While many people dreams to become a driver for a race car, few actually explore it. The necessary steps initiate what can be an exciting, fulfilling career. If you love cars and driving, it is possible to become a race car driver and start to test the waters so that you can see if race driving is for you.
In this article, learn how to become a race car driver and start your racing career.
Table of Contents
How To Become A Race Car Driver?
You can start to learn about race car driving by attending races or watching races on television. Make your favourite racer and gather information about the user favourite car racer. This makes you become a good racer. Read, watch videos and learn about the mechanics of how vehicles run, including safety measures.
1. Start With Go-Karts
Go-karts are not only mean for kids. In go-karts, there are several levels. The faster, larger vehicles give you a real sense of whether car racing and something you performed for. Watch all the sizes and practise driving. Eventually, push yourself to the driving in the next level and pay attention while driving so that you can learn it easily and quickly, your ability to predict the moves of other drivers and outmanoeuvre them and your ability to remind calm and focused even intense situations.
2. Go To Race Car Driving Classes
Most race tracks, particularly in larger cities, offer a variety of race car driving classes. They range from fun, beginner level classes to advanced opportunities for serious drivers. Getting into a real race car on a professional track will give you a genuine sense of what it would be like to enter the world of professional racing. In this case, involving your local track will also help you meet random people in the industry, which could open doors for opportunities down the road.
3. Buy A Race Car
If you were so serious about the next level of your racing career, then invest in a vehicle, get an older model sports car. Work with your technicians to ensure the car is track ready and has all the necessary safety features. Take advantage of open track time at your local track or course. Practice your driving so that you can get better sponsors and team owners. Apart from developing quickly, movie to competitions the sponsors can help fund you racing career easier.
4. Join A Professional Organisation
Join a professional organisation such as the Sports Car Club of America. In this, you will gain access to a wealth of resources as well as information as to where to find beginner and advanced racing opportunities. This is so helpful in finding a car racer at your level. You can connect with them and you will have the opportunity to compete in amateur events. Even if you don’t end up making your living as a professional race car driver, you can still be competitive racing enthusiasts.
5. Stay Away From Street Racing
No professional racers suggest involving in street racing. Because it is so dangerous and detrimental to a racing career. The professional racer also says that street racing is irresponsible and safety is always the most important for a car racer. On-road driving will never help you go faster than the race track. So, it won’t make any sense to drive speedily in the streets.
Rules And Regulations To Follow
Race marshals are responsible for the safety of competitors and are stationed at key locations around the race track to warn them of incidents on the course ahead, assist drivers in case of collision, accidents or other problems on the course.
The race marshals on the circuit ensure that all the required safety measures and emergency equipment are ready to respond to an incident at a moment’s notice. They give the required information for the drivers with racing flags and signals, access the track surface condition. Observe your competitor’s behaviour and their truck’s mechanical conditions. Communicate with your competitors, help drivers and others in an incident to the Race Control who inaugurates the events, emergency services are experts with the training in medical response.
1. Race Track Safety
There are several different safety measures present to make a track safe, large runoff areas, energy-absorbing barriers and speed traps filled with soft materials. Active as well as passive safety measures for racers, vehicles and race tracks make it safe for a race.
2. Energy Absorbing Barriers
Race tracks have various types of defence n order to absorb the impact of an accident and avoid the truck from leaving the truck. The various types of barriers and energy absorption systems available:
- Guard rails
- Concrete blocks with debris fencing
- Debris fence
- Tecpro barriers
3. Run-Off Areas
The run-off areas are large open areas that adjacent to the race tracks and at the entry and exit of the corners. These areas allow rejoining the track which the driver went off the track and regain the control to race, to continue the race.
4. Car Safety 
- The safety and technical regulations and are modified in exactly the same way as the racing cars which win internationally.
- The speed of the racing car is restricted to 160 kilometres per hour.
- Double circuit operated brakes with four circuit protection valves.
- Seat belts should be 6 points safety.
- AFFF type n board fire extinguisher.
- The circuit breaker for the emergency engine shut down.
How Much Does It Cost For Driving Class?
For the drivers who have prior racing experience or have completed at least 75 laps, a special exclusive Nextel cup experience awaits them to an actual day one against one challenge with an expert stock car driver. The cost of the experience is anywhere from $12,500 to $20,000.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to become a race car driver, you have to sacrifice the personnel needs. A talented driver needs to be committed to the sport if they want to make it to F1.
You have to be prepared to be away from family, home, and friends. Sometimes from a very young age. In this case, you have to be so positive and work on your mental strength as motorsport involves a lot of ups and downs, some of which are beyond your control. It thus always helps to take things positively, learn from your professionals and move forward.
We hope that your doubts are cleared by this article. If your doubts persist, you can put your comment below in the comment section.