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How to get a start in car racing?

I'm ready to start a racing career. Where do I begin?

  • I've been into auto racing my whole life but with school and everything I felt like it was unrealistic to pursue seriously. I'm 21 years old now, 6'1" 187lbs and currently a college student. I raced motocross when I was younger but not very seriously and have spent the last few years playing simulators such as Forza, F1 2011, etc. I have also been to my local karting track thats part of a statewide karting series to rent a race kart for some practice and fun and i've decided that I want to actually get out there and race for real. I know the ins and outs of car setups, the optimal driving line, how to overtake, drafting, and all the other racing jargon. I know sims don't teach you everything about racing and car control but I just wanted it to be known I do know a thing or two. I've decided a good place to start my racing career would be in karting. As i'd be paying for this myself it seems like the most affordable option. I'd like to get away with spending as little money as possible at first to see if it's something I could hang with so I have a few questions: 1. At 21yrs old and my size is it reasonable to believe I could have a future in open wheel racing such as indy car? or perhaps the American le mans series?... this is assuming I'm a competitve racer of course. 2. What's a good class to start in racing karts? a 2-stroke class such as KT-100? or a cheaper/slower class such as a 200cc 4-stroke clone class? I know the ladder is cheaper but I've driven a 4-stroke and felt like i could handle more speed. 3. Is it even too late to consider a professional racing career at my age? I feel like i want to at least try since it's something that I'm passionate about but I want to be realistic. My plan would be to move up the ladder from karting, skip barber series, USF2000, Star Mazda, Indy lights, and then maybe if I'm lucky Indy car or formula1 but i know that's a serious stretch to think about. If anyone has any insight it would be greatly appreciated! :) Thanks

  • Answer:

    racing on a computer is of course different from running on a real track, but can teach you some basics. karting is always a good way to start, and if you have the confidence go for the faster ones. but don´t spend more than 2 years in them, then you much switch to real cars. 21 is not too late at all, but that very much depends on the amount of dollars you have. sponsors will not be crowding for someone who hasn´t shown much at your age. btw, robert doornbos started in cars when 21 and made it to indy and f1 as well, so don´t give up hope. and if you don´t make it to the top, at least enjoy what you´re doing. if you have talent and money enough, sportscars can be an interesting option. there are a lot of drivers in their 40s in the daytona 24h and sebring 12h races. enjoy!

Kyle at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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Go to your local cart track and contact them. I'm 14, raced for 7 years. I was going to move up to Micro Sprint cars (I'm an oval guy) after a succesful 1/4 midget career. We also contacted the local go cart track about classes. Anyway we went to micros last year, lost our sponsor, as they were losing money, and stopped racing. Sold all the equipment. Also, those "sims" arent sims. DO NOT THINK THAT THEY CAN TEACH YOU SOMETHING. They are labeled as such for marketing. Invest in iRacing for a hardcore sim, lots of pros use it for training, I used it to stay on top of my game in the of fseason, it worked. It teaches you everything you need to know. Also contact racers and their families or teams.

Im afraid it would be impossible to become an F1 driver as most F1 drivers start karting when they are at least 5 years old, then they move into f2 racing or other divisions such as Formula Ford or DTR then eventually becoming a test driver for say Ferrari. But you may have a chance of becoming a NASCAR driver as the drivers are mostly older drivers, im not too sure about Indy car as it is like F1 and probably requires you to start a karting career when you are very young, Im sure you could get into star Mazda or the others, But Dont get your hopes up about F1. PS video games are not realistic driving simulators as most of them Dont include the bumps in the road, or the rules of the sports, but Dont give up, you could still have a massive racing career ahead of you so good luck :).

James Solvanoo

Go - Carting

Red Dragon at the local Pub

I'm getting into racing myself and I'm trying to go after Formula One if that's through the GP2 series, or through IndyCar doesn't matter to me. I'm 23, and it's not to late for us at all. Don't ever let someone tell you it's impossible because it's not. How old is Michael Schumacher who is still racing in Formula One? How old is Rubens Barrichello who just came from Formula One and is now racing in Indy? 40's. Damon Hill started open wheel racing when he was 23 years old. However, it will cost some serious money like 7 figures easily these days because racing is a rich mans sport. Hell, the Super License alone to enter Formula One is around $250,000. That's just the license that you need to even be racing for an F1 team, and to qualify for that you need to be a reigning champion in a lower category like GP3 or GP2 or if going through IndyCar you need to finish within the first four places of the drivers championship. As far as karting, it's hard for me to say, I'm going straight to Skip Barber or Jim Russell's racing school to get my license and kick *** from there. Good luck brother of speed :)

Josh

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