QuestionMy 15 year old son is interested in learning to race cars but has no license. Is there a somewhere he can go to learn or does he have to wait to be a licensed driver?
AnswerHe can start with Go Karts immediately, join World Karting Association (Google it!) and find the tracks close to you . Start racing in the lower levels, move up until you are in the larger , faster carts, and winning regularly. MOST of the big names in racing spent some time in Karts early in their careers, this includes numerous World Champions, and very well known successful race drivers.
Then join Sports Car Club of America (www.SCCA.org) and look into racing with them. You will have to buy a race car and do the mechanical work, buy the tires and gas and fix things that break at the track. It would be a good idea to try and get a friend or two interested in being your crew. You will probably need considerable financial help at this stage. But if you get good at road racing, your chances of getting a pro ride are a little better.
Understand though, something like 1/3 of the young population of the country want to be race drivers, so the competition is REAL tough, and you simply may not have the talent to be a professional. Plus it is EXTREMELY hard work. 18 hour days 7 day weeks and year around. It's a real killer. Many of us enjoy the amateur racing we do (I am in SCCA) and can spend some of our time doing other things that professional driver can't - - like being with family or earning a living !
Finally, you MUST a good student and you should study Physics, Chemistry,and Math VERY hard, and consider pursuing an Engineering degree in college. Several of today's NASCAR stars are engineers, Ryan Newman is one that comes to mind, there are others. Nearly all of today’s professional drivers though, stated in Go Karts.
Good luck !
Dan Liddy
Sarasota, Florida
