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There is an indoor karting track in Edison New Jersey, it's called Supercharged, it's on Route 1. They hold racing leagues there on a regular basis. The competition is fierce, and I do mean fierce. If you enter into one of those you can get a feel for the pace it takes to be competitive. Be prepared to be shocked by the speed. If you can start winning those competitions you might have what it takes to be a professional racing car driver. If you can't win at this level of karting you don't have a chance.
The most realistic path (and please don't take this negatively) is to work hard in school and be successful in your career to the point where you can fund racing as a hobby.
The most realistic path (and please don't take this negatively) is to work hard in school and be successful in your career to the point where you can fund racing as a hobby.
The most realistic path (and please don't take this negatively) is to work hard in school and be successful in your career to the point where you can fund racing as a hobby.
I think the OP's is the most common question I have heard asked by younger folks, especially those new to the sport.
Without a doubt, even those who have been fortunate enough to break through to some professional level momentarily or for a few years, most after a decade or more of intense dedication and a LOT of familial support, end up saying the same thing as @RossP
Even those who "get there" have to take breaks from the grind of searching for sponsors, putting together deals and to me, the most important, forging personal relationships that MAY pay off down the road. Even if you "make it," it NEVER stops being a thrash to make a living.
Bravo, and the best advice.
__________________ -Peter Krause www.peterkrause.net www.gofasternow.com
"Combining the Art and Science of Driving Fast!"
Specializing in Professional, Private Driver Performance Evaluation and Optimization
Consultation Available Remotely and at VIRginia International Raceway
There are many ways to be involved in motorsports. I have a European friend whose family having been involved in motorsports for decades, he started early and eventually made it to Formula 1. Briefly. He then changed directions and built a prominent career around automobiles and heavy power equipment, enabling him to participate in motorsports lifelong, at many different levels, from amateur driver to international event sponsor.
I am going to try to give you some advice as someone who had the same aspirations as you in my teens and now nearly 25 years later did a season in IMSA (just this past year) and what my thoughts are on this whole topic. First, if you really want to try to do this then sure go for it, dont let anyone stop your dreams, but go into it being CERTAIN of what it takes. Lots of good advice in here, but the ones that said start working with a team and learn the engineering side as make great points (also leading you to a path that if the driving doesnt work you still have a career that pays in motorsports). A good racing driver who wants to get seats in a pro car nowadays better be able to help the team set the car up and better be a heck of a racing coach too (understanding data really well is a must). If you can not understand data and how to coach you are going to be limited in your rides because no matter how fast you become, your best bet into motorsports will be a gentleman driver that needs a fast coach to team with for a series. Don't rely on trying to be the fastest guy alone, that is unlikely to happen and even if you are fast someone faster will come along eventually and take your seat. You best be knowledgable, likable, and build yourself a reputation of the team/crew wanting to be around you.
With all of that said, I was fast in my teens comparatively speaking but even then there was little to no opportunities where you were not bringing a boat load of your own money to start. I am not taking 10-20k, I am talking 100k+. It is virtually impossible to get big dollar sponsors (unless you are incredibly marketable or maybe a marketable female). I tried hard, very hard to find sponsor dollars in IMSA this last year (I am fairly marketable, well spoken, and a business owner). I was only able to find a fraction of my seat, tiny tiny fraction so I had to pay for the rest of it out of my own pocket (not cheap).
Even the best racing drivers if they are not coaching are not making any money these days. The good coaches after the days where they have seats expired make a living off coaching. The trouble is there are some really good and experienced coaches out there (some of them posted for you already above) and it is hard to overcome that experience initially. If you think you are going to make your living for decades to come for you and your family on your pace alone, you better hope you have godly speed (and I would not bet my entire future on that alone). So decide whether you want to go and spend a lot of your effort on becoming very financially successful and then use some of that money for your passion of racing. I realized at 18 that I would not have enough family money or sponsor money to make racing my career, so I went to law school, opened multiple businesses, worked my *** off (60-80 hour weeks) for decades and just this year at nearly 40 went pro racing. The reality for most people who do not have a boat load of family money is mine. You have to work really really hard for a really really long time at things outside of racing to be able to go racing. I love it and cant get away from it (as much as I wish I could). It drives me to work harder in life and business to be able to afford it but please know that the reality of most of the paddock is that there are VERY few racing drivers there getting paid to drive a race car. Most are paying to drive the car (and they are paying a lot of money). Those who are paying are also usually paying for the pro driver too so find a way to either be the guy paying the pro driver or get good enough at driving (and coaching) to become the guy they pay to drive with them. If you have any specific questions DM me or reach out to me at any time, happy to share my honest experience.
Also karting helps and you should start asap, but once you can drive (legally), the kind of racing you want to be in will determine what you should keep driving. If you want to drive sports cars then get in sports cars, if you want to drive open wheel cars jump into open wheel cars. Seat time is super important. Forget the K1 speed stuff, its useless for real racing. The karts are a joke, speed isnt there, and I can teach a 8 year old to go fast there in a day. With go karts go find a Margay Ignite type series right away then begin to move to faster karts as soon as reasonably possible.
During my race school (a large well known for profit group) a couple of years ago, I spent a fair amount of time chatting with one of the instructors. Very nice kid, maybe mid 20s. There was an afternoon monsoon, so we got to spend time in the hospitality tent talking about his background. This kid did not come from serious money (fairly blue collar family), no daddy dumping $100k a year into his racing career when he was 7. It was interesting to hear how hard he worked to make a meager living (at best) racing. He spent way more time getting paid to wrench in someone’s shop to pay the bills, teaching old guys with no talent enough skills to get through a 2 day racing school, etc. I’ve followed him online after that, and while he’s done some “pro” racing at the lowest levels, he’s hardly made it financially unless I am missing something. He still appears to be looking for his “sugar daddy” to help pay his way into the Pro Am world. He gave me a real sense of the number of racers that are really making a living driving race cars. It’s the tip of the tip of the spear. Nice kid, I hope he gets his break, but he’s probably already starting to age out that possibility.
Now that we've thoroughly rained on Seltzer's parade...
A casual acquaintance of mine was actually able to work his way up through local club events all the way into an IMSA driving career.
His path was via instructing and coaching. He looked at it as a full time job, and eventually did hook up with the rich folk needing a fast co-driver.
Didn't hurt that he was super talented, and a seriously charismatic guy too...
12-04-2023, 10:12 PM
