I am interested in getting involved in auto racing?

Question

I am 18 years old and I am interested in getting involved in auto racing. Specifically in either SCCA or Rally Racing. I have always had an extreme interest in these styles of racing but not sure how to get started.

Answer 1

You might look for racing schools or tracks near you, trackpedia is a good place to find them.  Look at their events pages and check out some of the organizations.

Also a personal favorite is 24 Hours of Lemons, a lot of the racers are amateurs who fix up cars and race for a hobby but I've heard some pro racers also use it for seat time.  Certainly the last event I attended (Altamont) had some pretty impressive motor home and trailer set ups, as though the people who brought them do this a lot.

The Lemons guys also have a yahoo group.

Answer 2

Are you interested in being a mechanic or a driver?  

There's schools for mechanics, I know NASCAR has their little deal they do or you could just do a vocational training at a nearby school.  Get your name out there by working on cars at local dirt tracks or at local rallys.

If you're interested in driving, you just need to get in a car.  Hang out at some races, get to know guys that own cars and need drivers, there's plenty out there.  All you need is someone to give you a chance.  If all else fails, field your own car.  Get out there and get some sponsors to cut you a check.  I recommend starting in whatever the smallest and slowest division is.  It's usually the cheapest to run and will give you a chance to learn the car and how to race.

If there's no rally racing near you, try a dirt track in their mini or factory stock division.  Inexpensive to run but will get you used to running on dirt and racing in general.  Who knows, you may find that's your calling instead of rally racing.

Answer 3

Don't spend money on any driving schools. Get a go-kart and learn from that and then once you have a good amount of funds you can go car racing. I think many pros would agree that go-kart racing is one of the most difficult forms of racing. Though money is the deciding factor for almost everyone's career. Good luck!

Answer 4

Check out http://iwannagoracing.com/ . I'm sure there's something there to interest you.

Answer 5

Go Kart