Expert: Adam - 11/9/2007

Question
i live in Florida and i want to know were i can studie to race racing car     circuit

Answer
Thank you for your question Robert. I am not an expert on the provincial and minor championship racing scene in the USA, but here are a few pointers for you.

As you may know, a typical path to follow is to start off in karts, then move over to cars in minor series and then progress through more prestigious championships. How you go about it depends on your budget, age and how prepared and able you are to travel around, none of which I know anything about of course, similarly what sort of cars you are interested to drive (sprint, single seater, sedan etc).

On the karting side,if you have a real flair for racing then hopefully you will win some events at karting,for example, maybe progressing up towards national championships in the more powerful karts. That would certainly get you noticed by teams running cars in single seater championships and self-publicity is no bad thing - you can contact the teams yourself and explain to them what your plans are.

Regarding money, have you the budget to compete in a national series and to have competitive equipment/spares/expert support? If not you either need to find a team that will run you and/or sponsorship. Never easy for a novice but essential. Try contacting local auto and servicing outlets in the Michigan area, your employer, your local paper to run a story, basically, get going on the PR. If you've already had some success then maybe the local media will be interested on running a story and you can use these to build up a CV to send to interested parties.

You need to find out about scholarships - what kart championships are offering the prize for the winners of drives in single seaters, and maybe focus your aim on these championships. If you subscribe to National Karting News, this information may be there. The advertisements section will also be helpful, possibly with kart teams offering drives in competitive machinery at the right price. Speak to them and ask them their advice about progression, I'm sure they'll be pleased to pass on their experience and thoughts.

I think I already mentioned it before, but racing schools offer a useful way of stepping up from karts to cars. Please check out your local providers, such as the Skip Barber Racing School - they will be able to advise you as well regarding next steps and whether scholarship prizes are on offer.

Further info:
http://www.ekartingnews.com/
http://kartlink.com/2006/08/19/552/
http://kartlink.com/2006/09/28/601/
http://www.ekartingnews.com/

Looking specifically at the Florida area, the following link gives the details of many racing venues in your state. I suggest you look into which of them offer racing schools (if that is what you want) or karting or starter series of whatever it is you want to drive. Then you can contact the people there to discuss your specific needs.

http://www.racingaroundamerica.com/speedways/florida.asp

I hope this is helpful for you,
Best wishes,
Adam