I think all the major clubs with simlar desires for safe racing/driving, should have more "interoperatbiltiy" for racing licenses. when i was in my manic stage of racing,i was racing PCA,POC, PRC, NASA, TCCRA, VARA, NCRA,SCCA, SCCA pro, etc etc, all in one season. thats a lot of licensing costs to get the track time that i wanted and could afford. now, joining more than two is a deterrent , so i think since its all about money, they are losing out in 300-500 racing fees to save a one time cost of 100 for a license and club membership, and much more if more races are participated in.
it would take little corroboration for the clubs to have some reciprocity with the other clubs to take more of the pain out of cross club participation.
even if was a discount for other clubs, this might help with broadening the participation with other clubs besides your own club

 

It's a matter of $$$ AND Time as DE and racing is very expensive and time consuming. Most people can't afford either until they are in their 40s and 50s. Other than a brief stint with Skip Barber 10-15 years ago I did't start serious DE and racing until I retired for the first time 5 years ago. I feel very fortunate that I can afford to support this hobby for my 19 year old son but he also has to work hard for it as I only match-fund his own $ contributions. He appreciates it more that way.

For most (not all) of us, the way to get into racing is to get a great education, get a good job and then a successful 20/30+ year career or develop a successful business before you end up with any age related health issues. That's what will get you the $$$ AND the time to go racing.

I think that there are some interesting low cost series like LeMons and American Endurance Racing (AER). I might do some AER stuff with friends soon.

 

Seems like most of the people I know are waiting longer to have kids these days. First kid at 35, second around 37. The expectation these days is that dad will be there for every kid function, game, practice, etc, so less time for building cars in the garage and being gone all weekend at the track. Then look at the cost of college now and couple that with the diminished retirement plans and lack of savings most people have. I don't see the average age of club racers decreasing anytime soon.

When I go to track days though there are a lot of younger people. They drive to the track, pay an entry fee of under $200, strap a helmet on and go. Relatively cheap and easy compared to racing.

 

A solid club racing career can help with population control. More racing = less successful marriages, and less babies.

 

I think if you're trying to be a professional racing driver you need to start very young with karts. When i was racing in the Skip Barber race series in 2008 the average age was probably around 16.

Club racing i imagine is a very expensive hobby (I would love to try it but i can't afford it - i'm in my 30's) which is why i would guess there aren't many younger drivers.

 

No way I could afford racing a Porsche. However, I am part of a Chump Car team that is made up of PCA Instructors. We run 4 major races a year at the big name tracks (Road Atlanta, VIR, Sebring, Daytona, Barber to name a few). Wonder how much Miata, Lemons, Chump and WRL have taken away from this group just do to the financial equation.

 

Ha!

That's a very good point. Lots of opportunities to get on track and even race without joining a club and going through the licensing process. Also the licensing and safety requirements of the older clubs are a lot more comprehensive than they used to be.

 

Getting to and through the first race weekend is the hardest part of racing. In the club I race with (not PCA) there is so much to do before racing that it's a very daunting task and I congratulate anyone who can jump through all the hoops and get organized just to get out there. There's a race school that's offered once a year in our area, then the medical, forms to get the license, club membership. Then the race car which has to be kept in good shape to go racing, so you need good mechanical skills. Then the logistics of getting the car to the track and back to storage. That means you pay someone, or get a trailer and a tow vehicle and a place to store all that. Getting all the skills an resources together in your 20's or 30's is tough.

I think that's why team racing is doing so well. It's more likely that 4+ people will have the skills and resources to run a car than one. Racers can also rent a seat from another team.

 

I believe that if you have a NASA Comp license and racing experience you will qualify for a PCA CR license, at least you should anyway...

 

I'm not in favor of relaxing licensing rules at all. With the power of modern cars people need more training, not less, before they race.

 

Porsche tax is pretty ridiculous no matter how you look at it. Parts, maintenance, support, cars themselves.

Plenty of younger people outside of PCA.

 

if that was directed at me, im not infavor of relaxing qualifications, im in favor of making racing like flying a plane, using accredited schools. SCCA, PCA POC
and some NASA licenses, all are about the same as far as what they require for a racing license. (not only experience, but the paperwork as well, aka, medical etc etc).
my point is, attendance will be driven up if there is more synergy with the racing organizations AND, if the organizations do something to promote up and comers. having one open DE group per weekend can feed the racing groups in a HUGE way......nasa has proven this to work.



That's why the 928 should be the porsche race car for those on a budget.

 

We've been saying the same thing about historic racing for twenty-five years.

And there are more people doing it than ever...

DE's in most parts of the country are exploding with entries. Proportionately, less than 10% ever go on to get a comp license, and half of that race.

Always been that way.

 

And you left out the most important statistic for where our sports car racers come from...80% from DE 10% from schools, 10% from other forms of racing.
Statistics dont lie, but people ..........

so, if this is even remotely true, it would behave the racing clubs to have DE in their events more regularly. its where NASA gets most of its spors car racers!

just think how many racers would show up if MORE than 10% of DE'ers got a racing license and of those 5% went on to race..... we would need a few more race tracks!

 

Let's just dye our hair - problem solved!