How to Become a Race Car Driver

How to Become a Race Car Driver
Young men especially, but young women as well, become fascinated by auto racing. What they want more than anything else is to answer, "I'm a race car driver" when someone asks what they do for a living. If becoming a race car driver is your dream or the dream of someone you love, then the first thing to realize is that the road to becoming a race car driver is long and tedious. There is a lot more to it than just driving fast.

The first thing that young people who want to drive race cars for a living need to do is to educate themselves about the sport of car racing. And, yes, car racing IS a sport and not just a competition. There will be a lot of reading involved in this basic education. Just a very few of the books that a young person needs to read about the sport of car racing are:

* The Drive to Win, by Steve Riach
* Going Faster: Mastering the Art of Race Driving, by Carl Lopez
* Winning: A Race Driver's Handbook, by George Anderson
* Think to Win: The New Approach to Fast Driving, by Don Alexander

The next thing to do is to go to the race tracks and talk to all of the people who are involved in racing that you can. And don't stop with just drivers -- talk to the pit crew, the teams, and even the officials. Volunteer at the race tracks so that you will have more contact with the people involved.

Start saving your money to go to a car racing school. There are dozens (maybe hundreds) to choose from; some are, of course, better than others, so do your homework and select the school that offers the best education for you.

When the day finally comes that you are in the car racing game, remember that "seat time" is the most valuable time you have. There is no shortcut to experience, and experience is what helps you climb the car race driver ladder to success.