Auto Racing: Getting into F1 from Australia?, f1 fan, alan docking racing

Question
Hey Adam,

I am 20 and a big F1 fan and I was wondering if you had any advise on what steps I would have to take if I wanted to race in Formula One in the future?

I know I am starting late but I would still like to pursue this except I wouldn't have a clue where to start especially in Australia where we only have 1 current F1 driver.

So if you could please help point me in the right direction on what steps I would need to take to get there and any advice you might have on this then I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Answer
Hello Dwayne, thanks for the question, which comes up quite a lot!

My recommendation is that you start with one of the racing schools and attend their course (I presume there are some in Oz for single seaters). This will take several months and teach you about driving and racing a single seater formula racing car. In the UK this also enables you to get your racing licence, not sure how thsi works in Oz. If you were to go down this route you may be in shape to drive a few races towards the end of the racing season.

If you do very well at a Racing School you can sometimes win a drive for the following season in a competitive car (although only a few of the schools in the UK offer this scholarship - Silverstone don't).

If you are able to secure a budget, then approaching a good team in the first instance might be a way forward but not many will want to take on a novice. They will certainly I am sure help you go testing to see how you get on and can give you some good advice, and of course, if you are both
impressed, could run you in some races or enter you in a (2006)championship.

Having spoken to some reputable team's managers (Alan Docking Racing and Woodcote Racing) to ask them about how a novice should ideally begin, they both told me that starting
with the racing school is best. One also mentioned that a parallel programme of karting would be very advisable, suggesting that ideally you should be karting 2-3 times/week and then also doing the single seater racing school at the same time. One of the team managers said that after
the racing school course is finished, he could provide a car and the back-up to test with, and can also coach a young driver with a view to preparing them for entering a championship, depending on talent too of course!

I have spoken with the Silverstone Racing School's top man Ken Bowes. SRS say they would start a novice off with an intensive 5 day course where they will receive full training/coaching and they will supply the necessary kit and racing licence application etc. The 5 day course culminates in a race against the other students. The cost is £3100 and they are available at fairly regular intervals through the year.

SRS recommend that, depending on how a driver gets on in the 5 day course, they next offer a programme of races to help the drivers apply the skills and continue their learning. The costs will be around £7-8000 and involve about 6 races.

If you are interested in UK alternatives, Jonathan Palmer has a facility in Bedfordhire, there is also the Aintree Racing School(Liverpool), the (formally) Brands Hatch circuits of Brands Hatch (Kent), Snetterton (Norforlk), Cadwell (Lincs), Donington (Derbs) and Oulton (Cheshire).

I hope this is helpful to you. Motorsports trade press in Australia will no doubt give details of local soultions.

Best regards and good luck,
Adam