The One Thing You Need to Become a Race Car Driver Edit... PROFESSIONAL race car driver https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a30349106/racers-dont-succeed-on-luckebruary-2020/?source=nl&utm_source=nl_rdt&utm_medium=email&date=032120&utm_campaign=nl19763014&utm_term=AAA%20--%20High%20Minus%20Dormant%20and%2090%20Day%20Non%20Openers I have said it another way.... lots of people WANT to be a professional (fill in the blank). Others NEED to be a professional. Even for those that have the NEED the odds are crazy. Burn your bridges. But dont be surprised if you crash upon the rocks.
Becoming a true professional race car driver requires many things. The sacrifice/commitment as Ross Bentley describes in the article is one of them. You also need talent. You need luck to get the right timing. The luck and timing is to find the right people at the right time to get the right opportunity. You also need lots of seat time. You need everything to fall into place (a good team owner, crew, engineer, car). Money can provide more seat time and exposure but you still need the first three. There are tons of really talented people out there with no rides or inconsistent rides. The factory guys with stable careers is extremely small (literally a handful of guys in USA in sports-car racing).
It is so much easier to become an MD or CEO of a company than a pro driver who earns a living racing. The few who do it are really quite special.
I have a hard time saying Lance Stroll is Special. I do agree those who "RACED" their way into a paying seat earned it.
The only difference between "amateur" race car drivers and "professional" race car drivers, is how much money they spend. People who think they will get paid to drive a race car are not thinking very hard.
Sorry, but I couldn't disagree more. I run amateur Champcar and Randy Pobst drove with us in Atlanta a few years ago. He was immediately 3 to 4 seconds a lap faster than all the drivers on our team and he had never turned a lap in our car. He also set the fastest lap for the day and our car was not half the race car of some others in the field. Money didn't buy his lap times. Not to say money isn't a big factor because I admit it is, but to say it is the only factor between a pro and amateur is silly and naive.
Lol. He wouldn't be there without his parents' money. I know that racing schools, driving coaches, etc. try to make the claim that all you need to do is work hard to be a race car driver. The truth is, you need money. Big money. Or you won't get anywhere. And another thing - without paying drivers, race series would collapse. F1 included.
+1 There are tons of talented drivers who never get past go because they don't have the funding. My coach is a former Red Bull Junior F1 program driver. He didn't have the backing so now he coaches.
Most of those who succeed to make a career of driving sports / race cars are actually coaching to make money, some are writing (or making videos) reviews - the number of "real" professional racers (i.e. people making money from race driving) is ridiculously low and even among those, many began with significant family funding.
I tried to race professionally... kind of...I agree with the article. short of being the next Alan Prost, you need luck, and money but also huge desire... I did Elf Winfield school in 1990, did Pilote Elf and did ok, but dropped out at the 2nd race. and then got an offer from couple of local CFFR teams. (Championship of Formula Renault France - in the South Alps region) so had to bring 120K Franc's at the time... about $25K so between hitting my parents up for a loan - $8K, I used my savings $5K and got the rest from my girl friend at the times uncle who owned a bunch of Tabac stores in Lausanne to Martigny Switzerland.... I got to put a Marlboro patch on my suit.... I did 6 races - crashed out in 2 ( both not my fault) and finished 4th in two first race finished 11th.... that was it ... could not afford any more... damage to the car was my responsibility ... cost me $6k... and I was working at the same time... I remember thinking - this is hard work. it was not fun any more. So I really respect drivers - even the Lance Stroll's of the world - because its hard work.... it may look fun, but its hard... or it was for me. In terms of driving I was ok -not great, but was usually in the front mid pack... and even today I can run with pretty good drivers to a point ( I run a LO206 Kart) ... but you have to really want it... the desire has to be there all consuming. I feel lucky that I found that out early vs. having the feeling.... the folks at AMP call me a "gentleman racer" because I'm not always driving aggressively... I drive for fun... As I tell everyone ... there is not an F-1 seat for me after this race...
While money helps to get your foot in the door to ANYTHING, to be a professional race car driver takes talent more than anything else. These guys are truly special I dont' care what anyone says. I'm sure there have been 1000's of drivers (with money) who tried but just couldn't make it. Some maybe had bad timing and never got their "break" but I'm sorry... If you can throw 100mph you will be scouted, if you can put down insane lap times and consistently win in "amateur" pro racing, word gets around and you will be recruited. There is no such thing as luck... There are always those "against the rule" stories but I believe my opinion to be true 99% of the time.
Actually, the difference between a pro and amateur driver is a pro can put a car into a wall and walk away from it without a care in the world. Amateurs (trust fund hobbyists don't really count) realistically can't.
why is race car driving different re funding than any other sport? does family money make tom brady who he is? would he be playing in a 40 and over rec league if his parents were poor? are there poor athletes in other sports who dont get the chance because poor parents? what about chess players? i believe race car driving is like any other sport. talent is the key factor
Different business models in other sports. In automobile racing, regardless of the type, there are very few paid drivers. You have to bring your own money, like Lance Stroll, or years ago Niki Lauda bringing his own money as well, or you much bring sponsorship money. Most drivers are rich guys who are many times sponsoring their teammates.
Maybe buying and maintaining a racing car is more expensive than a chess game or a soccer ball, I don't know...
i dont get your point. what major sport teams holds open tryouts? it might be a good idea for the ny sports teams i root for but thats another thread althogether
ever see what hockey families go through time and money wise to get their kids playing? my plumber has an nhl all star son and i dont think its any different from car racing. if a kid shows promise in karting, he will find a way to upper levels. no different than other sports.
Raw talent is the same as Tom Brady. yes. However pure sports games like Football, Basket Ball, Base Ball, don't require anywhere near the price of entry. you can play those games anywhere, anytime with basic equipment - and have your skill shine through. In racing, not only do you have to have the raw talent... you have to have the tenacity to understand the technical side of racing, and then you have to have the money to have equipment that can showcase your talent. Being Ayrton Senna is a 10yr old F Ford racing against a modern FF factory team, you may look good here and there but you are not going to win. the window for a modern Racing Driver is very narrow... if you are going to be a pro. you can be semi-pro your entire life but usually, you are funding the activity vs. getting paid. if you waste your time and talent because you don't have the money ... those scouts will not find you... The guys who race professionally have a combo of talent, luck, and determination. they also have the ability to find money... which is the part that almost nobody tells you about because it's so difficult.
maybe but i have 1st hand knowledge of what it takes to get your child to be NHL all star player and i cant imagine its any easier or less expensive than racing.