Posted in: Formula One
bjbj asked:
I LOVE TO RACE! I have been racing for about 5 years, but only in minor races, like drifting and amateur drag racing, and I want to move on to something bigger.
I LOVE TO RACE! I have been racing for about 5 years, but only in minor races, like drifting and amateur drag racing, and I want to move on to something bigger.
July 27th 2009
You gotta work your way up through the ranks. I suggest you start in Champ Car, but before you get to champ car there is an Atlantic division i believe is what it is called, last i heard Frankie Muniz was racing in that league. A lot of guys from Champ Car move to formula 1, so id gun for the Atlantic divisions, which travels with the Champ division, if you want to get to formula 1
July 27th 2009
start in carting and go up through the ranks of the formula series. BTW loving to race and being a great racer are not the same but good luck. Also find Derrick Daley’s book about what it takes to be an F1 driver - physically and mentally.
July 30th 2009
to be honest the other answer is not the best. The champ car series doesn’t exist anymore as of 2008; it has merged with the IRL IndyCar series. The pro formula atlantic series is where Frankie Muniz has raced, and it is one way up the ladder to F1, however, it is not really a place to start. Even Frankie Muniz didn’t start there. Even if you had the half million plus to race in atlantics, no team would want you without any experience.
Your drifting and drag experience will probably help a bit in getting into road racing - which is where you need extensive experience to get to F1, and a place to start would be karting or a pro driving school in a formula car.
good luck!
August 2nd 2009
Carting should open the way.
August 3rd 2009
karting is the first step to the upper echelon of open wheel racing ( if F1 is your goal) i mean European Karting… the FIA sanctioned ones…there are several series …
Next step would be the lower Formulas…eg Formula Ford… those wingless open wheel cars that look like spiders…
After these wingless ones… you graduate to ones with wings… eg Formula Audi or Formula BMW , after these are Formula 3 or GP2….
But the bottom rung is always Karting… thats were you get yourself noticed…the national championships for these events are really big affairs, with scouts from all over looking at the drivers..
bear in mind that sponsorship in the lower echelons are few and far between… so you must find some way of funding your passion…
the pathway for open wheel racing is a lot different in the US…there are several different Formula leading to the top echelon which i believe is IRL or Champ cars… but you did say F1…. If you are US based , then the path to F1 maybe more difficult, mainly because of the different pathway…. but it is not impossible …