SSILVER88

Hey guys I would like to start pro racing but I can't afford my own car at the moment. So I was wondering if someone had an extra seat open in any pro series that I could take part in. Also I would work in the pits if you needed any help. PM me if you need help or have a seat open thanks.

drivrswntd

I have a buddy with a seat available in a ContinentalTire ST car buts going to cost about 10k per race or so. No one gives out open seats and most pro drivers pay to race. That's the harsh reality of racing pro

Veloce Raptor

Send a PM to Seth Thomas here. He corrently races in CTSCC and knows a ton about the economics of pro racing these days. Also, John Tecce at BGB would be a great contact as well.

AutoAtlanta

Drumming up personal sponsors is probably a good idea, but it is hard to do without being a proven identity. Do you have any racing results from amateur series that you could bring with you to a "budget meeting"? I would start there.

TexasRider

My take is that if you have the fully funded sponsors on board and ready to go you can probably get in to a seat. If you have the sponsors, and have been regularly beating a field of guys, then you certainly should be able to get in.

Without the sponsors it would be tough. Without the sponsors and the results it would be real tough to do now without your own money.

TraqGear

You can also check out the Grand Am forums. Often, teams will post seats available at discount prices on upcoming races, especially as it gets close to race time. These guys are right. There are VERY few pro drivers that don't pay for a seat and even fewer that actually get paid to race.

SSILVER88

I'm sorry if I made my self sound like I was asking for a free seat. I was just wondering what my possibilities in pro racing would be when I get to that stage.

TraqGear

I have seen a few guys get Mazda rides after going through the ranks of Spec Miata and winning the run-offs. If you can win there, you should be racing pro.

AutoAtlanta

Information is a couple years out of date, but I am sure if you contact Mazdaspeed, they could tell you "what's up".

http://mazdamotorsports.com/mazdaladdersystem.htm

SSILVER88

Is Spec Miata cheap to run? Also what other series or cars would cost about the same to run as a Spec Miata? Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

SSILVER88

I guess the thread title doesn't apply to what we are talking about now he he he

CAM14

Would be helpful to better understand what you are calling “Pro Racing”. NASA calls all of there events “Pro Racing” but they are really club racing. MX5 Cup is a good intro to the pro racing ranks but think many (if not most) in that series are paying to drive. Spec Miata in both SCCA and NASA is very good club racing.

Not exactly what you asked but the best way to race at the pro level is to be well funded. Depending on you personal circumstances, that usually means having a good job. Best of luck to you

Potomac-Greg

Best "value" racing is in Spec Racer Ford (SCCA), Spec Miata (SM or SSM) (SCCA and NASA), Spec 944 and 944 Cup. If you're looking for a pro career, then Spec Miata seems good. A lot of the small-bore classes are also cheaper to run. You could also go to karts, and up the open-wheel ranks. (PS: When considering costs, you MUST decide whether you want to just get on track, or if you want a chance to win. You can get on track cheapest in SM/SSM, but for a chance to win, your price goes way up, and other groups start to looks cheaper. I went SRF despite a $15-18,000 start up cost because that price puts you in a competitive car on day one.)

You may want to rephrase the original question. Are you just looking to go racing (where you pay), or pro racing (where you pay).

TexasRider

That is a big turn from professional racing to Spec Miata. There is not any cheap racing and most certainly not any cheap pro racing.

If you are running to win the natoinal titile in Spec Miata I would think a car would be in the $50,000 range and the "other" things would run as much again. Maybe less. Maybe more. There is a lot of info out there on SM.

That sounds expensive until you compare the cost of running a GT car in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. Probably a $150,000 week all in. If you got a main sponsor for half ($75,000), and three drivers, that still leaves $25,000 for each driver and his sponsors to pick up.

You can probably run for " fun" in SM for $10,000 car and another $5000 for the various costs depending on what you already have. You arent going to be knocking any top drivers looking for a ride out of the way for that though.

Probably about the same in other Spec series as this too. Lots of 944 Spec info and costs here on RL.

GTgears

Another series a number of people use as a feeder series to "cost effectively" gain the skills to become a pro is the TDI Jetta Cup. A number of the current Grand Am ST and GS class "pros" got their start there.