Getting Started In Motorsports: Let's Become A Race Car Driver

Are you, or someone in your family a huge fan of motorsports, to the point that this is something being considered for a career path? There are a lot of ways to get into the motorsporting world, and becoming a racecar driver is probably the one that most people want to do. It’s also the most expensive, and the hardest, which is why not everyone can make it this way. But, if you want to become a race car driver, then you need to know how to do this, what you are going to need, and which path to take to get there. In this article, that’s what we are going to be talking about, so keep reading down below in order to find out more.

It’s Not Just About Skill

Something that every aspiring race car driver needs to understand is that it is not just about your skill behind the wheel. Of course, this is important but this is only part of what you are going to need to break through this way. You are going to need money, which we are going to talk about a little further, and you are going to need a heck of a lot of determination. You can’t simply give up when things aren’t going your way, or when they start to get a little bit difficult. You can’t just hide from your problems and then expect to get into one of the most potentially difficult jobs, definitely the most difficult in motorsport.

If you aren’t willing to dedicate yourself, why should anyone else dedicate themselves to helping you to achieve your goal. We also want to say that it is going to take a lot of sacrifice. You’re going to have to give up a lot in order to make time to practice, and do what needs to be done to afford this. If you are a parent of an aspiring race car driver, then for now the cost is going to fall on you. The love of a parent really does know no bounds, with a lot of the current F1 drivers having had parents that sacrificed for them.

Make Yourself Wanted

The next thing that we are going to mention is that you have got to make yourself wanted by people higher up. How do you do this? You impress them. You show up when you need to show up, you wow them with your driving, and you show them just how dedicated you are to achieving your goal. Nobody is going to take a chance on someone that is lazy and isn’t going to be worth the investment. You have got to make yourself worth the investment.

Of course, you also have to get yourself in front of these people first. Take a look at how to get noticed when you are aspiring to be a race car driver, and do whatever you can in order to be seen. This might mean taking a video and sending it to people high up in the industry, or it might mean heading to one of the meets being held at any given time.

Have Knowledge Of Cars And The Industry

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Of course, if you want to be a race car driver you should have some kind of knowledge of cars and the industry. If you don’t, then this isn’t really going to work out for you and you should really just choose another profession now. People who want to break into the motorsport industry do so because they love cars more often than not so make sure that this is you before you start trying to change your whole life and dedicate it to something you’re not that interested in,

You want to stay up to date with all of the news, changes, regulations and everything else in motorsports, and with cars in general if this is the path that you want to take in life. This shouldn’t be too much of a hardship seeing as it is something that you already have a passion for.

Learn To Market Yourself

Another thing that you are going to need to do is learn to market yourself. You have got to present yourself as an appealing option to sponsors and companies all around. There are people out there that can help you do this, and really you are going to need them. You’re going to need a manager or an agent in order to get you seen, to take care of things on this front and help you get to where you need to be by handling the professional side. Then, you are going to need someone to help you build up your image, so either a PR executive or a marketing person. Again, we know that this means more money but there isn’t much that you can do about this, we told you that it was going to be expensive.

Hiring these professionals will help you to get more of a foot in the door, as they have connections. They will be able to get you in places where you would never have been able to because for the moment you are an outsider. If you want to become a race car driver, you need to become a brand, not just a person.

It’s Not Going To Be Cheap

We’ve talked on and off about money throughout this article, but we haven’t really fully explained just how expensive this is going to be yet. First, there are all the lessons to learn to drive safely, which is expensive, especially when the person driving is young if they are starting out early. Then, there are things to consider such as purchasing the car for them to start in, ideally looking at things like an extended warranty from Endurance. On top of that, you have all of the professionals that you need to hire in order to help you achieve your goal, all of the traveling and so much more.

It’s always going to be helpful to have hefty financial backing, so if this isn’t possible through your family, then you need to find it elsewhere. Without it, you are going to find it extremely difficult to become a race car driver.

It’s About Who You Know

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We’re not going to sit here and name names, but it’s true to say that nepotism is one of the easiest ways to become a racecar driver. Fair? Not really, but that doesn’t make it any less of the truth. You are going to find it far easier to break into this industry and make something of yourself if you have a history that is connected to motorsports. Of course, we’re not saying that any of you should give up on your dreams or change directions now, but it is going to be a tough road. This is something that you have got to be prepared for, and that’s what we’re trying to do for you in this article.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now have a better understanding as to some of the things that you are going to need to do if you want to become a racecar driver. For those parents of aspiring race car drivers, keep helping them to try and achieve their goals, and where it’s not possible look at some alternative options for motorsports. For those of you who have read this for themselves, it’s the determination that is going to be the first step to achieving, so you have to decide how much you want it. We wish you the very best of luck.