubt the most exciting thing you can do in this life. Go for it!

 

It all depends on how much time and money you want to spend, and how far you want to go.

There is no question though that the best drivers in the world come from karting. I would start with that - it's also alot less expensive than other forms of motor racing.

Of course, if you just want to have a bit of fun blasting around in a racecar on your days off, then by all means buy whatever you can afford.

If you want to make a career out of open-wheel racing, the usual progression looks something like this:

Karting -> Formula Ford / Opel / Vauxhall -> Formula Renault / BMW / Volkswagen / Nissan 2000 -> Formula 3 -> A1GP / GP2 / F3000 / F4000 / Formula Nippon / Nissan -> Champ Car / Indy / Formula 1

The number of years spent in the respective catagories differs greatly, as does the total number of catagories drivers participate in before reaching the top of their careers.

 

Try auto x or a DE before investing too much money.

It is a lot of fun here are some pics of me and my Viper at Heartland Park Topeka & auto X:
http://www.darylsphotos.com/4-13-205RoadWarrior.htm/


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autox - it is cheap $20 - $30 an event and it teaches you some of the basic car control skills.

HPDE or PDE events - $300 and is at high speed, you have an instructor with you at all times. They count towards getting a novice license.

Driving school - one day events range from $500 - $1200, I think you need atleast 5 events before you are given a novice license.

Karting - check out how active the local kart scene is, its a good place to start.

I am more into the touring car racing and I am working through the chain by starting at autox, then doing HPDE/PDE and then driving schools.

 

This is all really great advice and I do not want to sound like an ass, but the question that needs to be answered is...

How old are you?

Do you want racing to be your career or a hobby?

 

Oh so true. Also depends on where you want to end up in. If F1 is your goal, it is too late already as not too many toddlers are on FChat (although it sometimes seems that way).

 

Hey! No fair... low blow tifosi12... low blow!

But coming back to the topic...

If scuderiafever is about 13 or 14 and has the coming summer free, I can ofer him some sound advice that will make him a late commer but he will barely make it into racing.

If scuderiafever is anywhere near 18 or above, I think it is time to start thinking about other career options.

I am not trying to spoil his ambitions or dreams but there are certain measures of reality that he must be warned about.

 

Wasn't necessarily directed at you, but if you try that shoe on yourself...

Anyway, I'm always shaking my head about the adults who think they got what it takes and start racing. All ok as long as you don't aspire too much and don't take your on track time too seriously (there are especially many Ferrari folks suffering from this illusion).

I remember during a track event a young man (about 20) approached me for advice on how to get going in racing. I tried to politely steer him into the right direction, but thought to myself: Pal, you're 15 years late. That train has left the station a LOOOOONG time ago.

 

Andreas is right- it always amazes me how oblivious some people are to the huge disparity between racing recreationally and doing it for a living. If your aspirations are realistic, fine, but otherwise you're bound to be disappointed if you're staring out at 20 years old.

 

Yup. Racing, as an industry, is for the wealthy kids who are groomed from day one. There are of course some exceptions, but if your family isn't behind your racing by the time your 5 years of age, your hopes of spontaneously becoming a paid, pro driver are nill.
You're always welcome to make a fortune in another career and then blow it all on racing, but you'll be well into your 30s by that time.
Sorry kid, you could be the fastest kid in your town but unless you've got a rich dad, willing to fork over lots of cash for you to test with pay for drive teams, your done.
I learned this first hand, which is why I'm going to take a break from all things racing for a while, the disappointment's depressing and it ruins a perfectly good hobby.

 

Like everyone has said unless you have been groomed from day 1 you won't make it into F1 or the big leagues without a LOT of luck or money. But, if you want to have fun on weekends and go racing there are tons of smaller series out there. You can't make a living out of it if that is what you want, but you can be good and get enough to keep feeding the racing bug.

I will never make it into F1, but with a little determination and luck and a bit of money I could be in Honda Challenge, Spec Miata or even Grand Am or the Rolex Sportscar Series by the time I am in my late 30s.

 

Unless you are not 100% sure, please do not waste your money at a racing drivers school. The only thing they are good for is helping the owners fund their racing program.

Racing, like any sport, has to come from within ... yes you can learn a few pointers at a school but the best way to learn how to race is simply to race, thus buy a go kart.

It is not strange that most professional single seater drivers started in karts ... and not a racing drivers school.

If you have it, then speed will come as you will always be looking for the fastest line and/or lap time. MS did not have an instructor telling him how to drive ... he due to his ambition to go faster and faster kept trying different things until he worked out what worked best for him, the car and that track.

That is the way it works. Racing schools are for rich posers that want to play at racing and really have no real burning ambition, other than to do a few club days. Yes there are exceptions ... but you can say that about everything.

Thus buy a cheap go kart, join a good club and go racing and learn what it is all about ... by doing!! You'll work out the next steps once you are there.

Good luck.
Pete

 

What stops most people from making it to F1 is themselves. It does not matter how old you are ... yeah you will be up against guys that have been racing for 10+ years already and know a few tricks, but that is just a huge challenge.

People that do ... are simply more motivated than others, people that don't set themselves limitations or create reasons for their failure ... like I did not start young enough, etc.

Read a Nigel Mansell biography and get off you @rse and get doing ... unless you are just pulling our chain
Pete

 

Pete unfortunately in the US racing schools and/or track days are the only way for the average person to get a racing license. Without a license the sanctioning bodies won't let you on the track. Go karts are different, I don't know what their rules are.

 

I am afraid that unless you have a great ammount of natural talent that has gone undiscovered, it is too late for a seroius career in racing. There is always the slim possibility that you may be talented racer and that you are a natural behind the wheel of a race car. Do not give up your ambitions because some anaonymous person on the internet (me) told you that it may be too late. If you have enough money to throw at your passion and you are really good, I have seen som crazy things happen in my life.

Touche

 

I think you all need to make a distinction between F1 and other forms of racing. At least here in the states you can still make a career in racing if you are older than a toddler.

F1...forget it. If you haven't gotten a cool million or more by the time you start getting zits you ain't going to F1.

But don't forget, there are racers outside F1 who make a good living. Mike Galti and Randy Pobst, both professional sports car racers here in the US started in their late 20's doing nothing more than autocrossing in parking lots (Pobst) and racing Hondas and Miatas in SCCA.

Neither makes $58 million a year, but both Galati and Pobst are paid professional for hire drivers. Pobst gets somewhere around $10,000 per race and races in 3 or 4 different series here in the US. It's rumored that he made around $300,000 + last season alone and I know Galati is in the six figures.

Regards,

Jon P. Kofod
www.flatoutracing.net

 

Ya know I was about to say this thread has been lacking the insight of Mr. Jon Koford.

Just to add on to what Jon said, if you visit the SCCA Speed World Challenge boards you will find for hire threads. Mid placed teams in ALMS offer over 100k for good drivers.

 

Buy the best you can afford ... remembering it costs a lot per season to race properly (ie. new engines, tyres, etc.). Building you own will simply waste time as you need to be up the front of the grid asap ... not sorting out engineering issues.

I understand exactly what the others are saying and yes 95% of the time they are right (ie. you are too old), but that does not mean you should commit suicide and give up on your ambition. Motor racing (IMO) more than other sports requires massive passion and you don't get that from a school (even if you do have to use one to get a license) ... but you will learn an enormous amount of what racing is via karts.

After karts (next season say) you need to try Formula Vee or Ford (or the USA equivalent) ... if you guys run Formula Ford then be prepared to hang in that for 2 or 3 years as it is bloody expensive ... but they do things like the Formula Ford Championship (in England) and that gives you a big step in to the racing market for single seaters (England).

Yes you can make a career in the States but you will either end up in NASCAR or racing some rich persons sportscar in some boring long distance races where there are about 5 professional drivers on the grid. Ofcourse you could target IRL or CART but I'd rather target Formula 3 in Euro or England, as then your options would be much wider.

Again as I said before read up some biographies, making it in motor sport is bloody hard as you need funds ... but the people that make it never faulted, never gave up and never stopped believing in themselves ... and importantly when they got a chance they gave it everything and did well enough to keep themselves noticed.

Thus I say give it a go ... and aim for the top ... and if you do not make it, you can always fall back on the sportscar series or the equivalent of Aussie V8 Supercars (which is filled with failures as drivers), but ofcourse that is not the right attitude

Pete