new here have some questions!

sneiser · 27 Oct 2002, 19:18 (Ref:414897)

ok i am the part of life right now where i am really starting to consider what to do with my life. Now i love owrking on cars and i love watching races. So ithink htat i really would love to get into this kind of racing. (becasue i love the cars that are involved) My dream now is to race one of these cars and get into the top ten list one day. But my questins is how do i get involved? how do i get the chances to race in thes etypes of races? what steps do i have to go through?
if you could help me understand all this and answer my questins that would be great!!!

thanx alot

sneiser · 27 Oct 2002, 19:40 (Ref:414915)

now im i in the right area ... i am talking about racing civic's, integra's , rsx's , bwm's etc , ford foucus's , etc .. im i right???

**touringlegend** · 27 Oct 2002, 19:47 (Ref:414917)

Yep, the Touring Car forum this is. You just have to have patience for the right person to come along and help you. Sorry, but I'm not it, I don't have a clue or else I'd be there!

Sim_Da_BTCC_Man · 27 Oct 2002, 21:36 (Ref:415006)

Karting is a good place to start because you get some racing experince behind you without massive expence. Speedy King is the best person to talk 2 about karting.

redshoes · 27 Oct 2002, 22:04 (Ref:415036)

If you are looking for advice about starting in motorsports I think you'll get a better answer in the Racer's Forum.

Lee Janotta · 28 Oct 2002, 03:06 (Ref:415209)

Yeah, if you're young and lightweight, go karting... It's the only thing even close to being reasonably priced.

Moving up from that, there's a spec Nissan Sentra series that runs in Canada... But that'd cost well into 5 figure a year, _after_ you bought the car.

Uh... Sadly, any racing in North America, aside from karting, costs a small fortune.

If you honestly like working on the cars and being at the track, I'd suggest volunteering to do some crewing for them. _If_ you're impressive in your karting, an opportunity might roll around to get you in a seat with them. Even if it's just a one-off, it's a valuable opportunity.

I'm in basically the same boat here.... Between my studies and my non-existant budget, it's just not something I can do. I'd have to finish my studies, get a job, and move to the UK or Germany.

No offense, but you Brits don't know how good you have it to _not_ have to drive two hours each way EVERY TIME you go to a race!

DAVID PATERSON · 29 Oct 2002, 03:00 (Ref:416052)

Sneiser, the first thing you have to do is count your pennies and see what you can afford. If you have no experience you have no chance of getting picked up by a professional team. You will have to start out doing club level events in your own car.

We can offer advice, but we need to know your situation. Do you have any spnsors?
Ho much of your own mony are you willing to put in?
How old are you, and how fit?
Do you have any mechanical ability?
Are you serious about doing this for a living or just a hobby?
What experience do you have?

Hopefully, we can all give you some guidance.

Lee Janotta · 29 Oct 2002, 04:48 (Ref:416091)

No offense David, but I think most of that was pretty well implied. More info couldn't hurt, though.

DAVID PATERSON · 30 Oct 2002, 03:11 (Ref:417036)

I'm offering those questions for every budding young racer to ponder, when they have answered every one of them, they'll have a pretty good idea of what their options are.

If they haven't they can come here and ask us.

Lee Janotta · 30 Oct 2002, 04:58 (Ref:417063)

Good point.

For me, it's always been a complete lack of funds, lack of access in the area, and the fact that I can't risk my future security on racing.

It means I probably won't get into a race or rally car until I'm in my late '20s, but, without a well-heeled benefactor, I don't have any other options.

Such is life...

Hey, even at that age, I could still go over to England, totally demolish the competition in Super 1600, and suddenly be a hot property. Assuming I've got the talent in the first place.

DAVID PATERSON · 30 Oct 2002, 08:33 (Ref:417161)

That's a huge assumption to make and it's amzaing how many people with no experience are willing to make it.

However, most people after they've done a few club events, tend to revise their estimate downwards, way downwards.

Lee Janotta · 30 Oct 2002, 13:33 (Ref:417414)

Like I said... Assuming I've got the talent to do it in the first place.

Being able to race and not succeed consistently enough to offset much of your expenses is a _huge_ luxury. If I was to get into motorsport at with my current financial situation, I'd basically need to starting winning right away.

Which isn't realistic, so I'm holding off.

DAVID PATERSON · 31 Oct 2002, 03:09 (Ref:418126)

Here in Australia, there are few classes where prizmeoney is considered significant, so you need to find a sponsor or pay for it out of your own pocket, like I do.

If you've got a good job it's not that hard to afford. You just make some sacrfifices, no beer, no smoking, no drugs, no girls, no holidays, no fancy clothes..........

Lee Janotta · 31 Oct 2002, 04:10 (Ref:418146)

Yeah, well, I honestly don't spend my money on any of those things. Perhaps once I've finished my education and begun my career... Though I wonder what entry fees are down there, if you think it's doable.

An average season of club racing here is at least $9000, which would be half my income for the first several years of my employment. _Before_ you but the car. Stupid $250 per-event entry fees. The insurance situation here is absolutely absurd, but what's worse is the greedy SCCA, with their fancy new corporate headquarters, and big purses in the pro classes. Very top-heavy system. Plus the travel expenses are enormous... That's where the Britons have it right... Lots of events of every kind within a few hours drive, instead of a few days!

But I'd really rather rally... So that means Europe anyways... The rallying scene here is dead... Only Group A and Group N even conform to international class rules.

DAVID PATERSON · 31 Oct 2002, 07:59 (Ref:418209)

Lee that's super expensive, I used to do a full season for half that. Obviously, it's out of reach for a student, but most people with a full time job and no dependants can manage it. Club level rally is a lot dearer than club level racing. Most Aussies are against the idea of prize money. Ultimately, it comes out of the pockets of all competitors and goes into the pockets of those who are generally better funded anyway.

Lee Janotta · 31 Oct 2002, 22:13 (Ref:418920)

Thank you David, you're the first racer who's agreed with me that it's a lot of money.

Hopefully I can find employment somewhere with a more competitive and accessible motorsport scene. The US is a good place to end your driving career, but a poor place to start it.

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