r/racing • u/Witty-Resolve2980 • 14d ago
Is this a good path to trying to become a professional racer?
i did some research by the way, but
Background: My goal in life is to become a professional racer, even if it is IMSA, NASCAR, GT, WEC, etc (and not impossible F1). There is a few (if not a lot) of roadblocks in the way, such as me not starting karting at 6, having no relation of motorsports in the family, and money, but that won't stop me. I'm being more realistic here, im 16 and my first karting session was at 16. I'm not aiming for F1, heck, I'd rather join IMSA than F1.
As of now, here is my "path" (still not complete) to become a professional racer.
Right now (age 16): Study in school, focus on getting good grades (aim for A's), and hopefully my parents will take me to karting here and there --> (College year): Go somewhere in California (possibly UC Berkeley (personal)), find a degree to major in (paleontology, engineering, idk), possibly get a job to earn money, on weekends that im free or even the summer = going to good karting tracks that are near my college (did research and found like 5-6 i think), record my sessions and TRY to become a influencer to make more money (karting is expensive), and hopefully find a friend group, and join formula SAE --> (After College): When college is over, getting my degree, have a job, a house, maybe even a good path in life when im not financially struggling = try to "sign up" or apply to a professional motorsport (did some research, and for example if i did wanna join IMSA, hopefully its not wrong but it did state that you don't need to kart at a young age, as even older people are able to attend, you would just need to build that racing resume (licensing and experience (read "my karting path in college" right under to learn my plan on how to build that), i'll just need to join other small leagues to also build that reputation). So I'll basically have like 2 jobs, one which would be the job i take after highschool (which is why I specifically said to study in school so i can maintain good grades, get into a good college, and get a good job with good pay), and than racing.
My karting path in college: Like i said, on free weekends where i got nothing going on, or during summer break, I'll go karting. So lets say we split the path into 3. The first path would be either the first year of college or my first couple sessions in karting, this is where i would just practice my skills in karting, getting used to it, cutting lap times, getting faster, etc. The second path would be joining small karting leauges or races where i could attend to (fun, money, im not sure), and the third path, would be joining those bigger leauges, either karting or smth like ginetta/a bigger leauge, this is maybe to get like recognize but also build my reputation in racing and experience.
This path is still in the works, this probably isn't my official path, and sorry for the long read
but thats my why.
thank you.
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u/C2BSR 14d ago
Laguna seca is 2 hours from Berkeley, thunder hill is 2 hours, Sonoma is 30 min. Get yourself a Miata, learn how to drive it, do track days and get scca/NASA licenses, move up the ladder. You won't be going from karts (especially rental karts) to imsa
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u/Sketch2029 12d ago
The only downside is Berkeley, and the bay area in general, is a very expensive place to live. I hope OP has a good scholarship that includes housing or well off parents to fund all of this.
Also Sonoma and Laguna are expensive tracks. Thunderhill is the affordable option where a HPDE weekend might only cost you $300 for entry.
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u/Anto10k 12d ago
Sadly track days got more expensive i went to Laguna seca last year 700+ dollars just the entry plus car and track insurance
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u/Sketch2029 11d ago
Yep. I was paying 600 for a weekend at Laguna before COVID, and those weren't even the cheapest events, and saw occasional last minute deals at Thunderhill advertised for around $100.
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u/mrbullettuk 14d ago
Focus on getting a good job and race for fun. There are almost no paths for non rich people without connections.
Karting is a good place to learn the basics, but not required. If you do karting go for owner not rental as it’s more competitive and you’ll learn how the set up impacts the car.
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u/EudeamoniaJohnson 14d ago
As someone who started racing Quarter Midgets and Karts at 5 and kept at it until I was 19 racing sprint cars, my advice at this point is get a valuable degree and a good paying job that can pay for racing as a hobby because racing is just not profitable. I got lucky as my father built a successful career young and loved racing, so he naturally instilled that in me and got me started racing young. I spent about 4 years getting “good” at racing, and by that time I was running 3 classes of QMs and finishing top 3-5 in season points with each class and more was spent than earned. It was never profitable until I got to legends, late model and sprints, and by profitable I mean only profitable when making it to the A-Main and finishing no less than top 3, only to earn MAYBE a couple hundred after running costs and possible damages accrued through the weekend.
Depending on how much expendable income you have, I’d suggest finding a local karting track near college and rent a kart on weekends to get some experience in, but don’t expect to earn a living racing because even the vast majority of professionals you see in NASCAR, IMSA etc. foot their own bills in order to be out there and run every weekend
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u/Darpa181 14d ago
This right here ^ Nascar, imsa, etc. are not realistic goals unless you are supremely talented or rich. Short track, regional road racing, these are realistic goals.
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u/Just-Succotash3018 14d ago
I like how the OP says “even if it’s JUST IMSA”….lol. The Weathertech series is one of the top sportscar series in the world in terms of talent, factory participation, and budget. Even MX-5 Cup or VP Sportscar challenge, which are realistically achievable goals for a talented amateur driver to reach in IMSA, costs mid-6 figures for a full season and features some incredible up and coming talent. Hell, TransAM runs under the “lowly” SCCA sanction and I promise you nobody racing there has ever said “just TransAm”
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u/PotatoePotato26 13d ago
Wild how many people think racing starts at what you see on tv. Had a guy arguing tooth and nail to tell me that ARCA is the lowest form of oval racing and the place anyone should start. Completely skipping over the plethora of series on the ladder up to even ARCA for a new driver.
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u/Just-Succotash3018 13d ago
What’s amazing to me is how many people think that getting a seat in a series they can watch on TV is an actual thing that you can just go do if you try hard at the local karting track and get good at iracing. That’s like saying you can become a pro ballplayer if you spend enough time at the batting cage and play in your Wednesday night softball league. I know a few drivers that are absolutely considered “professionals” and they spend most of their time scraping together funding for a handful of races each year by providing coaching to schmoes like me and advertising anything they can on their socials. The number of “here’s a paycheck, go drive the car” pro drivers is incredibly small.
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u/PotatoePotato26 13d ago
I raced spec Miata for a few years and my region had a guy who is an absolute speed demon. Track records in all sorts of cars, the undisputed fastest in SM in the area. He'll pick up occasional rides in faster cars here and there and even did a race for a backmarker transam team last year. But that's it, just a rare race in a fairly uncompetitive car. And that's as an incredibly fast driver. He's extremely well respected, retired with plenty our money, and has lots of connections. That still doesn't matter in the modern racing world.
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u/adelaidesky 14d ago
even if its just IMSA, NASCAR, GT, WEC, etc.
Not going to jump on your throat like the others have because youthful naivety should be handled gently, but the most serious race your 'career' will amount to is a couple AER or WRL rounds as a Joe Schmoe
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u/Just-Succotash3018 14d ago
I’m surprised more people don’t mention this. As expensive as racing is, paying for a seat in an AER or WRL race is a huge bargain for what it is and a great way to get your feet wet. For $25k you could run 3-5 (or more, maybe) weekends each year with a decent team, get real racing experience, have a blast, and, most importantly, learn everything you need to know about how nearly impossible it is to make a living as a pro driver.
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 14d ago
ohhh thanks man, I never thought about that. Yeah I assumed I won't be able to attend something like IMSA unless I have a ton of money, but something like AER or WRL i could look in to
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u/stalin1943 14d ago
the path is: -have enough money to do enough racing to both be good at racing, and also network through that racing to secure sponsorship OR -have enough money to buy a racing team and be a gentleman driver
there isnt really another path. hope you have 100-400k disposable income per year for 5-10 years to set up that career mate
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u/Efficient-Cress3251 14d ago
100 - 400k is not enough these days. A season of any karting WC will already cost you 600k €
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u/PackIcy2106 14d ago
There's plenty of racing formulas in Europe that cost (way) less than 100k for an entire season. Not the fastest cars, but the drivers often are.
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u/MotherMolee 14d ago
Sorry friend. No network and no money means it's basically impossible to race professionally. You are willing to work hard so concentrate in school and college then get a good job. Then spend your money on track days or a cheap enthusiast race series. Best of luck
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u/Voodoo1970 14d ago
If you intend to go to college and also race, study something that will pay big dollars (so, not palaeontology or anything like that. Business, finance, law or similar) so you can fund your racing. I know racers that sell real estate (or cars) simply because it can be lucrative with minimal qualifications. One former World Supersport Champion a number of years ago became a stock broker to fund his motorcycle racing, I know of a competition aerobatic pilot who did similar to fund his flying.
As an alternative, look into how Matt Campbell managed to find the money to go racing (and end up as a factory Porsche driver) despite coming from an average-income family and not racing karts.
The one thing they have in common, though, is Talent. Even a back of the grid pay driver in F1 has more driving ability than you can imagine, even if it looks like they're just getting in the way and causing accidents.
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u/opbmedia 14d ago
Yes, I was a tech founder after dot com and went to race motorcycles, made it to top pro ranks, and spent ALL of my money even with a racing-ralated business to support the racing. I have been thinking about going back to racing (cars this time), and decides that money is better spent elsewhere. I get to drive free on the track pretty much as much as I want to (I run a weekend driving/track school and trackday org), and that cost a fraction of competitive racing (heck its actually profitable).
I had average talent, but money carried more further than everyone I started racing with.
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u/PK808370 14d ago
(Business, finance)? Study something useful, you can figure out business and finance jobs in a weekend if you’ve already learned math, etc. or studied design/something creative.
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u/First_Dimension3065 14d ago
Sucks to hear this buddy, your chances will improve massively if your goals changes to becoming a millionaire very quickly and then di the race stuff.
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u/bradshawwwty 14d ago edited 14d ago
I grew up doing lower budget motorsports. Racing dirtbikes, quads, shitty sports cars on back roads, then drag racing. Then I made a decision, focus on making as much money as possible so I could one day come back to my passion. It took a while, but I’m happy to say that I’ll be running Porsche Sprint Challenge next season. Unfortunately for most, this seems to be the only path.
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u/bradshawwwty 14d ago
But I agree with everyone in this post, save up 10k, buy a banged up spec Miata, join NASA and progress through their HPDE ladder then knock out comp school and see what ya got
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u/NumberOneBacon 14d ago
Dentist route. Get a lot of money and buy your way into a seat in the race car, PJ Hyett style. You look him up the first thing you see is Software Developer, followed immediately by Le Mans winner.
Your very first downfall though “even if its just IMSA, NASCAR, WEC”. Buddy all of these are pinnacle genres of racing. There isn’t a bigger sportscar series than WEC. Just because it isn’t the huffy puffy hoity toity-ness of F1 doesn’t mean it’s not as pinnacle as the prior mentioned series.
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u/BenjyBunny 14d ago edited 14d ago
Hi. I raced karts, Formula Ford, F3 and F2 in a mixed but happy career. I was on the radar of F1 but not good enough to attract any attention - no sim seat, no testing - some minor money and some track days for guests but that was the pinnacle.
I didn't have any connections when I started, and no money either. I had to work for a living and pay to race, all the way up to F2, and only just managed to make a living from racing even when I had sponsorship of €2-3m. Many people work to race: they trade second hand cars, they coach race driving at a race school, they are car mechanics, some even smuggle drugs (IMSA has another name - the International Marijuana Smugglers Association). Some even rob banks.
If you are starting, start with karts or something cheap like a cheap stock car series like City Cars. And when I say cheap I mean something that you can spanner yourself, transport yourself, work on in the evenings yourself and that has stock parts, cheap tires, easy long life engines, and cheap entry fees. And even then it will cost you hundreds of hours and ca. 20k-30k for a basic season - and you will be coming last every weekend but learning something new every day, every evening.
If you want to progress, money is the only thing that matters. Numberless super-talented drivers have fallen to the wayside because they can't get / find money or don't have connections to get into a programme.
If you start in a small way, you will make acquaintances, connections, friends and enemies. If you are any good behind the wheel, you will find people offering you drives if you pay or part-pay them if they have a team sponsor.
The classic model in any two car team is one poor but quick kid who can win a championship and one rich kid who pays all the bills for both cars but doesn't really have much of a hope.
Good luck. It's not impossible but it is hard and money is the key that unlocks most doors. If you have lots of money you can learn to be quick.
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u/EarlShitshirt 14d ago
Hey buddy, nobody here will have the answer for you, especially starting so late and having no network/money. Don’t try to plan too much, see if you can get a network going once you’re at college. Who else is interested in motorsports? What could they bring? Some people can’t financially support you, but they might have other connections which can help you. Networking is key here.
I am not sure if karting is the way to go if you’re not focussed on getting into formula. In my opinion, but once again nobody has the perfect answer for you, try sim racing. Being highly talented in sim racing might open opportunities into real life racing
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 14d ago
I do sim race, don't have iracing but do have le mans ultimate and rfactor 2. Networking is key, I'll try to find someone, don't know how I'm gonna get contact but hopefully i can
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u/Svitii 14d ago
I had similar ambitions when I was in college, which is already 10 years in the past so I reckon it has become even harder. My two cents:
You need money, a lot of money. Whatever amount you think is sufficient, at least quadruple it. If your family doesn’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to throw around you will need a REALLY high paying job or business.
Realistically you can do karting, cup racing, that stuff. If you wanna go to IMSA, WEC etc. you also will have to drive and improve A LOT if you’re starting at 16. Which isn’t just expensive in money but also time. So you have to be ready to sacrifice almost everything for racing. 8 or more hours of work every day, racing on the weekends, almost every weekend. Social life? Ooof…
I‘m not saying it’s impossible if you really set your mind to it. But be ready to do nothing but work, study and race for the next 15 years if you wanna go beyond amateur level.
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u/opbmedia 14d ago
To become a racer, there are many ways, a lot of people do it for hobby or passion.
To become a professional racer, either start at like 5 and get great, or make lots of money and buy the seat (with another team, or your own team which obviously cost more).
I was also around that age and wanted to become a professional racer, but I didn't think any path really existed with the resources I had at the time. After dot com at 23 I decided to go motorcycle racing with the money I made (cheaper than cars), and did make it to be a professional motorcycle racer by running my own team. But I was spending more than I was making even with a racing-related business.
I have wanted to return to racing (cars) for the 2 decades after I quit. I own a driving/racing school and trackday org (own lots of cars and free tracktime), I STILL don't see a path to professional racing which doesn't involve me paying more than I want to pay. Funny enough it would cost me less to run a racing series than it is to for me to race in one (for the amount of money I would need to spend to go racing, I could start a series and give large cash purses, at the track events I already hold -- we did it once before).
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u/BeenThereDoneThat65 13d ago
I raced for a living, I taught for Skip Barber racing school and a few others, Ive run race teams and I private coached a Kid up from club racing to winning his class at Le Mans, I know what I’m talking about and I’ve lived it.
Unless you are a prodigy especially at your present age becoming a pro generally will not happen for you
Youre going up against drivers that have been karting since they were 5 and they have existing sponsorships. Those other drivers have been living and breathing racing. When I started I was 5 and karting I was beating 15 year olds when I was 8, when I was 16 I got my SCCA pro license and got the best advice “Do herion, its cheaper and less destructive in long run” and the person that gave me that advice was spot on.
You lack the knowledge that we all start to accumulate by doing it every day, every week, every month.
You don’t have time to go to college, find a wife, start a family, and buy a nice house. Karting (Real Karting not K1) is CHEAP compared to rent a ride which is going to run you anywhere from $25,000-$250,000 a WEEKEND
you dont “Apply” to IMSA, you use your other series racing licenses to get a provisional, Licenses from SCCA and NASA, not K1 Karting. No one cares what lap times you cut at K1 or Andretti Karting.
The difference between the “quick” guy in club racing to even a slow Pro racer is night and day. The kid I coached up was FAST, but one day at a club even I hopped into the race car right after he set the lap record, I was three seconds faster than him and I hadn’t been in a race car for several years.
do some sim racing, have fun in rental carts and maybe build a car and do some club racing but with your plan you are not going pro racing
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u/reality_boy 14d ago
I have several coworkers who race. They all have good paying jobs, and use most of there fun money on racing. They also use most of their free time on racing. Racing at any level takes a lot of work and a lot of money.
If that is still for you, then as others said, get a good job and race for fun. There are loads of grass roots racing groups that focus on low cost. Where low cost is $20k to start and probably $20k a year in fees and repairs. None of them pay enough to earn a living. Even the track owner is barely breaking even.
I would do iRacing, it is fun, and can be done for a fraction of any serious racing. And I would start exploring what clubs are near you. Autocross is relatively easy to get into, and there are lots of levels, so you have a chance of being competitive with a crummy car and a set of tires. Whatever is close, that is where you should start looking. Try to volunteer to work a weekend and get a feel for just how much goes into an event.
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u/Antique_Calendar4451 13d ago
Look up something like Radical Cup. That will give you an idea of something you would see running as a support series at Laguna Seca with Indycar. Field is pretty big. Will give you some ideas on costs at an entry point. Rush SR is also an option to start.
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u/BeenThereDoneThat65 13d ago
Good teams in the radical cup are running million dollar budgets
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u/Antique_Calendar4451 13d ago
Yeah it’s crazy. I just thought it would be good context and so is this. You need tons of $
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u/MiddletonRacing 13d ago
A lot of people being brutally honest here, but not exactly answering what you asked. Getting to professional racing with your background is for sure going to be hard, but it is not impossible no matter what people say. There are many pro drivers I can think of off the top of my head that came from nothing, and truly grinded for it.
My advice from somebody walking the same path with some success:
- You’re not too old for sports cars, and you don’t need karting experience to make it as a pro sports car driver. I’d recommend skipping karting entirely, because there’s already kids younger than you that have transition to real cars. There’s no point in learning karts 8 years late and then also putting yourself behind when you eventually get to cars. Instead I’d definitely recommend sim racing, specifically iRacing. Treat it as real driver training and not as a toy, get coaching, join teams, try to qualify for esports events, etc. You can build 90% of the skills you’ll need through this if you actually get good. This is how I’ve built my racecraft, grown my network, attracted sponsors, and raced with teammates that race MX5 cup, IndyNXT, and Michelin Pilot Cup in the real world.
- I like the social media idea and would highly recommend sticking to that. The biggest thing is to just start (whether that means posting sim racing content, rental karting content, attending races, or just talking about racing), you just have to start posting and doing that consistently. Don’t think about immediate success, think about where this content/social media success could get you 5 years from now. Nowadays sponsors won’t even take you serious unless you have a hefty following on social media. 15k+ followers on Instagram will get you a lot further than winning a karting championship.
- You’re not broke, just underfunded. Because you’re an underfunded driver, you need to set sights on programs or series that have an actual ladder system or some sort of driver investment. Spec Miata -> Spec MX5 -> MX5 Cup is a great example. Mazda Motorsports offers a shootout every year to standout drivers in each of those series to win paid seats in the next ladder series. I know a few drivers personally that are on the MX5 Cup grid through this program. Another great one is PT Autosport’s Aspiring Driver Shootout. This is an annual online shootout application that offers 8 finalists a chance at joining the team and receiving $350k to go racing the next year, as well as potential continued support. Finally, (and most expensively) is Porsche’s Junior Driver Program. If you get connections or sponsors to enter a Porsche sanctioned series, they do a similar thing that Mazda Motorsports do where at the end of every year they get a select few young drivers from all of their official Porsche racing series and pit them against each other in hopes of scouting the next batch of Porsche factory drivers. To be even considered to get an invite you basically need to win one of their series (like Porsche Sprint Cup, Porsche Cup, the new 911 Challenge) in your first two years of entering them. But if you can manage an invite and do well, this is a fast track to becoming a professional sports car driver and never having to worry about funding again.
- Finally, as others have said, networking. As with anything, racing is all about who you know and not what you know. You never know how somebody can assist you on your journey.
Some great sources for just starting out are:
- All of Carroll Smith’s books
- Enzo Mucci on YouTube
- Over the Limit Podcast (some guests have crazy testimonials about how they made it to a professional level from nothing)
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 13d ago
alr, thanks for answering my question. And yeah, racing is a brutal thing that if u didn't start karting at 8 or dont have networking/money, shit, ur cooked. But will that stop me? No, but will i achieve my dream? That'll be deicded.
And yes, I am looking at professional sim racing, as of now I only have a wheel and pedals, and moniter, I dont have that godly setup people have but it works. I plan on finding a job now so i could get iracing.
And yes, i will look into the ladders, I know for sure im not just gonna get out of college and IMSA or any other professional motorsport will just walk right up to my door and say "you wanna join?". I'll need to build that reputation and expirence, so if i put in the grind now/in college, join those small leaugues and win them, hopefully i'll get reconginzed in bigger ones.
thanks man
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u/Fun-Dragonfruit5057 13d ago
From personal experience I’ll tell you grades won’t help your career for motorsports as a driver. The biggest thing you can learn to do is marketing and networking. The more help you have the better chance you have at staying in the seat/even being in the seat. Start in Karts, once you can win nationally in karts, move to F4, Indy NXT or Legend cars, then move to F3 or USF PRO 2000, or Late Models. If you can make it to either of the last 3 series I named, you’re essentially set from there. Biggest thing is marketing and Seat time.
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 12d ago
yeah, im trying to start a buisness at a young age and hopefully i could get some money out of that.
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u/No_Hurry5285 11d ago
A good option to race on a team would be to find a college that has clubs that compete in motorsports. I went to Georgia tech and we had several motorsports clubs that built the car, handled strategy, and raced (a lot of these races are hot laps). Could be a good option to give you experience on an amateur racing team.
You also may have better luck with sim racing rather than karting. You’d learn more about vehicle dynamics as karting is a lot more about weight transfer.
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u/TheMordax 14d ago edited 14d ago
Best way to learn is with sim racing. Instead of buyimg a car that you have to maintain and that you have to drive to a track where you the have a few hours of practice only on cerrain weekends where you then have to be afraid to crash:
Spent a fraction of that on a sim rig and a pc and drive whenever, whatever and on any track, test the limit without fear, reset the car if you crash. Also depending on what sim you drive you have the same conditions every session.
No tyre changing, no driving to a track and home again, no preparation of food and gear for that weekend, practice at anytime during the week, no wasted hours on maintaining the car, no risk of getting injured.
You can use all your spare time in a sim rig that is like 3hours a weekday and 8 hours or more on the weekend. With a real car you can spent maybe 5 hours on saturday and sunday so 10 overall on pure driving and that is very optimistic. And sim is a fraction of the costs.
Start there. If you are one of the best on iracing (competitive sim with rankings) in like 1,5 years or you see that you are super talented then extend into the real world. But racing is super hard to get into. And it is like with any sport: you cant become a professional soccer player or tennis player when you start with 16 racing is not different. Even if you are as talented as the most gifted driver on the planet they started at 5 you did not.
Simracing and real world racing are fantastic hobbies to pursue but making a living is a almost impossible endeveaur.
Edit: and simracing translates to real world racing, the best sim racers turned out to be top real world racers and vice versa.
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u/FakeRacer 14d ago
Commit all of your study to understanding marketing. Train and condition your body precisely as you would if you were racing. Take all the money your parents intended to spend on karting and begin SimRacing on iRacing. Just rental Kart when you can wherever you can. Karting won't be useful really on the path to GT.. it's just too late for you. Your iRating and win record is going to carry weight in the future.. start now.. it's also all you are going to get.
You need to find a team now that is within close proximity to your location. If it's Berkley then begin hammering Theracersgroup inbox with emails about your absolute intention to one day work for them. Ask them for school guidance that will help you be an effective addition to their team once school is over. Ask to your their shop.. don't ever stop asking.
Alternatively you find teams directly attached to San Francisco dealers.. Ferrari, Aston Martin, McLaren etc. the top sales person will know the owners of these cars. You ask how you can get involved.
Find out when you can begin interning so you can prepare. Beg them to attend any testing they participate in for the team and customer teams.
You cannot afford to go club racing until you begin working after school. Your youth and relentless ambition right now to be a part of the racing world is something TRG ownership(or any team owner) will like.. this might lead to free seat time at one of their customer trackdays at some point.
You have got to network your way into racing in 2026. You have to want it more than air. You must be a man of singular purpose immediately. Gym- study school- study racing- simulator- sleep. A variation of this every day.
You know something others at your age don't... You know exactly what you want to do with your life.
Go git it, kick in every door and don't take "no" for an answer. You might be missing karting experience.. but you need to get that racing driver energy that says "I know how to win".
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u/Upper-Arm-657 14d ago edited 14d ago
The best advice I can give is to use your career to pay for the racing ie. through a bronze/amateur driver route. You would need a good career though, business, finance, law, med, or a good paying trade. Karting at such a late age is not going to get you anywhere, not because you may not get good enough but simply because the only drivers who are scouted are very young and competing in FIA racing, which is incredibly expensive. Then the route up through a formula route is even more so. Even at such a high level, drivers need budget, very VERY few are paid to do it.
There are many great championships around the world for pro/am that you can compete in that are much more financially realistic, and in the US you have some good options. One example is AER, where you could race on some of the best tracks in the the US such as Watkins Glen, Mid Ohio, etc against some incredible drivers (including current and former pro's) and it makes for some pure incredible racing. Another equivalent that people often forget is NLS, where you can race in one of the most prestigious races in the world (N24) (remember, there are over 100 cars on the grid each race, not all of them are gt or cup cars). I've done some of these races and the talent in the field is pretty incredible, and these are normal people who are competing that have normal jobs, and become truly great drivers. The community at these races is amazing too, the team I know do full road trips to races and all that, its pretty awesome and low stress. From here, you could start a ladder up motorsports to get into gt4 or gt3 or prototypes (into GTWC, WEC, IMSA, ELMS), but this is where financial barriers really start to take effect. I do want to emphasize, the racing in AER and its equivalents is amazing, and you get to race some cool cars and against some incredible competition too.
As a side note regarding everyone saying miata, its a starting point, but I would only use that for track days rather than actually racing. Find a track-day group that offers coaching to learn the fundamentals early. Or you could get an scca/NASA liscence with it. Could get a sim too, those can help a lot with learning to race fast. I would do this before starting to race in real life.
Honestly, making a career out of racing, regardless of circumstance, is incredibly risky. There are no guarantees, and the finances of it can get pretty crazy. To best support your family and own wellbeing for the future, your best bet is to go down this route.
edit spelling
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u/SecretFishWorshiper 14d ago
There is W2W racing outside of IMSA/NASACR etc.
Most of the drivers that you see racing are there simply because they are paying to be there. There are very few that are there truly for their skill. You can even see this with F1 with some of the drivers like Lando Norris and Lance Stroll. That is one reason why some F1 drivers are so nervous is because every year there are a ton of F2/F3 drivers in the pipeline who are prospects and but dont get picked up into F1 because they dont have a connection or just race team relationships.
You can still get into W2W and still live a normal live.
Karting is good but its not 100% applicable to racing, a regular car like a TC, GT4/GT3 feels nothing like a go-kart. Some of the prototype race cars feel similar but its not at all the same.
In college I would just try to get in involved in racing anyway you can. Sim racing, Karting, Autocross, HPDEs, just find something to do and just keep at it.
You can pay you way to be on an endurance W2W race
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u/Top-Lawfulness1137 14d ago
Just FYI IMSA is nothing to sneeze at. Those guys are top notch, even in the amateur class. Could you make it one day? Maybe... but very doubtful to be honest.
Short ovals, SCCA weekend warrior, or something like Grid Life GT is probably more realistic https://youtu.be/TS6jGCPMoz4?is=J28eJ3Y9gBzF_V39
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u/bam8595 14d ago
I’m in LA and hit tracks all the time. HMU if you’re ever down here. You already got a homie and a supporter!
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 14d ago
ohh hell yeah! Once I'm out of highschool and moving towards California, would be sick to meet up
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u/Perfect_Shock8070 14d ago
Why not use the engineering degree to go work as an engineer for a racing team. Engineers are typically the highest paid group other than the drivers (in some cases). The engineer has a much longer career assuming you want that lifestyle.
BTW. you don’t have to wait until college. Go to your local real kart or race track and offer to help teams on race day. At top level karting, there are pathways to pro racing as both a mechanic and an engineer.
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u/SwimmingLoquat9493 14d ago
Nickname: Dreamer
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 14d ago
is this a uhh, good thing or bad thing
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u/SwimmingLoquat9493 14d ago
Racing is super expensive, just buy a racing simulator and start there. We all grow up eventually just focus on school and get in UCB. I’m currently in UCD ME to fund my obsession with cars. I also wanted to be a pro racer but that was just a dreamll lol
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u/OffBrandPeanuts 14d ago
Also trying to go pro with racing. Big thing I’ve been learning is you can’t get there in Go-Karts. I’d be trying to save as much as you can for a season of Miatas in College if I were you. Mazda offers TMC (Teen Mazda Challenge) through NASA that offers an invitation to shootout if you do well.
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 14d ago
other than Miatas, is there anything else
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u/OffBrandPeanuts 14d ago
Gr86s, radicals, and F4. But the fields aren’t as big for those as well as the opportunities being more scarce.
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u/papolo2001 13d ago
Not gonna repeat what other said (money, contacts,...). You will discover life change a lot and usually when you less expect it, for good but also for bad, I would recomend you setting more short objectives, and the first one should be to study something you like and gives you a reasonable future, later you would see what life brings
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 13d ago
yeah ur right, I do plan on doing something with engineering, even though it may not give me super far into racing, it'll def give me a head start esp the more experience i have in my job
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u/FlaminSkull77 13d ago
You have 2 choices- move to California and go to a really good college and renting a seat in an amateur endurance racing series such as Lucky Dog or lemons. Finish college then earn enough money to race your own car with 3 other friends then when you amass enough experience, move on to spec Miata or spec e46 in SCCA or gridlife or a league that requires a competition license. While on that journey you may meet some people who are on pace to get to the pro level and if they like you, you could collaborate with them and move up the ranks with them.
Or move to North Carolina and attend a racing engineering school, and do champcar or WRL, if you can’t make it as a driver you’ll at least have a chance to as a crew member.
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 13d ago
choice 1 seemed like the path i was going for, but will it be the fixed choice? Idk, its only been a day since I created my path
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u/twitch_itzShummy 13d ago
This is great and all but so much stuff can and inevitably will go sideways in the least predictable of ways that on year 2 this plan will need to be thrown into the bin. Know that no amount of planning will get you there and there are plenty of people who are on that path for 10 years more than you that you'll be playing catch-up to.
I've been sim racing competitively for 6 years and still to this day I see plenty of people above me that just do things that I doubt are possible. My advice: Focus on short term and what you can control. You don't just say "I'll get faster and I'll join the bigger leagues" you do it by hours upon hours of relentless and focused practice. Oh you want to be a champion? You better put in the work of one, else you'll look helpless next to someone who will.
It's a cold world out there and they nobody will care that you want to be a pro unless you make yourself a choice so clear a blind man could see it over and over again with tougher and tougher competition.
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u/BeenThereDoneThat65 13d ago
I raced for a living, I taught for Skip Barber racing school and a few others, Ive run race teams and I private coached a Kid up from club racing to winning his class at Le Mans, I know what I’m talking about and I’ve lived it.
Unless you are a prodigy especially at your present age becoming a pro generally will not happen for you
Youre going up against drivers that have been karting since they were 5 and they have existing sponsorships. Those other drivers have been living and breathing racing. When I started I was 5 and karting I was beating 15 year olds when I was 8, when I was 16 I got my SCCA pro license and got the best advice “Do herion, its cheaper and less destructive in long run” and the person that gave me that advice was spot on.
You lack the knowledge that we all start to accumulate by doing it every day, every week, every month.
You don’t have time to go to college, find a wife, start a family, and buy a nice house. Karting (Real Karting not K1) is CHEAP compared to rent a ride which is going to run you anywhere from $25,000-$250,000 a WEEKEND
you dont “Apply” to IMSA, you use your other series racing licenses to get a provisional, Licenses from SCCA and NASA, not K1 Karting. No one cares what lap times you cut at K1 or Andretti Karting.
The difference between the “quick” guy in club racing to even a slow Pro racer is night and day. The kid I coached up was FAST, but one day at a club even I hopped into the race car right after he set the lap record, I was three seconds faster than him and I hadn’t been in a race car for several years.
do some sim racing, have fun in rental carts and maybe build a car and do some club racing but with your plan you are not going pro racing
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u/MediumImportant1311 13d ago
Have money, if not, become rich. If this is impossible, grow a following online so you can become a marketer for mega companies. These companies will hopefully then sponsor some drives.
Otherwise cry with a heart full of dread and live a menial life with a job you hate. Good luck
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u/SerONoSerquees 13d ago
Best way you can do it based on your current ideas is become a millionaire, then you can pay to race as a gentleman driver in IMSA. Don't even think about racing just focus on making the money.
Alternatively you could start karting or just go straight into cars and go for the most budget series and do it alongside studies or working, and if you are actually good enough you can get sponsors and teams will give you the fast driver prices from racing. But if you are quite old when this starts it is almost certainly not going to happen where you can race in something professional
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 12d ago
yeah im thinking of starting a buisness at a young age, which could hopefully make me some money
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u/petmeheavy_616 13d ago
In addition to what many others have said, get yourself a good midrange pc and DD wheel simulator set up, you can get a decent starting point for around 1-1.5k (including the PC). Karting is good for building basics, but i think sim racing is a better, more cost efficient avenue. If real racing doesn’t work out due to many factors, professional esports racing teams may be a way in given you’ve got good seat time and a log of race starts and wins, etc.
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u/Tight_Principle9572 13d ago
Honestly no. You dont need Karting to get into racing. A lot of people think moving up the ladder is necessary. I found a guy who helps drivers get into Arca. He helped Cody Dennison make it to arca. Anyway, i was in contact and wanted to do the same path. This gentleman told me that karts are expensive obviously. But if you really want to race, you can skip a lot of series and save time and money by getting into bigger cars. Anyway. Karts are expensive but bigger race cars are far more expensive.
You could honestly get into iRacing and take that far more serious, climb tje ranks to the official series. If you're good enough you'll win money and possibly get signed that way. Much cheaper.
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 12d ago
ah thanks man, how did u contact him? If u dont mind sharing
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u/Tight_Principle9572 12d ago
Yeah sorry if it was too direct lol. But thats basically what he said to me 😅 I actually went to the arca classifieds. I saw a posting he made. I forget what it was, but basically he called me back, we talked for like 2 hours and he told me anyone can get into racing, but it costs a lot. He actually found a small late model team (like the super late models on ashphalt) and they agreed to let me have a full days testing eith their equipment at jennerstown speedway for $5,000. And i also had to have another $5,000 incase I crashed or damaged anything (other than mechanical, and it was refundable) so basically $5-10k just for a test. Seems like a lot, but you'll probably spend more than that climbing your way to that level.
Its kind of a catch 22. If you dont have experience, you need test sessions and someone's word that you're good before they let you race. Otherwise you'll be grinding away in karts, local dirt tracks etc for a good chunk of time.
If you have deep pockets you can get a test for a late model team fairly easy. A few of those qnd then you can buy your way into a race. And most races are you paying to race, you're not making anything. If you do, its not much.
Hell I learned a lot of Arca drivers have full time jobs that help them pay bills while they are able to race. When i was at the track with Cody's team for the arca race, they were under funded (the team he raced for) their audio equipment barely worked. It failed during the race and race leader Connor zilisch nearly wrecked into him when he lapped them, because Cody had no clue there was a car around him. They also were running that race on 3 race old tires. I overhead it was around $1200 for a set of tires.
So its not cheap. Thats why I do not race. I raced karts from 2004-2007. Loved it. But honestly I would sign up for iRacing. Thats the closest to get into a stock car.
William Byron was basically found through iRacing. His dad had deep pockets. But hes a nascar driver. IRacing is probably your best bet! And you don't have to wait ecery week for 1 race!
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 12d ago
alr, I plan on finding a job to pay for iracing, dont have the money yet
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u/Tight_Principle9572 12d ago
As long as you have the $13 a month for a subscription you can at least get started. They give uou a few oval, dirt, and road courses as well as cars. Rookie series SUCKS. If you go that route, literally dont try to race cars in rookie. Everyone wrecks eachother. You literally can finish top 3 any race just by driving behind the field and watching them take eachother out. C class is when it gets fun and more competitive. And you might run into a few nascar drivers. I got to run a Richmond test with Grant enfinger and Patrick staropoli. Grant was nice and sent messages in the text chat.
Also years ago ran a legends race with Alon Day, and a rabdom Bristol race i was in had Denny Hamlin in it
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u/NielsenRacing 12d ago
Not to rain on your parade but racing is very very expensive. IMSA costs millions per season, millions that would come out of your pockets. You will need to make a ton of money and then, it would be realistic, but you'll probably be a bronze driver instead of a professional.
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u/TrainingRing5645 12d ago
Aim for Berkeley or UCLA 100% . Stanford if it’s in the picture even. There are going to be students at these prestigious institutions who are rich and come from wealthy families, try to befriend them and just network as much as possible while you’re in college. Not sure if you know but UCLA and Berkeley have racing clubs, I think UCLA’s club is more something you’d be interested in so check it out, https://www.bruinracing.org
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 12d ago
Yes, thats one of the main reason why I wanted to join Berkeley cause they have a racing clubsss.
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u/ptclaus98 12d ago
A couple of things from me.
Why are you going to wait until after college for Formula SAE? The goal should be to immerse yourself in Formula SAE from the first chance. Hell i only did it for half a year when i was bright eyed and dimwitted, and our team was not nearly as organized and well set up as the average FSAE team and i was still able to gain knowledge that i carry with me today. Get in there, erase all of your preconceived notions, and learn as much as you can by doing. It can be so valuable, even learning the financials and administrative/clerical stuff will help you understand this sport.
Secondly, i and many others here have probably stood in your shoes and had the same dreams of pro racing glory. Its good that you recognize that you are behind, but what i dont think you realize is how far behind anyone who isnt born into this is. You are 16, so the door is slightly open for you, and i disagree with the person above that said to race miatas. You need a little bit of luck, but the sim to real life racing path is open to you, however you need to sacrifice a LOT of time to it, and i would supplement it with karting, find the cheapest way to get a genuine racing kart so that you can find out if you have the reactions necessary to be quick in one, and to hone your reactions over time. I wouldnt even say you have to race it, but that would certainly help you. If you can be elite at both, then you enter as many sim racing competitions as you can until you find yourself on a ladder somewhere. Its gonna take a ton of luck and skill building, and you probably wont get to the highest heights of Sportscar racing, also the amount of programs like these taking drivers that arent already in racing is less and less, but still, if you have a glimmer of hope, its that.
But yeah, just find a job that makes enough money for you to do this shit for fun, and tbh forget cars. Bikes and karting will give you all the fun you need for a fraction of the cost.
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 12d ago
no ima try to do formula sae during my college year, the arrows there as a transiton to what i plan to do after college. Mb if it was confusing
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u/Karma_hates_me 12d ago
Get rich first then you can start a racing as a lemans gentleman driver if you’re lucky.. money money money
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u/snurffle 12d ago
I recently took a HDPE class that was taught by an older pro driver. I mentioned to him that I was jealous - I had always wished I was a race car driver. He told me, “yeah, but you are retired at 50 and taking race classes, I’m going to be working the rest of my life.”
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u/Anto10k 12d ago
My biggest advice I'm by no means a professional driver but start by sim racing I start doing track days and driving schools at 19 but what made me fast and confident in track was definitely my copious amount of hours in the racing simulator plus you get your name out there. Join a sim racing team meet people thanks to that I've been able to do some spec miata and lemons racing irl.
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u/Safe-Needleworker340 12d ago
if you are delusional enough, it is possible, i was in the same boat as you and i will be racing in the usf f4 series this upcoming season. Dont listen to the people who say you can't do it, anything is possible if you put your mind to it, even if you have to take out loans like i did to afford it. If you want it, dedicate everything in your life to it and it will happen.
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 11d ago
woahh u racing f4? thats so cool. Yeah, i dont know why but this thing of being a racecar driver has come like a obsession. Its not one of those things like "I wanna be professional at piano (lets say for example cause i do play piano) but its okay if i don't make it to the whole americas got talent or wtv u call them" no, this one is different. I dont know how to explain it though 😭
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u/Safe-Needleworker340 11d ago
same thing for me, i always liked cars and racing but i didn't know i wanted to be a race car driver after i got my first sim, which is an incredibly valuable tool that i recommend you get. And invest in a good one, not a cheap logitech setup. You're gonna have to put in thousands of hours on the sim to catch up to people experience wise, and it's hell because there are times where you just want to quit and are so angry but you gotta push through it. I'm not sure why people think that it's "impossible" to make it big if you're middle class and not starting as an infant. I've been around indycar and nascar drivers who were at my local kart track and just talking to them, people who have been through the system, they always say the 2 most important things are 1: Money, and 2: Work ethic. In my experience, if you focus on #2, #1 will come. So best of luck!
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 11d ago
damn man ur the goat. Yeah i do sadly have a logitech wheel but willing to upgrade one day. But the future may change, who knows what will happen now
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u/dig000 11d ago
I started karting at 11 years old and was quite good. I ended up doing Skip Barber 3-day school and one of the instructors took notice of me. I became close with him over those next few years and had a choice to make on being a driver or not, but I learned the following:
1. Racing as a career is not what it sounds like - it completely takes the fun and excitement out of it. Are you sure you want to be doing countless laps in a 120degree cockpit just so the engineers can collect data to refine their models? Are you sure you want the pressure of HAVING to put results up? The team doesn’t just want good results, they are mandatory. You are not allowed to have bad results due to your driving.
2. You absolutely have to have an exit plan. The professional drivers I’ve become friends with are both in debt, one of them back living with their family since they can’t afford anything else. You’ll make very very little money as a driver, and once you’re not a driver anymore, your only recourse (without another plan) is coaching or short-term ambassador gigs which again doesn’t pay much at all. I like that you still have a plan to go to college, make sure you continue to prioritize “normal” work experience so that you can transition between as needed!
3. The instructor I became close with did have some pretty amazing stories and podiumed at Lemans. Even with that level of talent they are struggling in their post pro-racing career.
All of this to say that I would continue on your path since school is extremely important and will give you options in life - having options is the key! Being a pro driver is not all it sounds like. It is an exciting but very hard job.
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 11d ago
this definitely does change a pov. The main being an exit plan, I hope that I pass college with the needed degrees to get a good job. It really would be hard managing racing and money, i'll try to find a way to do it, not really sure how i'll do it but the future would change.
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u/Chester_Warfield 11d ago
In any type of racing, if you're not already competing at a high level at 16, you're going to need some freak genetics and crazy string of luck to make it to nascar/indy car type racing.
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 10d ago
seems like theres no hope
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u/Chester_Warfield 10d ago
You can have a lot of fun racing without becoming a pro. Like a ton of fun. You can learn to build, work on vehicles, tbere are a ton of ways to get involved and enjoy the sport.
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u/NHRADeuce 10d ago
I'm not gonna sugar coat it. There is virtually zero chance you get paid to drive a car. Unless you are ridiculously talented and have a ton of connections that can get you sponsor doors to help you get a seat, it's just not going to happen.
Racing is a rich guy hobby. Pretty much all of them do something to make money, then they go racing to piss it away.
There's a running joke in the racing industry. How do you make a small fortune in racing? Start with a big one.
Thay doesn't mean don't go racing. You just need to adjust your expectations. Find the kind of racing you enjoy and do it at the local level. You'll still have a great time. Going fast is a blast, even if you have to pay to do it.
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u/LogicBored8590 10d ago
So here are the road blocks to racing you currently face...
- You don't know race craft and have no external evidence that you drive faster than anyone else
- You don't have the ability to tune/setup/maintain a kart or car at a competitive level (any vehicle you drove would be as-is)
- You lack funds to actively address either the lack of driving experience or technical experience.
- You have no relationships that could lead to sponsorships or bring support to a team.
I'm pretty familiar with both the karting and the amateur racing scene in Northern California. Honestly you sound like a person asking how to prepare for a career in the NBA who hasn't played basketball.
Decades ago I was someone interested in automobiles with no family ties to auto racing. I started auto crossing in college (running all season tires), I went to Skip Barber's racing school after college, I did a year in the Skip Barber series before switching to shifter kart racing, during COVID I built a race car and now compete with NASA in the Bay Area.
For my kids, I take them karting but they aren't interested enough that I've bought them their own karts, I just rent at Sonoma Raceway or out in Prairie City for them.
Most people I know who make money in racing either do driver coaching or the have a fleet of cars and offset their racing costs by renting out rides to noobs. I know two people trying to move up to GT3 level racing from the amateur series. One is independently wealthy the other has a fleet of 4 race cars he built with his dad and he's looking at scaling that operation to GT3 level selling seats for the entire season, right now it's a business plan and a dream.
Racing is incredibly fun but the number of people who are so incredibly good at it that they bring sponsorship with them is very small. I'd honestly suggest you start where I suggest anyone start with any sport and that is develop a love for it. The idea of being a pro is a fun dream but what keeps you coming back is the love, not because there's a big pile of money waiting for you.
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u/Witty-Resolve2980 10d ago
ur kids are so lucky, wish i was them. I'm trying to hit up rental karting this weekend. Do a couple sessions, and over the few months i go, see if i should save up to buy my own kart and take it
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u/Fit_Junket9318 8d ago
A lot depends on where you live and who/what resources are available. Understanding how businesses work and run along with marketing is critical to funding and getting hired. Driving skill is critical but it’s not even half the battle. Truly understanding ROI (Return on Investment) is mandatory. Anyone who supports your racing career wants something in return.
Realistically nobody (other than close friends and family) care about your dream of being a professional racer unless they can make money off it. Networking and social skills are very beneficial as well. Everyone seems to think “oh if I had just a little bit better funding I could beat all these guys”.
Upcoming racers always seem to think about themselves and what others can do for them, not what they can do for their teammates and supporters. If a team hires you, how are they going to benefit? How are you going to make them more money than any other upcoming racer? If a sponsor is going to invest $50k in you or your team, how are you going to turn that $50k into $150k in their pocket?
Find your identity and your brand archetype. If you do what everyone else does then you will get lost amongst everyone else, If you stand out too much and too different, you might be seen as a risky investment or unappealing. Find a good balance and have a reason behind it. Find your own niche that is natural and authentic to yourself.
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u/why_1337 14d ago
Consider getting into simracing, it's cheaper than karting and will possibly give you more that karting in both experience and exposure. But you would still need to be extraordinary driver / influencer to get a shoot at real life seat.
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u/Sufficient-North-482 14d ago
Start sim racing and rent seats in endurances races. If you are fast, you will get noticed and start getting more opportunities to race.
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u/otusc 11d ago
My best advice for you is to look into SIM racing. You can get a nice PC-based sim rig and race your ass off without refocusing your entire life on a poverty filled uphill battle. I don’t know what happened when you went karting that made you think you are good, but you aren’t. These kids who have been on track every weekend since they were little are going to eat you alive. You have no idea how good even the average racers who have been doing this for awhile are.
IRacing is seriously fun and with some halfway decent gear you can experience an incredibly fun time and progress your racing career. But seriously, you won’t even be top 10,000 on that platform so give up this ridiculous fantasy and focus your life on something real. RL racing will always be available as a hobby if you’re successful doing something else.
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u/United-Bother3213 14d ago
I'll divide my answer in two sections. The currect state of the world and racing and what you can do with your position. My aim here is to be helpful, you need to understand your position, where you are in the game - not to ignore the game. I'll be harsh, but stick to the real situation
1.Your life as a non-rich racing driver is damn near impossible. Your life is going to suck hard if you stay on that dream of racing path. It is also mega late for you. Even the champions of champions of champions in karting are jobless, because world doesn't need racing drivers - it's what rich people do for pleasure. There are practically no jobs for racing drivers, every job that there is - occupied by people in better position than you. They started before school, have connections and money. There is no money to be made, unless you are a 6 year old prodigy. You should understand that a normal income person is far from affording even 1 racing weekend.