Need help/advice starting career

pholtonracing · 01-30-2013, 08:10 PM

Hey guys. I'm 16 and very good with my hands. I have rebuilt multiple small engines, gokarts, and gators. I have always had an affinity for anything with an engine in it, especially GRC and ERC. Now that GRC is introducing the SuperCar Lites class, I see this as my chance to get my foot in the door. I'm looking at buying a 2005-ish Ford Focus and converting it to RWD. (I'll start a build thread when that starts.) I intend to get a SCCA racing license (Do I really need that?) and take go to rally school at Florida International Rally and Motorsports Park over the summer. I then need to start winning races. A lot of them. My dream is to be on the Rockstar Rallycross Team with Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan. All my racing experience is from gokarts and rhinos. Every chance I get I'm either reading about rallyX, watching TV about it, or practicing in my car. I guess you could call it an obsession but I would call it a passion. Any advice, suggestions, connections, questions, comments, concerns etc. etc. are all greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Paul

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teamDFL · 01-31-2013, 07:07 AM

My advice
1. Keep your passion, it is what will take you far.
2. Gain as many skills as possible. Along with driving, do you know how to weld? Run a mill? How about compute roll centers with a suspension analyzer? Can you setup a data acquisition system? Most people start on small teams and in those cases, the more skills you have, the more valuable you are.
3. Go to as many schools as you can afford. Good instruction is the key.
4. Practice every opportunity you have. Go to an autocross. Run karts. Anything that puts you behind the wheel.

Please share more details on the GRC and ERC.

Good luck.

pholtonracing · 01-31-2013, 08:04 AM

I have more basic skills but I tend to pick stuff up quick. I can weld and run a mill but I need some more practice at it. Never used a suspension analyzer. Only set up data acquisition on a rhino for tuning... And that was a super basic one. What do you want to know about GRC and ERC? GRC is here in America and ERC is in Europe. Mix of dirt and Tarmac. 70ft gap jump. 600+hp 2.0L turbocharged engines 4WD. That's the SuperCar Class. This year they're starting the SuperCar Lites class which is where I want to start because it's supposed to be a feeder into the SuperCar Class. The Lites are 300hp naturally aspirated rear engine 4WD. Don't know what the course will be like but I think GRC is going to run them at the same events as the SuperCars. I don't know anywhere as much about the ERC but basically it's the European version of GRC. Any questions I didn't answer?

teamDFL · 01-31-2013, 09:07 AM

So are these tube frame deals? Sounds cool.

pholtonracing · 01-31-2013, 09:35 AM

The Supercars are a production unibody. The Lites are a tube chassis yes.

wrc_fan · 02-12-2013, 07:35 AM

For Rich: superlites article

For the OP: Sounds like you already have a lot of good experience in racing gokarts and rhinos, I would keep going with that for sure. Work hard and make a name for yourself and develop a good reputation. Racing is expensive. You'll need sponsors, and to get sponsors you need to show you're willing to work hard for them and be the image for their product.

If you want to get into global rally cross, make it a priority to go to events this season. Meet people, make friends and volunteer to be crew. You can learn what it takes behind the scenes at these events. I volunteered with a crew at an event at Charlotte this year, and it was a unique eye opening experience.

Lastly, you'll here this a lot in the future, but you almost always want to buy a used race car for your first rally car. Make sure it has a nasa/rally america log book.

FocusZTSRS · 02-12-2013, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrc_fan

For Rich: superlites article

For the OP: Sounds like you already have a lot of good experience in racing gokarts and rhinos, I would keep going with that for sure. Work hard and make a name for yourself and develop a good reputation. Racing is expensive. You'll need sponsors, and to get sponsors you need to show you're willing to work hard for them and be the image for their product.

If you want to get into global rally cross, make it a priority to go to events this season. Meet people, make friends and volunteer to be crew. You can learn what it takes behind the scenes at these events. I volunteered with a crew at an event at Charlotte this year, and it was a unique eye opening experience.

Lastly, you'll here this a lot in the future, but you almost always want to buy a used race car for your first rally car. Make sure it has a nasa/rally america log book.

everyone here check out rally revolution! we have plenty of guys who can help you through your list, and we even have members from Juggernaut motorsports, a rally team that races two ford focus rally cars

pholtonracing · 02-19-2013, 01:37 AM

Ok so I want to buy a used race car because it is already tested/proven to work under those conditions, right? Any suggestions as to what I should look at or where to look?

wrc_fan · 02-19-2013, 10:16 AM

Racing forums like special stage

It is important they have a valid log book. This is where the sanctioning body for the series the car has been in, has a tech inspector sign off that the car and the safety features (cage, fire suppression, seats, etc) meet spec. You don't want to buy a finished uncertified car and find out you have to do major rework to make it compliant.

But yeah, basically, all the work/money into making a car into a legit race car does very little to add to the value of the car. When you're starting, you can let someone else take the hit for you. Hopefully the car will be sorted by this time too. This way you can spend some money for spare parts. You will crash and you will break stuff.