motor

SPAD · 07-19-2004, 11:12 PM

Im 15 years old and i want to race pro soooooo badly but my parents do not support this and i have no money

so that means right now my chances are not looking good.do think it would be possible for me to race pro after starting at about 18.I know there are people that have done this before but it takes alot of natural.I have a a little bit of carting and i am confident in my natural tallent but that does dot neccesarily mean il be good.

Also i do not care about the money.as long as i am making enough to aford an appartment an a car i will be in heaven.I just want to be comppetative in a series

itsthepham · 07-19-2004, 11:40 PM

my friend back in the day use to attend a lot of races such as SCCA and what not and talked to drivers and asked for advice and he worked from there. its not a hard sport but you just need to know what ur doing and know the right people.

SFDMALEX · 07-20-2004, 12:38 AM

If : 1) You are not rich 2) Your daddy doesnt have connections in the sport

then forget about it.

oscargarza88 · 07-20-2004, 12:44 AM

^ i dont think its like that...
but yea u have to b a seena to go pro if u start at 18, its hard...

68-998 · 07-20-2004, 12:52 AM

You need to start at the bottom dude.

Get into karting anyway you can and build it from there. Becoming a pro racing driver is something very few people can do. It takes a lot of hard work. I guarantee your first race will be a humbling experience.

Here's an article which you may want to read:

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=8167

mindgam3 · 07-20-2004, 04:46 AM

Agreed ^^ get into some karting championships. If you win a few of them then you can consider moving up

chipanggo · 07-20-2004, 05:58 AM

i agree as well. karting is the best way to start out in your career. good luck.

TopGearNL · 07-20-2004, 06:59 AM

There are always championships on circuits that not everybodu knows but that is racing on a high level. For instance: In Holland there is the Seat Ibiza Cup were 3 members race and have a pitcrew. The Idea behind it is that they get sponsors so they can pay the car, the racing itself and all the equipment and benefits. It will always cost money no matter what you do but hey, racing is racing

I suggest you take a look at what for championships are in your country, there might be more than you think and then the chances that you'lll race in one of them will get higher, good luck

SPAD · 07-20-2004, 01:44 PM

I read the article about Robin warner already but thanks anway.Lol that was wat gave me the idea that i still may have a chance.He is not doing to well but he has verry little experience with the series but he did do some racing in karting and auto cross.

Max Power · 07-20-2004, 01:51 PM

This is what I suggest u do, finish highschool with decent grades, go to college, become an accountant, make a decent living and have a good retirement fund......then when u retire u can buy yourself (then) an old 360 racer and go autocrossing......that race car driver shit...fogggettaaabbbooouuutttiiitt.....we've all thought of it and its not gonna happen. So don't lose faith cause maybe when u turn 50 u just might put that talent to good use....good luck and godspeed

ae86_16v · 07-20-2004, 11:16 PM

Originally Posted by SPAD

Im 15 years old and i want to race pro soooooo badly but my parents do not support this and i have no money

so that means right now my chances are not looking good.do think it would be possible for me to race pro after starting at about 18.I know there are people that have done this before but it takes alot of natural.I have a a little bit of carting and i am confident in my natural tallent but that does dot neccesarily mean il be good.

Also i do not care about the money.as long as i am making enough to aford an appartment an a car i will be in heaven.I just want to be comppetative in a series

If you have time to come online and spend valuable practice time on the forums then I think you aren't gonna make it =) .

Yeah like others said, you pretty much have to work from bottom up.

Takuma Sato, the guy that is driving for BAR right now in Formula 1 started karting when he was pretty old, I can't remember exactly but I wanna say 15? But he also has tons of sponsorships especially from Honda.

goose93 · 07-21-2004, 12:44 AM

Go with the Karting idea. Relaticely cheap and incredibly fun. Even if you don't make a racing career you will have one hell of a cool hobby. Either way it will help explore your racing talent and improve your on-road ability.

When you get in to cars start small like a Miata for example. Good everyday car and plenty of options for entry level competition.

Work your way up from there. Keep it on the track though. Getting busted on the street will significantly impare your abilitiy to race competitively.

68-998 · 07-21-2004, 12:55 AM

Originally Posted by SPAD

I read the article about Robin warner already but thanks anway.Lol that was wat gave me the idea that i still may have a chance.He is not doing to well but he has verry little experience with the series but he did do some racing in karting and auto cross.

Guess what, you have even less experience!

Autocross can be a good place to start. Here in Australia its a bit different and its called Motorkhana, but you can drive as long as you are 12. You don't even need a license. Its also good because the car doesn't really matter so much. I drive a mini, it cost me $1800 (Australian).

Autocross will help you to learn about car control at a basic level. Karting will give you race experience. The most influential factor on a racing driver's career is not talent, its track time. Get into karting, and if you can, autocross. Develop your skills and if you do have talent, and are good at promoting yourself, you might have a chance at making it.

Good luck. I have the same goals, but I'm 25!

SPAD · 07-21-2004, 02:46 PM

I would most likely be able to do auto cross befor 18.I have been thinking of getting a mini as my first car,very cheap buy apparently very fun.I would not be able to do it in my dads car cuz its a van(too high according to the casc rule book)I would not want to if could! It would be quite ebarasing

ops: lol i already have done a bit of karting i am way better than all my friends but the ones i have driven are only 10hp and faily heavy for a kart.

DTM8 · 07-21-2004, 10:49 PM

Originally Posted by SPAD

Im 15 years old and i want to race pro soooooo badly but my parents do not support this and i have no money

There is an extremely slim chance for you to become a professional racer at or around age 18 especially if you have 2+ years to be one.

Dont worry, you have time. I also have goals of becoming a competitive racer, even though I am basically 17 now.

As many already mentioned, you have to start from the bottom, which is karting. Then, in a few years, if you feel that you could move on, then do it. Keep in mind that this will take some skill, money, and alot of skill. But with that, you will gain alot of experience and enjoyment.

Even though you did not mention this, I am assuming that you might(or might not) be intimidated by all these breakthrough teen racing professionals. Dont be, most of these guys did the smart thing, by starting at a very young age.

From what I read, there are many racing opportunities in Toronto (well atleast much more than this area), so traveling may not be a problem for you.

Lastly, don't rush it, do what you can do, and you will be fine