Strapping into a racing suit and pulling on that helmet is one of those moments that rarely gets old.
As kids, we all have our heroes. Sure, some of us have heroes in the family, like our dads or our granddads, but many of us also admire those who follow their passion and turn it into a career, Racecar drivers, be they SCCA amateurs, or elite Formula One champions, all share the same desires and need to possess the same skills in order to survive the drive. After all, there are few professions that are more dangerous or more physically demanding on the human body, let alone the toll racing takes on the vehicle and your wallet.
Xtreme Xperience employs around 300 driving instructors that all have some sort of racing experience on their CV, but only a handful are full-time racing drivers. Becoming a full-time racing driver is a bit like landing that dream job, it requires years of careful preparation, and planning, along with a good bit of grit and a whole bunch of luck. In short, it’s hard, really, really hard.
So, what does it take to be a race car driver anyways? Strap in folks, and let’s get into it.
It All Starts Early
Look at the tippy, tippy top of the racing echelon, whether that’s Formula 1, Top Fuel Drag Racing, or NASCAR, and you’ll see a common theme; most drivers start their racing careers early on.
First off, racing, even at the level of children, is an expensive proposition, and a major time commitment for parents. A natural place for kids to start their journey into the world of racing is by racing specially modified go-karts around tracks all over the world. Karting leagues allow entrants as young as 5 to scream around tracks in 50 CC karts that are built to take a beating and teach kids everything from how to take a line to how to lose with graciousness. Similar events exist for everything from drag cars to stock car racing, and off-roading as well.
Family support in these early stages is key and parents play just as much of a key role in this endeavor as the child themselves. Kids who love to race, and the parents who support them unconditionally are necessary components to a person’s success in racing down the road. As a person grows, their interest should only deepen, and the support of their family should never waver. It’s not to say that a kid won’t turn into a professional racing driver without support from their family, but it’s far less likely.
Just like all professional athletes, every time you see a professional driver rip down a track, remember that man or woman has been at it for years.
The Right Stuff
Okay, so you’ve got the support from your family and a decent source of funds to bankroll your racing endeavors early on. Now, you’ve got to have the talent, and grit to get it done out on the track.
There are plenty of people out there who love professional sports but don’t have the natural talent to make it further than amateur level. The best drivers in the world are not only blessed with the grit to work their butts off but the natural talent and knack for racing. This includes everything from reaction times, to superior hand-eye coordination and physical fitness capabilities. Many skills can be learned during those crucial early years, but all professional drivers need to have some level of natural physical talent to make it.
Beyond physical capability, professional racing drivers need to possess a high level of mental acumen, and commitment. Driving is complicated and participating in the engineering of the race vehicle requires a high level of acumen and a thorough understanding of how every system on a vehicle works together with the next. Sure, you’ll have a pit crew to support you, but as a true professional race car driver, you need to understand every single element of the car as well as the crews who work on it.
The fact is that people who get paid to race are exceptionally talented both physically and mentally.
Show Me The Money
Racing is as much of a business as it is a sport, and to enter into the fray of professional racing, you’ll need to have solid financial backing.
Regardless of the type of racing, the default way of earning money is through sponsorships. The concept is simple: racing drivers or team owners approach team sponsors who then help bankroll racing efforts in exchange for placing an advertisement front and center on the racing vehicle, Landing these sponsorships requires a good bit of business acumen since there needs to be a relationship between the sponsor and the racing team where the sponsor is seeing a return on their investment.
If a team can sell their talent on the whole (car, crew, and driver) and effectively position this business prospect to their potential sponsor, a potential sponsorship is usually not far behind. While this may sound easy, finding the “in” and connecting with the right people to make the sponsorship happen is far from easy. In many years, it takes teams years to land the best sponsors, and usually only because they have the results to back up their requests for funding.
Would you throw your money into an investment that you’re reasonably certain won’t be a winner? This delicate dance is exactly why getting sponsorship can prove so challenging.
Where To Start
We don’t want to dash your dreams of being a race car driver, but we do believe a realistic conversation about the realities of professionally driving will help set the best expectations for would-be professional drivers.
Tip #1: Be Realistic
We all have dreams of tire smoke and glory but setting proper, realistic goals is a crucial element to overall success. Take your journey one step at a time, and set reasonable goals to continually fuel your path forward. Many small steps make up the journey!
Tip #2: Be Tenacious
It’s hard to explain just how important it is to never give up the fight. Whether you’re in the boardroom for a potential sponsor, or fighting for pole, the tussle and fight of racing should be sewn into your soul. Live it, breath it.
Tip #3: Be Curious
A great place to start in your journey towards becoming a professional driver is to ask others how they got to where they wanted to be. A great place to start is by asking our instructors! After all, how many chances will you get to pick the brains of people that are not only professional drivers, but are pulling a gig working for the preeminent track experience company in the United States as well? We love questions, so get to asking!
Tip #4: Be You
We can’t stress this one enough. If you’re even considering the path to being a pro driver, you’re already most of the way there! Mental roadblocks, tough upbringings, and a whole host of other things can easily get in the way of being who you want to become. Dreams are guidelines. Ignore the noise, follow your passions, and work diligently to bring yourself the success you want to achieve.
See you out on the track!
