Racing is a sport which not everybody can start on a whim. Every career in sports has a learning curve and sometimes an initiation curve. For racing, unlike ball sports where one can simply sign up for amateur tournaments until they gather enough points, one has to go through a very detailed driving course, with other challenges along the way.
If you wanted to become a car racer, here are the steps you would need to take.
Go Karting – An Easy and Simple Way to Learn
Karting is what many professional racers used to practice their skills in their junior careers. Why? It is cheap and physical, and teaches you most of what you would be doing in a faster and more dangerous and more expensive vehicle.
Karting is available in most cities all over the world, so finding a club and track should not be a problem. Karting will teach you the basics of driving on a race track, which is a very important part of racing. It is also very cheap, which as you will learn, is also important in the world of motorsports.
Get into a Real Car – Karting Only Goes So Far
No matter your skill in karting, people will not care about you unless you start winning in real cars. Motorsports are all about people winning races, and karting does not really carry large prestige.
Check local racing leagues and start racing as soon as possible. Once you are in a real vehicle and get a couple of wins under your belt, things should start looking up.
Winning Matters – No Matter What They Say
Coming in second or third does not really matter, particularly to the media and sponsors. Sponsors want exposure and the easiest way to give them that exposure is by winning. That is also the best way to meet new contacts in the industry, because after a couple of wins, people will start taking notice of you.
Networking – As Important as Racing
If you want to succeed in the motorsports industry, or any other industry for that matter. Meeting new people will get you contacts which can help carry your career to the next level. Remember to be nice to people and to meet as many as you can, from racers to managers and especially team owners.
Marketing – Another Essential Tools
Everybody uses marketing, from a local store which sells nothing but groceries, to large casinos and especially motorsports brands and teams. As a racer, the best you can do for your personal growth and brand is win, but the second best thing is marketing.
Whether having a personal web presentation or using streaming services, you can do a lot for your brand with marketing. Just remember to back it all up on the track.
A career of a motorsports racer can be started by anybody, especially if they follow the steps mentioned above. Have in mind that motorsports is a very expensive sport, so making money along the way is a must if one wants a sustainable career.
