AWD_Rules3830 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 WELL ... i know this going to sound like another 19 year old wanting to be a race car driving, but its something that would make me happy. About me, Im 5'7" and weight 120 pounds, soo basically i have the body of a race car driver. Step one complete. lol I know there are many problems with me deciding now that i want to look into this, and not when i was alot younger. I have a good friend who races carts for 6 years but ... grew up to be 6' soo got too tall and had to quit. I don't want to race nascar of any kind, i would like to do open wheel, i don't care about the money. However, i just dont know where to begin. Perhaps i should just go to business school and work in the business end of racing. I love my car ... basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 SCCA The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlsb Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 If you want to do open wheel, start with Karts. The price to get into Karts is low, 10-15 k for a good setup with spares. If you have lots of bucks, SCCA open wheel (EG FV) is another possibility. Start running and working out with an eye on endurance. You should also investigate drivers schools ala Skip Barber. And remember that nothing beats seat time, race as much as possible. Good luck "Belief does not make truth. Evidence makes truth. And belief does not make evidence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexjapan Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Most of the top drivers got into racing by starting in karts, and really, there's no better way to start. Racing automobiles is simply too cost prohibitive if you want to be competitive, tires and brake pad costs alone will kill you. Most people that race the big cars (regularly) are either really good plus marketable (sponsors), or rich. Or not rich, but with a good job and no other hobbies. Cheers, Paul Hansen http://www.avoturboworld.com | http://www.sevenphotos.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt_ltd Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Or not rich, but with a good job and no other hobbies. and no wife too. This Space For Rent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KartRacerBoy Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 If you want to do open wheel, start with Karts. The price to get into Karts is low, 10-15 k for a good setup with spares. If you have lots of bucks, SCCA open wheel (EG FV) is another possibility. Start running and working out with an eye on endurance. You should also investigate drivers schools ala Skip Barber. And remember that nothing beats seat time, race as much as possible. Good luck Karting is my choice! But you would be throwing money away if you spent $10-15k to get started. I got started with a used kart, trailer, everything for $4000, and you can spend less. You don't need and shouldn't waste your money on new equipment to start until you find out if you really like it. At the club level, where you'd no doubt start, the driver is 95% of the equation. As you learn and get better, get better equipment. Don't get a shifter kart to start. All that power masks your mistakes and slows the learning. Check to see if there are kart tracks or clubs nearby. And go to a driver school for karts if thats what you end up choosing. Or if you choose cars, a good school like Bondurant, Skip Barber, is a better choice than an unknown school. Cars will be better maintained in all likelihood. Good luck, have fun, and be smart and safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADirtyLegacy Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 About me, Im 5'7" and weight 120 pounds ever think about eating!?!?!?! are you trying to make a career of this? as you stated it might be a little late for that, so i dont know that you could make a career out of it, except maybe in sprint cars. if you go into the business side of it, let me know if it's less stressful than the engineering side of it. i sware i'm gonna be gray and dead by 30!!!! Kenda:dm: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlsb Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Karting is my choice! But you would be throwing money away if you spent $10-15k to get started. I got started with a used kart, trailer, everything for $4000, and you can spend less. You don't need and shouldn't waste your money on new equipment to start until you find out if you really like it. At the club level, where you'd no doubt start, the driver is 95% of the equation. As you learn and get better, get better equipment. Don't get a shifter kart to start. All that power masks your mistakes and slows the learning. Check to see if there are kart tracks or clubs nearby. And go to a driver school for karts if thats what you end up choosing. Or if you choose cars, a good school like Bondurant, Skip Barber, is a better choice than an unknown school. Cars will be better maintained in all likelihood. Good luck, have fun, and be smart and safe. +1 on this although I was thinking enduro Karts, More track time! "Belief does not make truth. Evidence makes truth. And belief does not make evidence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxerGT2.5 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 About me, Im 5'7" and weight 120 pounds, soo basically i have the body of a race car driver. Step one complete. lol Good lord drop of water, maybe become a horse jockey. OBAMA......One Big Ass Mistake America! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4LG7 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 About me, Im 5'7" and weight 120 pounds, soo basically i have the body of a race car driver. Step one complete. lol Or you could just go on America's Next Top Model...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 move this to the motorsports thread... Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 WELL ... i know this going to sound like another 19 year old wanting to be a race car driving, but its something that would make me happy. About me, Im 5'7" and weight 120 pounds, soo basically i have the body of a race car driver. Step one complete. lol I know there are many problems with me deciding now that i want to look into this, and not when i was alot younger. I have a good friend who races carts for 6 years but ... grew up to be 6' soo got too tall and had to quit. I don't want to race nascar of any kind, i would like to do open wheel, i don't care about the money. However, i just dont know where to begin. Perhaps i should just go to business school and work in the business end of racing. Since you are about 16 years late of becoming a competitive cart driver or open wheel driver at this stage, you will have to start from the very beginning in terms like everyone else and do it as a hobby and maybe, just maybe if you have the money and the will to become a paid driver, you have a LONG road ahead of you.. you can start off with autocrossing and high performance driving events to get yourself familar with track ettiquette, safety and many other things to learn along the way.. it will take a while before you get yourself to the point where you are familar enough and have a racecar that you can either rent or build one yourself for race use and apply for your racing license (it's taking me about 6 years to get to where I am today.. and I started back when I was just out of college and turning 21).. You can either go through http://www.scca.com, http://www.nasaproracing.com, or http://www..icscc.com for now, some car clubs also have racing license that you can get such as BMW and Mazda, so that you use those as leverage to get into the bigger leagues as you will be on a provisional rookie license.. if you want to go international, that's another ball park.. You can talk to http://www.racecompengineering.com and they can give you a quick glance of the process and how the licensing work (as you need one or two to get to the next higher level). Best thing is to google all your info and go from there. weight and height really doesnt matter when it comes to racing with a larger level of cars because there's minimum weight rules to meet when you are in a car and you can always pre-fab the car to fit even one of the taller drivers (I have a friend that is 6'2" and he fits in a spec-miata just fine).. but the smaller the car and the lighter it is, the more of an effect of the driver's status in size is and that's when things matter. Unless your will and passion for motorsports are that high, dont expect to make money from it, at least in the beginning until you get a lot of sponsors and a lot of money rolling in from them to support your cause.. your determination to win and participate in this sport is what will make you a winner.. you can't win if you never raced.. and in terms of a championship series, you can't win if you are not consistently winning and showing up to win because missing one event out of the series can make it or break it for you to have a overall 2nd place for the year.. an entire year's worth of work is destroyed just because of missing 1 race that would give you enough points to win 1st overall for the year. Think about your time dedication and the amount of effort you want to put into it.. otherwise, from my point of view, just enjoy driving overall.. there are other factors that once you get your racing license, you will have to keep it active by racing certain number of races in a year to keep it from being void. Just get into learning the sport and learning car control first.. then think about it if racing is for you (because it will get expensive out of your own pocket, and no one is going to hire you as a driver if you dont have the experience or a winning record). Racing is fun, but there's a lot of risk and time spent on making things happen.. so either you support yourself through it like many of us do and getting friends and family to help you out, or you look for a lot of financial help and you have to put the effort and time into it so that you can be a better driver and start winning at a lower level of racing and build your way up to it. If you need to know more, you can PM me or just continue posting here, there's many of us here on the boards that have racing license from different sanctions that can guide you along the way.. but the best thing for now is to just go out with a car that is mechanically sound and run a few HDPE's and learn.. once you learn all your car controls and look over at your bills and tab to see how much money you have put into just learning how to drive fast, then think about racing, because racing is probably going to cost 2 to 3 times as much as what you will see then. Good luck and I'll see you at the finish line. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Gat Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Hello, It's never too late - well, too late and wrong last name if you want to get into NASCAR or some other "family" sport Gary Sheehan finished his degree program in school, got a real job, saved some money, paid his way into the Bridgestone Racing School up in Canada, and moved onwards from there. There's really no better option than starting at a school Formula 2000 series. You'll get more coaching than you can ever hope to get otherwise. Every session, you'll have top level pro drivers discussing your performance with you. You'll have a coach standing on the track in a corner, on the radio, telling you he still saw tarmac between his toes and your tires, so you failed to hit your apex. Once you've spent some time in a real racing school, go for their in-house race series. Win there and you can get a year of pro f2000 or formula mazda for free. Otherwise, move on to one of those series. Then graduate to Barber Dodge Pro or similar. From there, Toyota Atlantic and/or then move on to production based cars. Do SCCA Club Racing while you learn about how to get sponsorship, move into low end professional racing (ie, USTCC), get some further experience raising money, and then go for Grand Am or World Challenge, if you're interested in production based cars. That's pretty much the path that Gary took... Joel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KartRacerBoy Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 +1 on this although I was thinking enduro Karts, More track time! Yea, when I started kart racing my first thought was that 12 lap races, lapping in 45 to 50 seconds depending on track configuration, was whimpy. Need longer races. Then I did it. I was surprised how physically draining it was, and then I moved to higher hp karts. Ouch again! Do enduro karts just not pound the body like a sit up sprint kart? We regularly pull 2gs in my class, according to my buddy's MyChron dash computer. And, man, my 44 year old frame feels it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iuksob03 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Good lord drop of water, maybe become a horse jockey. Have any of you guys ever tried to lift weights? Those things are heavy! Forget that! <<<<< 5'9", 125 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADirtyLegacy Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Have any of you guys ever tried to lift weights? Those things are heavy! Forget that! <<<<< 5'9", 125 all these skinny people are making me feel bad!! wouldnt auto-xing be a "better" alternative than karting for such a late start if he's trying to career it? only people around here who drive karts, are kids who stop at my knee, but it might be different in the Midwest. Kenda:dm: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 when it comes to being that lightweight in a hot car at 90F+ during an enduro, your body will take a beating.. even Brian or Chris Lock was dehydrated and got sick at one of their races earlier this year.. you really need to be in physical shape (your mind is 100% focused and your body tenses up), so you could be physically flexing your muscles and clinching of ALL that 20-minute session along with g-forces acting on you, do about 8 to 10 sessions like that in a weekend, you got yourself a lot of cramps, especially if you are low on water. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWD_Rules3830 Posted June 6, 2006 Author Share Posted June 6, 2006 Well, i am planning to go to racing school next summer, im really not sure where im going to get started. I will check out SCCA and such and get into Karts when i have money. I probably will just have to get a job, and get enough money to the point were i can pay for myself to get up through the ranks. Well see. I love my car ... basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Well, i am planning to go to racing school next summer, im really not sure where im going to get started. I will check out SCCA and such and get into Karts when i have money. I probably will just have to get a job, and get enough money to the point were i can pay for myself to get up through the ranks. Well see. the cheap way to go is just start autocrossing.. if you can win a national title a couple of times, then you'll be good to go to move on and be recognized by other SCCA members and racers, and then going to the track to do HDPEs will be easier to deal with as time and money progress.. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlsb Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 the cheap way to go is just start autocrossing.. if you can win a national title a couple of times, then you'll be good to go to move on and be recognized by other SCCA members and racers, and then going to the track to do HDPEs will be easier to deal with as time and money progress.. While I mostly agree with Xenkonk/Keefe Autox does NOT teach you how to race, it teaches you how to get pole position! And there is a big difference. I used to love AOTOX, because it was fun. But real racing is a serious business. You are out there with a lot of people who want to win just as much as you do, and are willing to hurt themselves (or you) to do so.And nobody ever remembers second place. In AUTOX if you make a mistake you hit cones, in road racing you make a mistake and you can get hurt. And I've got the pins in my hip to remind me of that.Fear can change a race outcome. There is a lot more to road racing than just being fast, You have got to finish, you have to have Patience, and you have to be willing to challenge the person next to you in a corner. heck, I've stuck the nose of an F-2 car into the rear of a guy(like millimeters) who had me out powered for laps until he got rattled and went off track. He lost his cool, I won. And as KEEFE says you must have total commitment. That means no matter what ,you make every race. I presume that Keefe has won more than one AUTOX campionship. That takes speaks for itself. He wants to win and there is no substitute( sorry Porsche) for that kind of dedication. "Belief does not make truth. Evidence makes truth. And belief does not make evidence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 While I mostly agree with Xenkonk/Keefe Autox does NOT teach you how to race, it teaches you how to get pole position! And there is a big difference. I used to love AOTOX, because it was fun. But real racing is a serious business. You are out there with a lot of people who want to win just as much as you do, and are willing to hurt themselves (or you) to do so.And nobody ever remembers second place. In AUTOX if you make a mistake you hit cones, in road racing you make a mistake and you can get hurt. And I've got the pins in my hip to remind me of that.Fear can change a race outcome. There is a lot more to road racing than just being fast, You have got to finish, you have to have Patience, and you have to be willing to challenge the person next to you in a corner. heck, I've stuck the nose of an F-2 car into the rear of a guy(like millimeters) who had me out powered for laps until he got rattled and went off track. He lost his cool, I won. And as KEEFE says you must have total commitment. That means no matter what ,you make every race. I presume that Keefe has won more than one AUTOX campionship. That takes speaks for itself. He wants to win and there is no substitute( sorry Porsche) for that kind of dedication. +1 I havent won a series myself yet, and it burns me to come in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and worse, 2nd place (another name for the 1st place loser) during a series.. the last WDCR championship points I lost by 7 points to 2nd place to an STi which was all of a difference of fighting for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place throughout the season: http://solo.wdcr-scca.org/results/2005Standings.php Even in a series championship, winning podium every time doesnt make you the overall winner at the end.. you gotta bring your A-game to the table regardless. When you are competiting (in ANY sport), you need the skills.. you CAN'T lack any, the rest is all a matter of mental toughness (it's NOT about how big your balls are in your pants, it's how well you use your head and skills to make the best move out there).. no one cares how much guts you really have if you can only come up with a 2nd place finish. A real competitor spends more time fine tuning their skills during practice than looking for actual race experience. When it comes down to racing, qualifying laps is when the race REALLY begins. Being on pole and staying first is already more than half your battle.. being stuck in traffic and fighting your way though and going off-line through the track is just asking for a lot of work, focus, concentration and commitment to make the right choice to get faster through the pack. Racing itself is overwhelming with people bump-drafting, trading paint, tapping each other's doors, 4-wheel parallel drifts, bad weather conditions and all of that.. your race could be very well be over in the first lap. You can't win a race if you can't last through the entire race session.. I had a few friends that gave up the racing because it was too overwhleming with traffic management, bad sportsmanship from other racers, and physical/mental requirements that will just take a toll on you. Dont get me wrong, competition is fun. But definitely goto both "real world" school such as college and whatnot and also goto high performance driving school.. dont set foot into racing until you feel comfortable driving 10/10ths of any car, because when it comes to racing, you are really racing against yourself to become faster and faster to where no one can catch you. Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADirtyLegacy Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 because when it comes to racing, you are really racing against yourself to become faster and faster to where no one can catch you. no truer words have ever been spoken. smarts and patience are the keys to victory lane. just don't beat yourself. Kenda:dm: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobE Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Or you could just go on America's Next Top Model...? :lol: :lol: http://newenglandsubarus.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobE Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Make sure you drive a MT racecar. http://newenglandsubarus.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexjapan Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 I still love auto-x, but the skill sets are a bit different between it and circuit racing. Auto-x asks you to get it perfect the first time, and usually in a much tighter course than you'd ever see at a circuit. Racing asks you to get 10-20 corners done perfect 50 times in a row, in traffic, against aggressive bastards that'll bump you, thump you, and try to get you off into the dirt. Forgot to add- this is what kart racing really prepares you for. It's not the racing skills so much as the racing environment. Cheers, Paul Hansen http://www.avoturboworld.com | http://www.sevenphotos.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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