Becoming a professional race car driver seems like a very interesting goal. Whether you’re a die-hard NASCAR fan or find go-karting more fun, becoming a race car driver requires a lot of effort, hard work and consistency.
The main question is, ”How to become a professional race car driver?”. Before we move on to this question, we should know about race car driving and its types; after that, we’ll cover the skills you need, the steps to follow, and some of the best tips by the top professional race car drivers. So, let’s get started.
What Does It Mean To Be A Professional Race Car Driver?
A professional race car driver is an individual who is skilled enough to handle a vehicle at higher speeds, sometimes reaching over 200 miles per hour for certain types of races. It is a legit career where a person can truly show their love for cars and enjoy driving them in front of fellow fanatics.
Race car driving is not just about running the vehicles and coming on top. It is also about teamwork, trusting your companions, marketing, working with sponsors, managing public appearances, and more.
There are different types of professional race car drivers that represent the world of race car driving:
- Open-Wheel: Drivers handle cars with open tops and exposed wheels, racing on specially designed tracks or street circuits. Formula One and IndyCar drivers constitute the stars of this category, where they showcase precision and speed at the highest level.
- Sports Car: Sports racing drivers drive sophisticated, two-seat cars on sealed circuits. Those who compete require skills in endurance and tactics, particularly at the longer end of races like Le Mans.
- Touring Car: Touring car racers race a modified version of an everyday automobile. The competition is not just about speed but endurance. Races are done for up to 24 hours, with the driver and the team at their most strained.
- Production Racing: Production racers rely on their skills in handling unaltered or slightly modified cars. They race under very strict rules, so the actual skill of these drivers is the real highlight.
- Stock Car: Stock car drivers appear to be racing normal cars, but their vehicles are built for speed and safety. NASCAR drivers excel on oval tracks with close, high-intensity racing.
- Rally: Rally drivers race the clock with a navigator rather than head to head. They think faster and adapt quicker to road conditions with ease.
- Drag Racing: Drag racers focus on short sprints of speed with head-to-head racing on straight tracks. These drivers thrive on pressure in the hope of crossing the finish line in mere seconds.
What Do You Need To Become a Race Car Driver?
If you ever thought you could become a race car driver, you should know that this isn’t just a work of passion. Apart from the necessary motor skills, you need physical and mental fitness as well, dedication, and resources to get the right gear and training to make this dream of yours a reality.
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Here is a list of skills that you must possess in order to begin your journey to become a race car driver.
- Dedication: The first step to becoming a race car driver is self-motivation. You must push yourself for training and be consistent even in the worst days of your life. You must also follow a healthy diet and hit the gym to build up your strengthen and shift all your focus on enhancing your skills.
- Physical Abilities: Fitness and physical strength are very important for race car drivers as they must have physical abilities to sustain themselves in the race. During car racing, while braking or taking a high-speed turn, the drivers feel 5 times more force than their body weight. They have to keep pushing themselves against the force. Thus, you need to train your neck and core muscles to strengthen yourself and survive on the racing track without causing any injuries
- Mental Strength: Mental strength is as important as physical strength in motorsports. Sometimes, drivers have to make many important decisions so quickly that they must deal with many negative and positive emotions. They must embrace many failures and manage the excitement of victories simultaneously. So, you need to boost your mental fitness to be able to perform well behind the wheel.
- Marketing and Communication skills: In addition to motor skills and physical and mental fitness, you also need to become a master of communication. Race car drivers are doing interviews, fan meets, and sponsorships, and thus you need to be versed in communicating and marketing themselves. This way you will not only earn money but are highly likely to survive in a long-term game.
- Money: Racing is one of the costliest careers in the world, where being talented is not enough. To be able to get into any kind of car racing, you need proper training that is apparently expensive. The money requirement does not end here, as races lower than Formula 1 require you to bring your own money.
6 Best Tips to Become a Professional Race Car Driver
A good race car driver is not simply a product of talent but is the fruit of strategy, training, and perseverance. Learning the ins and outs of your driving techniques and connecting you with the people who matter most, these six steps will give you the acceleration toward the top.
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- Start with Go-Karting: You should start your first step with Go-Karting; even many professionals start with Go-Karting at a young age. And if you win races at a young age, many sponsors will start noticing you, and you may move into professional racing.
- Join motorsports club: Joining a well-established racing club will help you become a professional racer in your career. A membership in a racing club will help you get more opportunities for some kind of events or competitions. It’s also better to be under professional guidance. One of the most well-known clubs you can consider is the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA); they host races nationwide. The SCCA offers online variable rates and applications based on some factors, such as military service and age.
- Buy Your Vehicle and Equipment: A reliable vehicle is necessary for all successful drivers. If you can afford your vehicle, buy it unmodified and modify it independently based on your needs and requirements. The members and officials of your club can also give you better buying guides per your requirements. Racing is just about safety. I mean, safety and speed. Protection is key at such races. This includes a fireproof racing suit, helmet, gloves, and so many other safety gear for comfort on the track. Make sure to check if your equipment passes with flying colors before hitting the road at an official checkup by a club official.
- Get a Competition License: For beginners, it’s about racing; they must obtain a competition license to compete in events. Your racing club is the body overseeing these events and will be able to give you the permit and direct you in this process. It varies between clubs so that requirements might differ; SCCA requires racing three times in two years to qualify.
- Practice and Train Yourself: In any sport, including motorsports, practising regularly to improve your skills is important. Practice can make you better and more professional. Training your body in cardiovascular and resistance workouts that make you stronger and more professionally sporty is also important.
- Look for a Team and Sponsors: Contact professionals and sponsors. You can easily attract better sponsors and teams if you do great in races. Teams and sponsors help you with funding your career in exchange for advertising their brands.
5 Best Professional Race Car Drivers Of All Time
Becoming a professional race car driver is a dream fueled by the spirit of speed, skill, and passion. It’s not an easy journey; it requires relentless dedication, more hours of practice, and the ability to thrive under pressure. Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, the world’s most successful racers, shared their precious experiences that inspired and guided aspirants. Let’s look deeply and understand what makes them legends:
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1. Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is the current racing celebrity with seven Formula 1 World Championships in his books, thus equalling the record wins of all time. Accurate driving and adaptability make him shine, to which he attributes hard work and staying calm to build his success. Interviews often carry the weight of saying that mental fitness and persistence help him make it: “Don’t let failures stop you; use them as fuel.”
2. Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a name that stands for dominance in Formula 1, with seven World Championships and an unmatched work ethic. Technical knowledge and sheer determination made him nearly unbeatable. Schumacher advised young drivers to get the basics right: “Consistency and preparation are the keys to success.”
3. Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen is one of the young drivers who won a Formula 1 Grand Prix and a multi-time World Champion. He brings excitement to the race with fearless driving and aggression. He had once shared this tip in an interview: “Be confident, but never stop learning. Every race teaches you something new.”
4. Sebastian Vettel
Four successive World Championships with Red Bull demonstrated Sebastian Vettel’s skill and dedication. His adaptability to change conditions and strategy during racing is a special gift. Sebastian Vettel tells young racers, “Enjoy what you do, and never lose the passion that drives you.”
5. Alain Prost
Alain Prost, called “The Professor,” won four World Championships with a calculating and strategic approach. His famous ability to think ahead, outsmart opponents, and come out on top made him a racing legend. “Understand your car and the track completely; success lies in the details,” Prost advises.
Related FAQ’s
To start a race car driver journey at 16, it’s better to begin go-karting and join some motorsports club for better guidance and more events opportunities. Just keep practising and consistently focus on the goal.
It’s never too late to start. You should go to the race tracks, find someone, and ask them how to get started. They will help you out. It’s better to try than to have regrets.
In conclusion, becoming a professional race car driver isn’t all about speed; it’s about passion, dedication, and strategy all rolled into one. It goes from mastering go-karting basics to networking with the right teams and sponsors. It is exciting yet demanding. So, if you’re dead serious about learning to become a race car driver, start small, be consistent, and chase that finish line.
