If you are just getting started and don't own a driving suit, a helmet, or anything else, don't worry, many schools and courses provide their own equipment for you to use. Your biggest decision right now is what do you want to do- stock cars, formula fords, or maybe some type of sports car? Every race driver getting started should do a Skip Barber 3 day racing school or something equivalent. It will save you time and money in the long run and hopefully prevent you from picking up some bad habits. It doesn't matter if you are a street stock driver on a 3/8 mile dirt track or an SCCA GT1 champ. A good racing program like the Skip Barber 3 day will teach you something you need to know to be a successful race driver. There are good racing schools everywhere but some of the better known ones are Skip Barber Racing School, Bob Bondurant Racing School, and the Jim Russell Racing School. These schools primarily use open wheel formula cars on road courses, but other courses are also available.
Owning your own race car is not necessary to have a fun racing career. Many companies offer programs where you "arrive and drive". You're responsible for just being at the track and driving the car, not doing any maintenance or car repair. Just showing up at the track and being able to focus on driving and racing is a great benefit over having to work on and keep a race car maintained. And when the day comes when you don't want to race anymore, there's nothing to sell or get rid of.
If you own a pretty quick, good handling sports car that you don't mind running hard, many people just getting started in motorsports get involved in auto crossing. It basically a tiny race course in a parking lot that you do timed runs on. It's a very good way to get involved. Then there are high performance driving events (HPDE) where you run your car on a full sized race course with instructors available.
I Want To Become A Pro Race Driver!
Okay, you want to be a pro race driver. If you're staring at this page, odds are you've got a long way to go. Almost every day people are graduating from racing schools. One glance through a news magazine like Speed Sport News will show there are thousands of race drivers out there already driving race cars and winning. With all the different divisions and racing series throughout the U.S., for anyone to make the jump to paid race driver takes luck, talent, and some smarts. Many younger drivers have the idea that they can get into the Cup series. Only 43 drivers get to start that race on any given weekend. Many great drivers give Cup racing a chance and fail miserably for many different reasons. News flash, if you can't win a street stock race, the odds of you getting up to the Nationwide or Cup series is nonexistent. Even if you win every street stock race you enter, that's also no guarantee you will find success anywhere else.
Formula 1 is an even bigger longshot. A few times a year, about 20 drivers get to start a Formula 1 race. There are many F1 test drivers that never even start a F1 race. My point is this, DO NOT expect to have people offering you their car to drive any time soon. There is an abundance of talented drivers available to race teams. Another factor in motorsports that cannot be ignored is money. Racing requires a large pile of it and it's real hard to do anything without it. Cold, hard fact. A rough estimate, but one season of racing the Skip Barber series will probably cost $20,000 or more when all is said and done. Let's throw some numbers around. Every race weekend during the Skip Barber series might see 100 formula racers take to the track, with only a handful of drivers winning the races. It may be more than 100, it might be less, but we'll just use 100 as a workable number. Now if you figure in all the events during the year with all the different regional and national races, that's a bunch of drivers already racing and winning. This isn't here to discourage you, but to make you realize what you are up against. There are no guarantees. All the talent in the world is not enough to become a pro racer. It helps, but it's no guarantee. Many of the Skip Barber instructors and test drivers are in a race car every day and have tons of experience behind the wheel. Some of them have good rides with pro race teams, but many do not. Becoming a pro racer is the goal of many people. Not everyone gets there, but with hard work, some planning, and using your head, it is possible.
The Cost of Going Racing
Alright, let's break down the real cost of getting a race car onto a track with you at the wheel. Starting from scratch, needle at zero, just a newbie getting started. Even Mario Andrettti had to get his first race in. Motorsports is not cheap and never will be! Realize this from day one. Once you own a car, the costs aren't quite so bad depending on which type of racing you choose. First off, you need some type of tow vehicle. This may not apply if you're going Autocrossing or doing HPDE's, but eventually you will need one. Let's figure in $2,000 for an old pickup truck. Odds are you will spend more than this and it's getting harder to find decent trucks that cheap, but it's possible. Some type of car trailer will cost anywhere from $800 on up to whatever you want to spend. An enclosed trailer is always nice, but not necessary getting started. The car. Maybe it's a street stock or an old sports car, but either way, figure in a cost of $1500 to $4500. The more complete the car is, the more you will spend. Decent deals can usually be found on cars without engines, but are otherwise ready to compete. Getting a car with a race ready roll cage is usually one of the biggest hurdles. Throw in some money for tools, a jack, pit equipment, spare parts, tires, and wheels. A good helmet normally starts around $300 and goes up. Many series are making HANS devices mandatory, that's a cool $700. A firesuit can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000 or more. Add in $150 for shoes, and maybe some fireproof underwear. Safety equipment is one area you don't want to save money on. When you're rolling down the track on your roof, you'll want the best you can afford. So far we haven't even towed to the track, but we've spent over $10,000. Think about insurance, entry fees, food, and fuel (both for the race car and the tow vehicle) and things add up real fast.
Karting is cheaper, but sometimes not by much depending on which division you run in and how much travelling may be required. A benefit with karts is that you don't need a trailer. You can race out of a pick up truck, van, or something similar. If you can find someone getting out of karting, you can usually get a great price on everything you need to get started. With a kart you can also do some autocrossing. Another inexpensive way to get your racing fix is indoor kart racing. Not every city has a track, but they are getting more and more popular. There may be a little confusion with kart rental places. There are two types. One lets younger kids ride, doesn't require a helmet, and the karts are pretty slow. The second type requires a helmet and usually a driver's license. The second type is usally geared more towards serious competition, the karts are pretty quick, and require some general racing skills to be fast. If there is a cheaper way to actually race than indoor karting, I don't know about it.
