Thread: How do drivers get started

Someone asked me this today and I was just kind of stumped. How DO drivers get started? How are they "found". It isn't something I've ever really thought much about. How lame am I...

Originally Posted by Chex

Someone asked me this today and I was just kind of stumped. How DO drivers get started? How are they "found". It isn't something I've ever really thought much about. How lame am I...

They usually start by joining a club or organization, in the case of very young drivers, they probably start in go karts and go onto higher and different classes as they get older. Some remain at the amateur level and some go on to eventually race in one of the premium serie, but this takes not only lots of talent, enormous amounts of money and a great deal of luck.
Someone interested in participating in some kind of motorsport should join a local Sports Car Club in their area, they usually offer a driving school at the start of the racing season where one can qualify for a racing license, I'm not sure of the process nowadays, I last raced in 1981 (after following the process of joining a local club dedicated to motorsport, both in Canada and in Europe), back then you also had to have a valid driver's license, if you lost your driver license, your racing license was revoked.

This was also my inquiry so thanks for the answer.

My inquiry was specific on formula 1 racing. There are drivers that are so young that they must have been driving even when they are not yet legally allowed to drive. From oldcanuck's reply, I guess these young drivers started with go-carts, lots and lots of go-cart racing.

Thanks for the excellent post. I wondered too have they become drivers. It's a lot of luck I'm thinking, and money too. It's not their are scouts like for other sports and you play in college. Wow, you would have to be at the right place at the right time.

Originally Posted by Civic

This was also my inquiry so thanks for the answer.

My inquiry was specific on formula 1 racing. There are drivers that are so young that they must have been driving even when they are not yet legally allowed to drive. From oldcanuck's reply, I guess these young drivers started with go-carts, lots and lots of go-cart racing.

Many hours of go-cart driving, yes that is it! I know in the US it is legal to drive on your own land before you can get a driver's license so maybe they were doing that as well. Thanks so much for the response. I kind of figured as much but wasn't sure.

Originally Posted by Chex

Many hours of go-cart driving, yes that is it! I know in the US it is legal to drive on your own land before you can get a driver's license so maybe they were doing that as well. Thanks so much for the response. I kind of figured as much but wasn't sure.

I do think a lot of kids drive before legal driving age on their own land like that; I had a lot of friends growing up who had large plots of land which they would drive all around doing "chores" and maintaining the property.

Originally Posted by ToyotaGrl

I do think a lot of kids drive before legal driving age on their own land like that; I had a lot of friends growing up who had large plots of land which they would drive all around doing "chores" and maintaining the property.

Yes, I was one of those kids, but I was also the 13 year old who drove the drunk grandfather into town for more cigarettes too. Things are so different these days.

First motorized vehicle I drove was my uncle's farm tractor, when I was 12.
In Switzerland you have to be 18 to get your driver's license.

Originally Posted by oldcanuck

First motorized vehicle I drove was my uncle's farm tractor, when I was 12.
In Switzerland you have to be 18 to get your driver's license.

Sheesh! I wonder, are the stats on teen wrecks there as high as here though? In the US there has always been talk of increasing it to 18 but its still 15 1/2 for permit and 16 for license I think.

I agree with the idea of increasing the age limit to 18 years. In driving a car, you risk yourself more than you do in watching adult movies.