Beginner Racer

[AirGoya]

I'm 19 years old and I want to know how I can get into racing. I've never raced before. No 1/4 mile, auto cross, or anything. I just learned how to drive stick to be honest. I'm not really into drag or autocross.
I think I would like to get into (I don't really know what to call it) track racing. Do I need a track license to be able to race on them? Does anyone know of any affordable classes I could take before I get out there? And maybe a club or track days that I can get into in? This would all have to be in the midwest area.

This video has some good info in it.

[AirGoya]

Nobody?

[Kyle2k]

To be honest this is not a hobby for people our age (I'm 20). Buy the car, enjoy it, and after you have a career that can support the habit- then go for it. I'm sure there are some affordable cars out there, but if you want to get into it you need a holistic understanding. In other words, you need the know-how to repair, tune, and drive the car, or you best have a decent amount of money to compensate in the areas you are lacking.

[Mindz]

Find a driving school you want to attend. Take driving classes. If you can control your car well, and know the physics of things, racing will become a lot easier. Take normal driving classes first, I used Skip Barber Hi Performance Driving 2 day course, and I can now go to the race classes if I want. The driving schools give you some very necessary skills that you will definitely want to learn.

Tracks normally have open track days wher eyou can just pay a small fee and race your car all day (Hotlapping. Sometimes there are rules like no passing in certain areas etc. etc.

Same thing with drag races. you can go to your local drag strip (my closest one is sears point) and they have test and tune days. Sacramento raceway has weekly races where you bring your car and race it there. The only thing that you can do is practice practice practice. For dragging, at first, just start slow. Take off like you would normally a few times, then progressively let the clutch out faster and faster with more rpms and you'll learn to launch it. ALWAYS DO THIS IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT and not on the street.

Racing just comes down to practice, knowledge of how cars handle, and knowledge of the limits of your car's setup at the time of the race/drive.


Links to get you started are below, I just looked and found a few places that you should check out and read up on. They might have more info on how to get into racing.


www.skipbarber.com (The one I went to, can't say enough good things about it, if I could afford it, I'd go back in a FLASH)
www.bondurant.com (another one I know is very popular, I haven't much research on it)
http://www.sportscardrivingexperience.com (This looks to be very commercialized but probably gives you some good knowledge and it's 1 on 1 with an instructor)

[kanys]

Originally Posted by Kyle2k

after you have a career that can support the habit- then go for it.

If you are just gonna head down to the nearest track and take your car out for a spin every now and then after taking a $300 class (just a guess) then I say go for it, I'm sure you will have a blast. But if you get more serious, be prepared to pay for it. Main thing is tires - those are really pricy and you will burn through those very fast. I'd say go take a class and see how you like it.

[Muscle Master]

I would love to be able to do something like this:




And who said that boats can't handle ...

[carsismeZ06]

Yeah, racing is something I want to get into too. I love watching the ALMS, LMS, and 24 Hours of Le Mans, and hopefully, one day, I can work for Corvette Racing, but that's a ways off..

[AirGoya]

Thanks Mindz. I know what exactly what you guys are saying. My dad took a 1 day skip barber class as a company thing. So i might take a class this summer hopefully. But wow are they much more expensive than I thought they were. I think I might get more comfurtable with driving stick then later take a class.

[tsg1391]

Originally Posted by Muscle Master

I would love to be able to do something like this:




And who said that boats can't handle ...

k dude, we get it, you like mopar...

[zebra]

Originally Posted by Muscle Master

I would love to be able to do something like this:

And who said that boats can't handle ...

ha ha! you call that drifting!
this is much better than that charger and still not that great!

[Rogue Leader]

Just a few tips from a guy whos been down this road.

Skip Barber is GREAT, that said, learn stick before you go, your experience will be SO much better and you will focus less on driving stick and more on what you are supposed to do with it to go fast.

This is an expensive hobby, REALLY expensive. If you are doing this for track days go for it. I spent over $10,000 on schools etc, and it was worth every last penny, I came close to running in a Grand Am event, I got to race on Daytona, Pocono, just awesome life experience.

If your hope is to someday turn pro, unless you have a HUGE inheritance, focus elsewhere, I hate to crush peoples dreams, but these days if you didn't have a kart strapped to your ass from 6 years old on you will never make it. Sad but true.

[AirGoya]

Wow thanks Rogue Leader. My intentions are not to turn pro. I love to drive fast and understand it's not for the street so I want to go to the track. I love straight line speed as much as everyone else, I just think it gets old after a while so I want to do turn courses (wow that sounds dumb). Can someone tell me what to call this type of racing?

[Muscle Master]

Originally Posted by tsg1391

k dude, we get it, you like mopar...

The only reason I posted that video is because I want to move my charger like he did, otherwise I would of posted a ricer drifting

BTW- the video I posted, he drifted ..., that looked like a power slide to me

^ to airgoya I know how you feel, I guess you could call it hot laps, IDK neither

[Visual_Perfection]

Road Course Racing a lot of times you can go to events put on by certain clubs. I was part of the MN Fbody Club and every year they had an event in Iowa where the club would rent the track for a weekend and we would go and take the driving school and then get 2 days of "racing." It was not competitive racing, more just for fun etc.. I often saw events put on by other car clubs, corvette groups, etc.. Basically you need to get involved with local car groups and see if/when they have these events if they do that in your area, then you can usually go to a entire weekend event for around $200 or so.. which is a great deal for an entire weekend of performance driving school and track time!