Professional Racing 101....

[Vitolo]

to clarify, "big time" to me means when THEY pay YOU to drive!

[deimos]

I want your job/sponsorships/parents. Jeez. I'm struggling at $10k/yr.

Originally posted by J.M3

My budget for BMW CCA club racing is about 40-50K a year and I don't spend very much compared to some!

[John]

Each race weekend costs me about 1.5 to 2k. My first kid is on the way this summer so my budget will probably get sqeezed a bit!

I also have a deal with my wife were I take my racing budget every 5th year and spend it on travel.

[deimos]

But still.....squeezed a bit for me means karting. Squeezed a bit for you probably means using your tires till they are threadbare. :P

[TomM]

J.M3

You are right that BMWCCA and SCCA isn't a waste of time, but it is a waste of money for any young kid who really has the talent. In which case the only way to go is up through the ladder of open wheel racing and karting. If you are good in that, you always have the option to side step to sports cars.

For someone looking to have fun and/or promote their company then something like CCA or SCCA makes perfect sense.

[deimos]

For any young, talented driver, move to europe and get with the real ladder.

[PrinceE30]

Originally posted by deimos
For any young, talented driver, move to europe and get with the real ladder.

true dat

-prince

[James]

http://www.woodbridgekartclub.org/

These guys represent the largest contingent of karting enthusiasts in the D.C. area. I think they have 3 weekends at Summit Point this summer all to themselves. Some karts do go pretty damn fast, hitting speeds of 125+ if I'm not mistaken for the enduros. If you are serious about wanting to get into karting, but aren't necessarily ready to drop 4-6k for a good shifter kart, then spend 1k or less on a used 2-stroke. Monrovia Raceway, believe it or not, has a small kart track that can be rented out fairly cheaply for three hours at a time. This way you can get acquainted with karting without having to share track space. From there I would join one of the local leagues.

One of the cooler things about karts is that you literally do all of the work yourself. If you can't fix it yourself, then you should just replace the part. I take that back, you may not be able to blueprint your own engine, but after a year or two of experience, you'll probably be able to do that as well. Shifter karts are something I wouldn't necessarily recommend for a beginner as you will probably spend more time learning the nuances of a direct drive clutch and sequential gearbox than all of the other benefits of karting that the others mentioned.

All of this talk about karts makes me want to go buy another one. I might just have to.

[James]

http://www.kcplus.com/catalog.asp

Here is the place I purchased my kart back in the day used. They always have a few at their shop for sale either by them or on consignment. These guys are heavily involved with the Monrovia track and other places too.

[onlyGTI]

I give up...too pricey and i needed to start like when i was 10. Ohh well...

[PrinceE30]

Just go into Autocrossing. You've got a great car for it and it's plenty of fun. You'll never end up in a grand prix race (except from one of those Ferrari/Porscshe Challenge races they have to keep us all occupied before the races and testing sessions)...

You don't have to go 200+MPH to have a GREAT time.

-Prince

[onlyGTI]

yeah i know that, but this thread was made for me to ask about ALL OUT PRO racing, not just something on the side...Dont get me wrong, I would love to get into club racing and stuff...Thats mostly for fun though...Now thats my only choice. No more career in this field...

[M-bird]

Originally posted by onlyGTI
You actaully have to have a fast car for track days and autox lol...

No you just have to have a car that is legal and competitive in it's class. Fast drivers win autocrosses, not fast cars.